New York City FC facts for kids
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| Full name | New York City Football Club | |||
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| Nickname(s) |
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| Short name | NYCFC | |||
| Founded | May 21, 2013 | |||
| Stadium | Yankee Stadium, The Bronx, New York Citi Field, Queens, New York |
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| Stadium capacity |
Yankee Stadium: 28,743 (expandable to 47,422) Citi Field: 41,922 |
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| Owners | City Football Group (80%) Marcelo Claure (10%) Yankee Global Enterprises (10%) |
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| CEO | Brad Sims | |||
| Head coach | Pascal Jansen | |||
| League | Major League Soccer | |||
| 2024 | Eastern Conference: 6th Overall: 13th Playoffs: Conference semifinals |
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Bold indicates the club was founded by CFG.
* indicates the club was acquired by CFG.
§ indicates the club is co-owned.
| 2008 | Manchester City F.C.* |
|---|---|
| 2009 | |
| 2010 | |
| 2011 | |
| 2012 | |
| 2013 | New York City FC§ |
| 2014 | Melbourne City FC* |
| Yokohama F. Marinos*§ | |
| 2015 | |
| 2016 | |
| 2017 | Montevideo City Torque* |
| Girona FC*§ | |
| 2018 | |
| 2019 | Sichuan Jiuniu F.C.*§ |
| Mumbai City FC*§ | |
| 2020 | Lommel S.K.* |
| ES Troyes AC* | |
| 2021 | |
| 2022 | Palermo F.C.*§ |
New York City Football Club (often called NYCFC) is a professional soccer team based in New York City. The club plays in Major League Soccer (MLS) as part of the Eastern Conference. New York City FC is mostly owned by City Football Group, which is part of the Abu Dhabi United Group. The New York Yankees (who own the baseball team) and investor Marcelo Claure also own small parts of the club.
New York City FC played its first league game in the 2015 MLS season. It was the 20th team to join the league. It's the first MLS team based in New York City itself, and the second in the wider New York metropolitan area. The other team is the New York Red Bulls, and they have a big rivalry called the Hudson River Derby. Since 2015, NYCFC has mostly played its home games at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. Starting in 2022, the team also plays some home matches at Citi Field in Queens. A new stadium, Etihad Park, is planned to open in 2027. Sometimes, when Yankee Stadium or Citi Field are busy, NYCFC plays at other places like Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey.
After several years of playing well but not winning the big championship, New York City FC finally won the MLS Cup in 2021. The club then won its first international trophy, the 2022 Campeones Cup, by beating Atlas. This made them the first New York-based club to win an international soccer trophy. New York City FC is one of the most valuable clubs in the league, worth about $1 billion.
Contents
Club History
How the Team Started
In the early 2000s, Major League Soccer wanted to add a second team in the New York City area. They talked to different groups about owning this new team. By 2010, MLS commissioner Don Garber officially announced that the league planned to have its 20th team in New York.
In 2012, Garber spoke with Ferran Soriano, who was then the CEO of Manchester City. In December 2012, news came out that Manchester City was close to becoming the owner of the new MLS team. The name "New York City Football Club" was also trademarked.
Manchester City, working with the New York Yankees baseball team, paid $100 million to join the league. New York City Football Club was officially announced as the 20th MLS team on May 21, 2013.
On May 22, 2013, Claudio Reyna, a former player for the U.S. team and Manchester City, became the club's director of football operations. He was in charge of finding coaches and players. On December 11, 2013, Jason Kreis was named the first head coach of the new team.
On June 2, 2014, the club signed David Villa, a famous striker who had won the World Cup with Spain. He was the first player to join NYCFC. While waiting for the 2015 MLS season to start, Villa played a few games on loan for Melbourne City, another club owned by City Football Group. On July 24, 2014, former England star Frank Lampard joined as the second "Designated Player" (a special rule for top players). On July 6, 2015, the club also signed former Italian international Andrea Pirlo from Juventus as their third Designated Player.
In the 2015 MLS SuperDraft, New York City picked Khiry Shelton as their first player.
Early Seasons and Playoff Challenges (2015–2020)
New York City FC played its first league game on March 8, 2015, against another new team, Orlando City SC. The game ended in a 1–1 tie, with Mix Diskerud scoring NYCFC's first goal. A week later, in their first home game, Villa and Patrick Mullins scored in a 2–0 win against New England Revolution. The team struggled after that, going eleven games without a win.
NYCFC was knocked out of the 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup by the New York Cosmos. The team finished 8th in the Eastern Conference and didn't make the playoffs. After the season, coach Jason Kreis was replaced by Patrick Vieira on November 9.
Under Vieira, the club had a much better season in 2016. They played an exciting, attacking style of soccer. They traded for Jack Harrison, who became a key player alongside Villa. Villa scored 23 goals and was named the league MVP. New York City made the playoffs for the first time but lost to Toronto in the Eastern Conference semi-finals.
The 2017 season was also successful. The club signed Maximiliano Moralez and Alexander Ring. NYCFC finished second in the regular season with a record 57 points. However, they were again knocked out of the playoffs in the conference semi-finals by the Columbus Crew.
Before the 2018 season, the team made many changes. Andrea Pirlo retired. New players like Jesus Medina, Anton Tinnerholm, Jo Inge Berget, Cédric Hountondji, and Ismael Tajouri-Shradi joined. James Sands became the club's first "Homegrown Player" (a player who came up through the team's youth academy).
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In the middle of the 2018 season, coach Vieira left to coach in France. Domènec Torrent, who used to be an assistant coach for Pep Guardiola, took over. The team signed Valentín Castellanos on loan, who scored on his first game. NYCFC made the playoffs again but lost in the second round.
More changes happened before the 2019 season. Star player David Villa left the club. Alexander Ring became the new captain. Castellanos's loan deal became permanent. The club signed Alexandru Mitriță for a record fee and later added Brazilian forward Héber. Despite these changes, the team again lost in the playoffs to Toronto, even though they finished first in the Eastern Conference during the regular season. After this, coach Torrent left the club.
In 2020, New York City FC played in the CONCACAF Champions League for the first time, reaching the quarter-finals. The COVID-19 pandemic caused the season to be paused. When play resumed, NYCFC participated in the MLS is Back Tournament and reached the quarter-finals. In the regular season, they finished fifth in the Eastern Conference but lost in the first round of the playoffs.
MLS Cup Champions (2021)
Before the 2021 season, several key players left, including captain Alexander Ring. The club signed new players like Malte Amundsen, Alfredo Morales, and young Brazilian talents Thiago Andrade and Talles Magno.
The team had a mixed start to the season. By the end of August, they were in fourth place. However, they struggled in September and October, winning only one game in nine. Just when it looked like they might miss the playoffs, they won their last three games and tied another, securing fourth place. Valentín Castellanos had an amazing season, winning the MLS Golden Boot with 19 goals.
In the playoffs, New York City beat Atlanta United FC 2–0. Then, in a thrilling game, they beat the top team, New England Revolution, in a penalty shootout. Goalkeeper Sean Johnson made a big save. In the Eastern Conference finals, NYCFC came from behind to beat the Philadelphia Union 2–1 with a late goal from Talles Magno.
The club then played against Portland Timbers in their first ever MLS Cup final. Castellanos scored first, and NYCFC was very close to winning. But Portland scored a dramatic goal in the last seconds to tie the game. After extra time, the game went to a penalty shootout. Sean Johnson saved two penalties, and Alexander Callens scored the winning penalty, giving New York City FC their first MLS Cup title! It was the first major soccer championship for a New York team since 1982.
Recent Seasons (2022–Present)
The 2022 season started with NYCFC playing in the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League, reaching the semi-finals. In September, they won their first international trophy, the 2022 Campeones Cup, by beating Mexican team Atlas.
However, many players and staff from the championship team started to leave. Coach Ronny Deila left in June and was replaced by assistant coach Nick Cushing. Star striker Taty Castellanos was loaned to another club. Despite these changes, the team finished 3rd in the Eastern Conference and reached the conference finals of the MLS Cup 2022, where they lost to the Philadelphia Union.
In November 2022, the club announced plans to build Etihad Park, a new 25,000-seat stadium in Queens. Construction began in December 2024 and the stadium is expected to open in 2027.
New York City FC had a tough 2023 season. More key players from the 2021 championship team left, including goalkeeper Sean Johnson and defenders Anton Tinnerholm and Alexander Callens. The team struggled, winning only 2 games out of 21 between April and August. For the first time in its history, the club missed the MLS Cup playoffs.
The 2024 season saw the club return to success, despite some challenges. They spent over $20 million on new players like Jovan Mijatović and Agustín Ojeda. NYCFC finished 6th in the Eastern Conference, which allowed them to enter the playoffs. They beat FC Cincinnati in a penalty shootout in the first round. This led to a playoff match against the Red Bulls in the first ever post-season Hudson River Derby, which NYCFC lost 0–2. After the season, coach Nick Cushing was replaced by Pascal Jansen.
Team Colors and Badge
When the club was first announced in 2013, they didn't have official colors or a badge. They used a simple blue circle with "New York City FC" written on it.
Even though the club wanted its own identity, it often referred to the sky blue of Manchester City and the navy blue of the New York Yankees.
On February 4, 2014, the club showed two possible badge designs and let the public vote for their favorite. The club also asked fans to create their own badge designs. The two final badge options were shown on March 10. One looked like a shield from the city's seal, and the other was a round badge inspired by a subway token. Both were designed by Matthew Wolff.
At that time, the club's official colors were announced: navy blue, sky blue, and orange. The orange color is a nod to New York City's Dutch beginnings and is the same shade as in the city's flag. Fans had four days to vote, and over 100,000 votes were cast. The round design was chosen as the winner on March 20.
The shape of the NYCFC badge looks like a New York City Subway token. It has the club name around the outside in a font called Gotham, which is often seen around the city. This design later inspired the badges for many other clubs owned by City Football Group.
On March 5, 2024, the club announced a "refreshed" look. This included darker navy and brighter light blue colors, new secondary colors, and new fonts inspired by 1940s subway tile signs. The badge itself initially only changed with these new colors. The club also said it would use the full name "New York City FC" more often, rather than just "NYCFC."
A new version of the badge was shown on September 9, 2024. It uses one of the new custom fonts and a simpler "NYC" design. This new badge was fully put into use by the club on January 1, 2025.
Team Uniforms
New York City FC showed off its first home uniform on November 13, 2014. The away uniform was revealed on November 24. It was a black shirt with sky blue and orange trim, and five reflective black stripes to represent the five boroughs of New York City.
For the club's second season, a new away uniform was introduced. It was all navy blue with orange trim. The home uniform stayed mostly the same, but with sky blue socks. On January 7, 2017, the club showed its second home uniform, which had a sky blue shirt and navy blue shorts. A small New York City flag was on the front of the shirt. The club's third away uniform was revealed on February 7, 2018. This uniform was mostly gray with sky blue details, inspired by the "concrete jungle" of New York City.
Uniform Sponsors
| Season | Uniform Maker | Shirt Sponsor | Sleeve Sponsor | Ref. |
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| 2015–2021 | Adidas | Etihad Airways | — | |
| 2021 | Sol Cacao
Mastercard |
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| 2022–2023 | DUDE Wipes | |||
| 2024–present | Capital Rx |
City Football Group sponsor Etihad Airways was announced as New York City's first jersey sponsor on November 13, 2014.
Broadcasting Games
One of the club's first announcements was on October 3, 2013. New York City FC signed a deal with WFAN to broadcast English-language radio commentary for their games. A year later, on December 18, 2014, the club announced a deal with the YES Network to show all home and away games on TV. Since the New York Yankees are part-owners of YES, this deal wasn't a surprise.
From 2023, every New York City FC match can be watched on MLS Season Pass through the Apple TV app.
Home Stadiums
On April 21, 2014, the club confirmed that they would play their first season home games at Yankee Stadium. They also said that plans for a future stadium were being worked on.
Before the team was officially announced, there were ideas to build a soccer stadium in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens. But this plan faced opposition and was dropped. The team then thought about building a stadium in the Bronx next to Yankee Stadium. However, in 2015, those plans were also put aside.
On September 23, 2017, New York City FC played a home game at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut, because Yankee Stadium was unavailable.
On October 22, 2017, NYCFC played their last regular season home game at Citi Field in Queens, which is home to the New York Mets. This was also due to a scheduling conflict at Yankee Stadium.
In 2020, they used Red Bull Arena in New Jersey for some games because Yankee Stadium and Citi Field were not available. The team continued to use Red Bull Arena for several home matches in 2021 and 2022 due to scheduling issues.
In November 2022, New York City FC and New York City agreed to build Etihad Park, a 25,000-seat stadium in Willets Point, Queens. Construction started in December 2024 and the stadium is expected to be ready for the 2027 season.
Team Culture
Supporters
New York City FC's official fan group, The Third Rail, started forming after the club was announced in 2013. They met through social media and held events. The group had 1,600 members before the team's first season. The name "Third Rail" comes from the New York City Subway system, showing their desire to "power NYCFC."
Before the club started playing in March 2015, over 14,000 season tickets had been sold. By October of that year, 20,000 season tickets were sold for the first season.
The club recognized another official fan group, Los Templados #12, on February 11, 2022.
Rivalries
In May 2015, New York City FC played its first game against the New York Red Bulls. This created a real local rivalry in MLS. At first, some thought it was a made-up rivalry, but the games quickly became intense. The Red Bulls won the first game. There have been some fights between fans of the two teams. This rivalry is called the Hudson River Derby.
NYCFC has also developed a rivalry with the Philadelphia Union. This rivalry grew after New York City beat the Union in the 2021 Eastern Conference Final playoffs. The rivalry became even stronger when the two teams met again in the 2022 Eastern Conference Final, with the Union winning that time.
Social Media Campaigns
In 2015, MLS held a contest between New York City FC and New York Red Bulls. The team with the most votes would have the Empire State Building lit up in their colors. New York City FC, with over one million Facebook followers, launched the 'WINNYCFC' campaign and won the contest. In 2016, the club started the 'We Are One' campaign on social media, followed by 'Support Your City' during the playoffs.
Players and Staff
Current Roster
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Players on Loan
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Coaching Staff
| Executive | |
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| Chief executive officer | Brad Sims |
| Vice president for partnerships | Andres Gonzalez |
| Vice president for communications | Sam Cooke |
| Sporting director | David Lee |
| Coaching staff | |
| Head coach | Pascal Jansen |
| Assistant coach | Mehdi Ballouchy |
| Assistant coach | Robert Vartughian |
| Assistant coach | Leon Hapgood |
| Goalkeeping coach | Danny Cepero |
| Head Athletic Trainer | Kevin Christen |
| Youth technical coordinator | Rodrigo Marion |
Last updated: November 9, 2022
Source:
Team Leaders (Captains)
| Name | Nationality | Years |
|---|---|---|
| David Villa |  Spain |
2015–2019 |
| Alexander Ring |  Finland |
2019–2021 |
| Sean Johnson |  United States |
2021–2023 |
| Thiago Martins |  Brazil |
2023- |
Youth Teams and Academy
New York City FC has a reserve team called New York City FC II, which plays in the MLS Next Pro league. This team helps younger players develop. NYCFC II plays home games at Belson Stadium in Queens and Icahn Stadium on Randalls Island.
The club also started building its youth development program in April 2014 by working with local youth soccer clubs. In February 2015, they officially created an academy for young players. In 2017, the U-16 academy team won the Generation Adidas Cup, which was the first major trophy for New York City FC at any level.
Team Achievements
National Titles
- MLS Cup
- Champions: 2021
- Supporters' Shield
- Runners-up: 2017, 2019
- Eastern Conference (Playoff)
- Champions: 2021
- Runners-up: 2022
Continental Titles
- Campeones Cup
- Champions: 2022
See also
In Spanish: New York City Football Club para niños
- Soccer in the New York metropolitan area
- Manchester City
- Melbourne City
- Montevideo City Torque
- Mumbai City
- Soccer in New York City
- Expansion of Major League Soccer
