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New York City FC 2025 Season Preview

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Armchair Analyst's Breakdown

  • Strength: They are loaded with talent, befitting a team that spent nearly $25 million in the transfer market from 2023-24, and one that has a productive academy and a front office that knows how to find undervalued targets on other MLS teams as well.
  • Weakness: Much of that talent – the most expensive of it, as a matter of fact – basically didn’t play last year. New manager Pascal Jansen was brought in to fix that, but we’ll see.

Key Departures

  • Christian McFarlane: The 18-year-old homegrown left back has joined an expanding list of NYCFC academy graduates to move to Europe with a transfer to English Premier League giants Manchester City.
  • Jovan Mijatović: The Serbian youth international striker has been loaned to Belgian Pro League side Oud-Heverlee Leuven through June 2025.
  • James Sands: Sands went on loan to German Bundesliga side FC St. Pauli, only to suffer a long-term leg injury that required surgery.

Key Signings

Projected Starting XI

New York City FC season preview XI 2025 - 2

Predictions

  • Osvaldo Alonso: 5th in Eastern Conference
  • Matt Doyle: 8th in Eastern Conference
  • Miguel Gallardo: 10th in Eastern Conference
  • Michele Giannone: 9th in Eastern Conference
  • Antonella Gonzalez: 9th in Eastern Conference
  • Sacha Kljestan: 11th in Eastern Conference
  • Kaylyn Kyle: 10th in Eastern Conference
  • Dax McCarty: 11th in Eastern Conference
  • Bradley Wright-Phillips: 10th in Eastern Conference

Odds & Ends

  • Head coach: Pascal Jansen
  • Stadium: Yankee Stadium
  • Last year: 14W-12L-8T, 50 points, 6th in Eastern Conference
  • Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs: Eastern Conference Semifinals