NYCFC 10 year Anniversary face Orlando City SC
On the Home Opener at Yankee Stadium and the club’s “big night” this weekend…
“I’m glad you ended with the words ‘big night’ because it’s going to be exactly that. I was told this marks the club’s 10th anniversary, and coincidentally, the inaugural match was also against Orlando, so emotions will be high. It’s a big night for us. Traveling to Miami and Los Angeles has been a challenge, and while we performed okay in those games, we know we can do better. What better opportunity to do that than in front of our home fans?
I had the pleasure of attending a fan event a couple of weeks ago, and the [fans] made it very clear what they expect from the team this season—not just in the home opener but overall. There’s a real sense of anticipation for this moment, and everyone is eager to see the team in action again. For us, the focus is on becoming a better team than we were last week. As I mentioned earlier, the first two games were okay, but we didn’t get the results we wanted. Now, we have a big opportunity to perform in front of our home crowd and show that we’re ready to take the next step.”
On playing against Orlando City SC this weekend…
“We’re looking forward to this game. The guys are eager to prove themselves again and excited to play at Yankee Stadium. The fact that we’re facing Orlando adds extra emotion to the occasion [10 years since our first-ever match, also against Orlando]. Plus, one of my assistant coaches, Mehdi Ballouchy, played in that original match, so he knows exactly what it feels like. We’re going to channel that emotion into our preparation to make sure we’re ready for this game.”
On playing the Home Opener and the 10-year anniversary this weekend…
“We’re very excited. It’s an honor to play in this match, especially as we celebrate the club’s 10th anniversary. As you mentioned, I believe the inaugural match was also against Orlando City, so it’s a great way to commemorate the club’s history. More than anything, we’re just excited to be back in front of our fans and give everything we have to earn three points especially after the way last season ended.
“I think some of my favorite memories with the club would include my debut at Yankee Stadium… my real Yankee Stadium debut was in the Campeones Cup. That was obviously a wonderful memory, personally, and as a team, it was the last trophy we won and to do it in kind of my first game was really special. Following that… we won the Derby on the weekend; I think that week as a whole was just surreal and a great moment personally to experience that and to experience it with your hometown club. This 10th anniversary game is another opportunity to create another great memory for the club, for our fans, and for all of us that have been on the team for a while. We are excited to play in this historic game.”
On the start of the 2025 MLS season and goals for the season…
“I think the idea is to carry the pain of last season into this one as motivation. In some ways, we have a fresh start with new ideas within the group and that has brought great energy to the team. We want to channel that into this home opener. Obviously, the start on the road was challenging, both in terms of the competition we faced and the results, but that’s in the past now. Our focus is on looking forward and using this home opener as an opportunity to start off on the right foot. In the short term, our focus is on starting strong, and in the long term, we’re committed to building something special for the future.”
Home Opener
New York City FC welcomes Orlando City SC for their home opener at Yankee Stadium as the club celebrates their 10-year anniversary of their first-ever match. In past home openers, they’ve faced teams like New England Revolution, Toronto FC, D.C. United (twice), LA Galaxy, Philadelphia Union, FC Cincinnati, CF Montréal, Inter Miami CF, and the Portland Timbers. Since 2015, New York City FC has recorded 6 wins, 2 losses, and 2 draws in their home openers, scoring 21 goals, conceding 7, and securing 5 clean sheets.
New York City has hosted nine home openers at Yankee Stadium, tallying a record of 6 wins, 1 loss, and 2 draws. They’ve scored 21 goals, conceded 6, and earned 5 clean sheets.
The only time New York City played their season’s first home game away from Yankee Stadium was on July 9, 2020, at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, where they fell 1-0 to the Philadelphia Union.
The ‘Boys in Blue’ have netted in all their home opener goals at Yankee Stadium, with 21 goals scored in total 2 of which came from the opposition.
Thirteen players have scored for New York City FC in home openers, with David Villa leading the pack with six goals. The other scorers are Santiago Rodríguez (two), Jesús Medina (two), and one goal each from Patrick Mullins, Ronald Matarrita, Maxi Moralez, Anton Tinnerholm, Gudmundur Thórarinsson, Valentín Castellanos, Alex Callens, Talles Magno, and Thiago Andrade.
New York City FC has recorded 13 assists in home openers, contributed by nine players. Maxi Moralez leads with three assists, followed by Ned Grabavoy and David Villa with two each. The remaining assists came from Mix Diskerud, Ronald Wallace, Valentín Castellanos, Alfredo Moralez, Talles Magno, and Andres Jasson, each with one.
Midfielder Maxi Moralez is the only current player on the roster with a goal contribution in a home opener. He ranks second in all-time home opener contributions with four, behind David Villa, who leads with eight.
Maxi Moralez scored a goal and added two assists in the 4-0 win over D.C. United on March 12, 2016. His three goal contributions (1 goal, 2 assists) stand as the most in a single home opener, a record matched only by David Villa, who scored two goals and provided one assist in the same match.
Maxi’s most recent assist came on April 24, 2021, during a 5-0 victory over FC Cincinnati.
New York City has scored at least one goal in eight home openers and two or more goals in six of them. The ‘Boys in Blue’ have found the back of the net in all but two home openers: a 0-0 draw against D.C. United on March 10, 2019, and a 1-0 loss to Philadelphia Union on July 9, 2020.
The largest winning margin in a season opener was five goals, achieved in a 5-0 victory over FC Cincinnati on April 24, 2021. This match also set the record for the most goals scored in a single home opener.
The largest losing margin was one goal, which occurred twice: on July 8, 2020, and March 9, 2024.
The most goals New York City conceded in a single home opener were two, which happened on two occasions: March 13, 2016, and March 9, 2024.
Their most recent win came on March 11, 2023, against Inter Miami CF in a 1-0 victory, which also marked the last time New York City FC recorded a clean sheet.
All-Time vs. Orlando City SC
New York City FC and Orlando City SC face off for the 25th time in MLS regular season play, with New York City currently holding the advantage.
New York City FC holds an all-time record of 9-8-7 (W-L-D) against Orlando City SC and is currently unbeaten in their last five meetings, with three wins and two draws.
In their last nine encounters, New York City FC has only lost once, achieving four wins, one loss, and four draws during this period.
The last time New York City lost to Orlando was August 28, 2022, in a 2-1 loss.
The last time New York City won against Orlando was on June 28, 2024, in a 4-2 victory.
The last matchup between the two sides was on July 20, 2024, which resulted in a 1-1 draw.
New York City has outscored Orlando in four 15-minute intervals between the 31st and 90th minutes, including stoppage time, with a total of 40 goals compared to Orlando’s 21. The highest-scoring interval for New York City is between the 76th and 90th minutes, with 11 goals. They’ve also netted 10 goals each during the 31st-45th and 46th-60th minutes, the second-highest totals.
New York City FC has remained unbeaten at home against Orlando City since April 23, 2017. The ‘Boys in Blue’ are on a seven-match streak without a loss, recording six wins and one draw, with 19 goals scored and only four conceded.
At home against Orlando, New York City FC holds a 7W-2L-2D record, with 27 goals scored and 12 conceded. They’ve found the net in 10 of 11 home matches, scoring two or more goals in eight of those games. Additionally, the ‘Boys in Blue’ kept Orlando scoreless in four of those encounters.
The last time New York City held a clean sheet at home was on September 20, 2023, in a 2-0 win.
The largest victory margin against Orlando was five goals, achieved in a 5-0 win at Yankee Stadium on July 25, 2021. This match also tied the record for the most goals New York City scored in a single game against Orlando, matching their 5-3 win on July 26, 2015.
Last season, on June 28, New York City secured a 4-2 victory, with their four goals marking the second-highest total scored in a single match against Orlando.
The largest home defeat margin against Orlando was one goal, occurring twice at Yankee Stadium: a 2-1 loss on April 23, 2017, and a 1-0 loss on March 18, 2016.
The most goals New York City conceded against Orlando was three, occurring in a 5-3 win on July 26, 2015.
At Yankee Stadium New York City FC has a record of 5W-2L-2D against Orlando, scoring 23 and conceding 11.
New York City has scored in eight of their nine matches at Yankee Stadium, netting two or more goals in six of those games and keeping Orlando scoreless in three.
The last time New York City held a clean sheet at Yankee Stadium was on July 25, 2021, in a 5-0 win.
Midfielder Maxi Moralez is the current all-time leading series leader in assists (6), shots on goal (17), and fouls suffered (32) against Orlando City.
Moralez also is the current all-time game high leader in shots on goal (5), as well as fouls suffered (7).
Of the current New York City FC roster, Moralez has played the most matches against Orlando (13), played the greatest number of minutes (1,037), scored the most goals (5), collected the most assists (6), and taken the most shots (31).
Other current New York players to have scored against ‘The Lions’ include Forward Mounsef Bakrar (2), and Midfielders Hannes Wolf (2), Keaton Parks (1), and Andrés Perea (scored one while playing with Philadelphia Union), and Forward Agustín Ojeda (1).
Other current New York players that have assisted against Orlando City include Defender Tayvon Gray (2), Forward Alonso Martínez (2), Agustín Ojeda (1), Forward Malachi Jones, and Defender Thiago Martins.
Goalkeeper Matt Freese has faced Orlando five times, facing 20 shots, making 14 saves, and averaging 1.2 goals allowed per game.
Two of those appearances were with Philadelphia Union, on July 22, 2021, and July 3, 2019, where he faced five shots, made two saves, and averaged 1.5 goals allowed per game.
When Playing Home:
New York City FC returns home after opening the season with two road matches. In their MLS regular season history, New York City FC has played 162 home games, boasting a record of 92 wins, 29 losses, and 41 draws, with 325 goals scored and 187 conceded.
On the current roster, 10 New York City FC players have scored at home, including Midfielder Maxi Moralez (19), Forward Alonso Martínez (11), Midfielder Keaton Parks (9), Forward Mounsef Bakrar (5), Forward Julián Fernández (4), Forward Agustín Ojeda (3), Midfielder Hannes Wolf (3), Defender Mitja Ilenič (1), Midfielder Andrés Perea (1), and Defender Kevin O’Toole (1).
On the current roster 14 New York City FC players have recorded assists while playing at home, including Moralez (49), Keaton Parks (8), Defender Tayvon Gray (6), Wolf (5), Forward Malachi Jones (3), Ilenič (2), Fernández (2), Martínez (2), Defender Thiago Martíns (2), Ojeda (1), Perea (1), Risa (1), Bakrar (1), and O’Toole (1).
Moralez leads the team with 68 goal contributions at home. Over 93 appearances, he started 82 matches, accumulated 7,266 minutes, took 179 shots, and registered 75 shots on target.
Keaton Parks ranks second in goal contributions with 17. Parks has played 79 games, started 69, logged 5,962 minutes, taken 96 shots, and registered 34 shots on target.
Goalkeeper Matt Freese has played 24 matches, totaling 2,160 minutes. He has faced 103 shots, made 74 saves, conceded 29 goals (averaging 1.21 goals allowed per game), and recorded three clean sheets.
The best home record in a single season came in 2021 and 2022, when New York City posted a 10W-3L-4D record, earning 107 points in each year.
The most goals scored at home in a single season was 37, achieved in both 2021 and 2022.
The fewest goals conceded at home in a single season was nine, which occurred in 2020.
At Yankee Stadium, New York City FC has played 124 matches, recording a 71W-21L-32D record, scoring 261 goals and conceding 144.
On the current roster, nine New York City FC players have scored at Yankee Stadium, including Maxi Moralez (17), Alonso Martínez (5), Keaton Parks (5), Mounsef Bakrar (3), Agustín Ojeda (3), Hannes Wolf (2), Julián Fernández (1), and Kevin O’Toole (1).
On the current roster, 13 New York City FC players have recorded assists, including Maxi Moralez (41), Tayvon Gray (4), Keaton Parks (4), Malachi Jones (2), Julián Fernández (2), Alonso Martínez (2), Thiago Martins (2) Andrés Perea (1), Birk Risa (1), Kevin O’Toole (1), Agustín Ojeda (1), and Mitja Ilenič (1).
Moralez leads the team with 58 goal contributions at Yankee Stadium. Over 70 games at the stadium, he has started 64 matches, logged 5,687 minutes, taken 149 shots, and registered 67 shots on goal.
Martínez ranks second on the current squad with seven goal contributions. He has played 7 games, starting 4, and has taken 16 shots, with 8 of them on target.
Goalkeeper Matt Freese has played 13 matches, totaling 1,170 minutes. He has faced 61 shots, made 41 saves, conceded 20 goals (averaging 1.54 goals allowed per game), and recorded two clean sheets.
The most points earned at Yankee Stadium in a single season was 106, achieved in 2018, when the ‘Boys in Blue’ posted a 12W-1L-4D record over 17 games.
The most goals scored in a single season at Yankee Stadium was 36, set in 2018.
The fewest goals conceded in a single season at Yankee Stadium was four which occurred in 2021 – Note the club only played nine home matches at Yankee Stadium that season.
David Villa holds the record for most goals scored at Yankee Stadium all-time for New York City FC, with 46. He is followed by Valentín Castellanos (29), Maxi Moralez (17), Jesus Medina (13), and Santiago Rodríguez (9).
Maxi Moralez leads all-time with the most assists at Yankee Stadium (41),followed by David Villa (22), Santiago Rodríguez (14), Jack Harrison (10), Anton Tinnerholm (9), and Jesus Medina (9).
David Villa leads all-time in goal contributions at Yankee Stadium with 68, followed by Maxi Moralez (58), Valentín Castellanos (37), Santiago Rodríguez (23), and Jesus Medina (22).
