As the 20th team in the MLS; NYC FC joined the highest American soccer league in 2015. In the 3 years of competing in MLS, NYC was always seen finishing at the top of the Eastern Conference. In their first 2 years, NYC finished 2nd, while last season we saw them at the 3rd place. Despite their good performances, New York City has not yet won a silverware. In all of the 3 seasons, they were knocked out in the 4th round of the U.S. Open Cup. As for the MLS Cup, NY City have never advanced past the Conference Semi-finals.
Head Coach: Domènec Torrent
Hoping to reach for better results, NYC FC hired a new coach, Domènec Torrent who has a lot of experience behind him. After managing the Spanish side Girona, he was an assistant at Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Domènec Torrent also spent the past 11 seasons working with Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola and will now after 12 long years get to manage a club as the head coach. In his career as a coach and an assistant Domènec Torrent achieved many titles and honours; Tercera Division title, 3x LaLiga, 2x Copa del Rey, 3x Supercopa, 2x Champions League, 3x UEFA Super Cup, 3x Club World Cup, 3x Bundesliga, 2x DFB Cup, 1x Premier League and 1x EFL Cup.
Transfers
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| Mode | Name | Moving from | Moving to | Mode of Transfer |
| January 26, 2019 | Juan Pablo Torres | Lokeren | New York City | Transfer |
| January 22, 2019 | Ebenezer Ofori | VfB Stuttgart | New York City | Loan |
| December 12, 2018 | Tony Rocha | Orlando City | New York City | Trade |
| January 19, 2019 | Keaton Parks | Benfica | New York City | Loan |
| February 4, 2019 | Alexandru Mitriță | Universitatea Craiova | New York City | Transfer |
| January 28, 2019 | Luis Barraza | Marquette Golden Eagles | New York City | SuperDraft |
| January 24, 2019 | Justin Haak | New York City FC Academy | New York City | Homegrown player |
| January 29, 2019 | Kwame Awuah | New York City | Forge FC | Free |
| December 14, 2018 | Andre Rawls | New York City | Colorado Rapids | Re-Entry Draft |
| December 20, 2018 | Tommy McNamara | New York City | Houston Dynamo | Re-Entry Draft |
| December 1, 2018 | David Villa | New York City | Vissel Kobe | Free |
| February 1, 2019 | Eloi Amagat | New York City | Olot | Free |
| December 14, 2018 | Rodney Wallace | New York City | Sporting Kansas City | Free |
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Expectations for the 2019 season
Following the steps of Andrea Pirlo and Frank Lampard, David Villa as well left the NYFC to chase other goals in Japan. So, now the question comes up; Where will New York City FC finish without David Villa? As the best striker in the team with 23,24 and 15 goals in the league matches throughout the 3 seasons, he was not only the top scorer and the driving force behind the team good results but also a big part of NYFC personality. Him leaving the team seems like a huge loss, but NYCFC have been preparing for this day. With a lot of emphasis on younger players, NYFC brought in Keaton Parks, Juan Pablo Torres as well as the “homegrown” Justin Haak, in their squad in hopes to build a strong team. In an interview, the sporting director Claudio Reyna stated that NYFC could bring in an older star player, however, he believes bringing in young talent is better for the team in the long run. Still, the question remains, who will replace Villa’s 77 goals? While there is no “real” striker among the NYFC team it’s expected the scoring load to be more evenly distributed among players. All in all, NYCFC does have the talent, now it all depends on how they use it. If they can find a striker to step up and score goals, we just might be looking at a team that will have a great chance to get their first trophy.
