2023 MLS Regular Season Record: 9W - 14D - 11L
Key Takeaways from 2023
What I said last winter:
I could have sworn I did a writeup on NYCFC, but can’t find it
Regardless, my intuition said it would be a tough season because the club lost many key players from the MLS Cup winning squad. Some due to the salary cap
What happened:
The club went through a rebuild and brought in players on loan and transfer from Europe and within the league
They were transfer sign Santiago Rodríguez from Torque and secure him as a designated player
They struggled with finishing, badly.
Rebuilds are Rough
After reviewing the data, II found it a bit surprising how well NYCFC stacked up in different areas, especially given the not-so-great sentiment around the club’s season. Also, I’ll address something personal— I HATE New York City FC’s pitch. It’s small and stupid. Honestly, I tend to skip watching Atlanta matches there because they're never enjoyable, no matter how the game turns out.
In terms of formations, New York went with a 4-2-3-1 in about half of their matches and dabbled in various three-back setups. Santiago Rodríguez held it down as their CAM, and they mixed things up with the wingers and striker throughout the year. Keaton Parks and Andrés Perea teamed up in the midfield, and Thiago Martins led the backline.
NYCFC boasted an impressive lineup of attackers — at least on paper —, featuring talents like Santi Rodríguez, Talles Magno, Matias Pellegrini, and Richy Ledezma. Additionally, they brought in Monsef Bakrar mid-year to fill the center-forward role. While the group performed well overall, there's one hiccup—they missed a lot of big chances. I often mention that chance creation and misses go hand-in-hand, but in their case, the missed opportunities arguably cost them points throughout the year.
To further support the impact of their missed chances on performance, New York finished fifth-to-last in Goals minus Expected Goals (G - xG) at -8.7. Key players who took a high volume of shots simply weren't clinical in front of goal.
New York's leading scorer was Gabriel Pereira with 6 goals compared to 4.4 xG, who by-the-way left mid-year for the Saudi League. Following him was Santi Rodriguez with 5 goals versus 4.9 xG.
The underperformers in terms of G - xG include Magno (4 goals vs. 6.2 xG), Bakrar (3 goals vs. 5.8 xG), and Ledezma (0 goals vs. 2.8 xG). Richy's numbers are particularly concerning; despite the hype around him coming to MLS, he only managed four assists across all competitions.
The Pigeons held the majority of possession in 23 out of their 34 total MLS matches, and this split was almost even between home and away games. NYCFC prioritizes a build-up approach in their tactics and tends to assert dominance in possession. They concluded the season with the fifth-best pass accuracy and the third-highest number of accurate passes. Additionally, they excelled in winning duels.
In goalkeeping, NYCFC concluded with the ninth-best overall save percentage, and their defense limited opponents to the fifth-fewest shots on target.
However, New York did end up with a net-negative in post-shot expected goals. The club alternated between keepers Luis Barraza and Matt Freese throughout the year, and it doesn't seem like either player definitively secured the starting role heading into the next season.
Barraza finished with a PSxG of -3.1 and Freese a +1.4. In terms of shot-stopping, Freese was the better keeper in his starts, but I’m unsure how skilled he is with his feet, a crucial aspect given New York’s desire to play out of the back.
New York is a unique case. They implemented their tactics effectively in various statistical aspects, except for scoring, which might explain their active winter transfer window in acquiring new attacking talent. While they did make some signings last summer, the players they are linked to this winter suggest a potential turnaround in 2024.
Top Sorare Fantasy Performers
Numbers are across all competitions
Goalkeeper: Matt Freese | L15: 58 | 60+ pts games: 6 | Clean sheets: 6 | Penalties saved: 0
Defender: Thiago Martins | L15: 52 | 60+ pts games: 7 | Goals: 0 | Assists: 0 | Clean sheets: 7
Midfielder: Santiago Rodríguez | L15: 58 | 60+ pts games: 10 | Goals: 7 | Assists: 6
Forward : Gabriel Pereira | L15: 50 | 60+ pts games: 9 | Goals: 6 | Assists: 3
Extra: Keaton Parks | L15: 46 | 60+ pts games: 8 | Goals: 2 | Assists: 2
2024 Outlook
Last Updated 1/21/2024
GIF Rating:
Outgoing Players
Nico Benalcazar - Centre-back - Option Declined
Braian Cufré - Left-back - Loan Expired
Jonathan Jimenez - Winger - Option Declined
Alfredo Morales - Central Midfielder - Option Declined
Samuel Owusu - Center-back - Option Declined
Matias Pellegrini - Winger - Option Declined
Stephen Turnbull - Right-back - Option Declined
Richard Ledezma - Attacking Midfielder - Loan Expired
Incoming Players
Gabriel Segal - Centre-forward - Returns from loan to Hapoel Tel Aviv
Andrés Perea - Defensive Midfielder - Transferred from Philadelphia Union for up to $800k in General Allocation Money (GAM)
Hannes Wolf - Winger - Transfer from Borussia Mönchengladbach
Zidane Yañez - Centre-forward - Homegrown signing
Alex Rando - Goalkeeper - Homegrown signing
Agustín Ojeda - Winger - Transfer from Racing Club reportedly near completion
Rumor Mill
Jovan Mijatovic - Centre-forward - Would be signed by City Group and loaned to NYCFC if it happens
How many attackers does a club need?
NYCFC is already shoring up the gap in their attack from last season. They've secured the signature of Hannes Wolf from Bundesliga and Agustín Ojeda from Racing Club. Both are flexible positionally, but prefer the wing. Finally, Jovan Mijatovic is reportedly on his way from Red Star after signing for Manchester City. The move will be a loan.
In terms of exits, surprisingly Talles Magno stayed with the club for another window. There was rumored interest from Serie A clubs, but nothing materialized. Expect lots of competition for the winger spots, and even centre-forward isn’t a guarantee for Mijatovic.
The only other position I'd like to see NYCFC reinforce is at left-back. Unless they plan to line up in a three-back formation, they'll need to address the gap left by Braian Cufré.
Overall, this team looks poised to challenge for top spots in the conference again. The small and somewhat disorienting Yankee Stadium pitch will continue to make beating New York at home difficult, but there's good news on the horizon as NYCFC is finally building a soccer-specific stadium! Thank God.
Projected Starting Lineup
I'm sticking with the 4-2-3-1, but I wouldn't be surprised if they decide to mix things up. With the arrival of several versatile attackers and ongoing positional battles at three or more spots, I'll be keeping a close eye on the preseason.