Position: Right-back
Age: 20
Key Stat: 42 accurate long balls in 2024
Mitja Ilenič found himself battling for the right-back position with Bronx native Tayvon Gray this past year. Although the MLS playoffs opened with Ilenič on the bench, he started in the final two games of the First Round best-of-three playoff series against FC Cincinnati and produced an assist and the deciding penalty in the series’ deciding game. That earned Ilenič a spot in the Starting XI for the final match of the season against New York Red Bulls.
Despite New York City failing to beat Red Bulls in Queens, the 2024 campaign ended on a high note for the Slovenian international. That calmly-hit penalty – and cooler-than-ice “shush” celebration at TQL Stadium – brought him much popularity from NYCFC supporters. But will that be enough to secure the starting job when Pascal Jansen and the City Boys travel to Miami to face Lionel Messi & Co in the 2025 season opener on February 22nd?
This was cold from Mitja Ilenic to end the PK shootout. 🥶@newyorkcityfc // Audi #MLSCupPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/wphCpZisY8
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) November 9, 2024
At your service
With two seasons now under the belt of the 20-year-old, he closes his teenage years at the club with much progression. In his inaugural season at New York City, Ilenič became one of the youngest starters at the club, tallying a total of 24 appearances and two assists. That surpassed his 1.1 xAG. He completed 76.1% of his passes that year as well.
The following season, Ilenič nearly doubled his expected assisted goals to 2.14 xAG, but only produced one assist. Again, that is arguably less his fault than the lack of clinical ability up top for big parts of the season. After all, the Boys in Blue finished just above the 50th percentile in goals scored with 54.
Ilenič’s production in the assist category is continuing to improve at a rapid pace. Now it’s up to the players up top to finish what he creates.
Hudson River Blue Staff
Composure, lad
Despite being only 20, Ilenič already played two full seasons in MLS, earning valuable minutes and experience. While this can be a challenging adaptation for younger players to bear the load of senior minutes and starting matches, the right-back has embraced it all with the tranquility of a veteran.
The big assist in Game 2 of the First Round playoff tie against FC Cincinnati, and the match-winning penalty in Game 3 are testaments to how well Ilenič dealt with the pressures of his first MLS playoff appearances.
There are certain aspects of the beautiful game that stray away from technical ability. One of them is belief. From what I’ve seen last season, Ilenič is bursting with confidence. Regardless of his dry patches, you get the sense that he knows he will do better.
Who you gonna call?
But there is a major question looming over Ilenič this season: Who will start at right-back position under Jansen? Both players are similar in that they are young fullbacks who spend much of the game linking to the attack. That will make it a difficult decision to make.
Gray edges out Ilenič when it comes to stats, with seven assists to Mitja’s one last season. Gray’s seven assists are the second-most for a fullback in club history, second only to the eight logged by Anton Tinnerholm in 2019.
Despite the many upsides that Ilenič brings to the game, Gray seems likely to be the starter at the beginning of the season.
Embracing the club’s culture is pivotal for a new head coach, and there’s no better way to do this than by favoring a Homegrown player in Gray.
I don’t think this will lead to the 6′ right-back exiting the club on loan. Instead, it will create real competition at the right-back position between two quality players. And that’s not a bad dilemma for Jansen to have in his first year at the helm in New York City.
Andrew Leigh
both ‘defenders’ are meh at their 1st job “defense”—nodding both o’em started showing signs of improvement, yet not at “the” reliable level. dilemma is that Tinnerholm had set the bar too high? i know i know.