Position: Goalkeeper
Age: 31
Key Stat: 9 MLS starts over 6 years
So far this season, New York City FC added just three players to the squad, and only one who isn’t a Homegrown: Say hello to Greg Ranjitsingh, a 31-year-old goalkeeper who last saw First Team minutes in 2023, when he was in the net four times for Toronto FC.
Ranjitsingh was once the star goalkeeper for Louisville City SC, which won the USL Championship with him between the sticks. He then made a move to MLS, signing with Orlando City in 2019, Minnesota United in 2020, Philadelphia Union in 2021, and Toronto FC in 2022. He made just nine starts in that period, and spent all of 2024 on the bench.
He’ll likely see more time on the sidelines in 2025. New York City have one of the best keepers in the league in Matt Freese, and the Iceman was in the Starting XI for all 38 of the club’s Major League Soccer games last year. There’s not a lot of room at the top.
Backup or NYCFC II?
The biggest question regarding Ranjitsingh is if he’ll serve as a First Team backup to Freese, or if he’ll compete for minutes at NYCFC II with Alex Rando and Tomás Romero.
Ranjitsingh’s age points to an everyday backup: Did David Lee really sign a 31-year-old to play for the club’s development team? But the number-two position on the bench isn’t set in stone, and we could see competition between Rando, Ranjitsingh, and Romero.
Each player has their strengths and weaknesses. As Takashi Williams covered in his player preview of Rando, the 6′ 4″ goalkeeper is good with his feet, and it looks like he’s being cultivated for a bigger role: The 23-year-old became a regular starter for NYCFC II late last season and ended the year with the third-best save rate in the league. But he’s still young, with no First Team experience.
In his preview of of Romero, Noah Kassell-Yung pointed out that the 24-year-old gets regular call-ups from the El Salvador national team, and made 24 starts over the years in MLS. Notably, he was the starter in New York City’s first preseason friendly last week. But Romero couldn’t push past Luis Barraza last year on the depth chart, and essentially spent the year with NYCFC II.
That leaves Ranjitsingh, who was a key part of the Louisville City side that won back-to-back USL Championship titles but who has yet to make his mark in MLS.
Philadelphia story
Fun fact: Ranjitsingh knows Freese from when the two were with Philadelphia in 2021.
Ranjitsingh was released by the club mid-season and became a MLS Pool goalkeeper. But he was returned to Philadelphia for the 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs Eastern Conference Final, when the team was depleted by COVID and used academy and pool players to fill out the roster. Freese was the surprise starter that day, and Ranjitsingh was his backup on the bench.
In case you forgot, New York City advanced after Talles Magno broke a 1-1 deadlock in the 88th minute, and went on to win the title in Portland the following week.
Good vibes
For now, we’ll wait and see what role Ranjitsingh will play in the team. As you can see from the interview below, he seems to have the low-key demeanor and easy laugh of somebody who should become popular in the New York City locker room.
Every team needs a vibes man.
