For just the sixth time in club history, New York City FC will embark on a four-game roadtrip.
The 2025 edition will take the team to some of the sweatiest cities in the United States during a summer that’s shaping up to be the hottest on record. The road trip begins this Saturday in Charlotte, then goes to Orlando, Kansas City, and Dallas.
That prompted us here at Hudson River Blue headquarters to wonder, How does this roadtrip compare to the others? In the past, NYCFC’s four-game outings took place in the more mild months of April or May, or included games in Montréal, Toronto. No such luck this year. NYCFC isn’t escaping the heat; it’s sprinting straight into the heart of it with a tour of America’s subtropical climates.
To that end, HRB created the Roadtrip Misery Index, a five-point scale of 🥵 to 🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵 that looks at conditions, logistics, and caliber of opposition.
The 2019 roadtrip, which took place in the spring against mostly unimpressive teams with no games played on short rest, earned a rating of 🥵. Last year’s roadtrip, on the other hand, which took place in July, featured three games on short rest, earned a rating of 🥵🥵🥵🥵 despite the relatively weak opposition.
What is the 2025 RMI, and where does it rank historically? Read more to find out.
New York City FC | Four-Game Roadtrips by Year
| Year | W | D | L | PTS | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | -1 |
| 2023 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 6 | -3 |
| 2019 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 7 | 3 | +4 |
| 2017 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| 2016 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 8 | -2 |
2019: 2W-2D-0L – 8 Pts
🥵
NYCFC’s only undefeated four-game roadtrip took place in 2019. No games were played on short rest, the matches were in May and early June, and the LA Galaxy were the only somewhat dangerous team New York City faced. The quality of that Galaxy squad, plus the cross-country flight, is the only reason why the trip registers on the RMI.
New York City FC | 2019
| Team | Res | Score | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montréal Impact | W | 0-2 | 5/4/2019 |
| LA Galaxy | W | 0-2 | 5/11/2019 |
| Chicago Fire | D | 1-1 | 5/25/2019 |
| Columbus Crew | D | 2-2 | 6/1/2019 |
But this impressive 8-point roadtrip isn’t just due to the easy logistics and opposition. The 2019 squad was formidable, and remains the NYCFC team with the best regular-season record.
2023: 0W-1D-3L – 1 Pt
🥵
The 2023 roadtrip was straightforward: It took place during the temperate months of April and May, with all the games held on the East Coast. One was played on short rest, but that was offset by a match against the New York Red Bulls at Sports Illustrated Stadium (which will always be Red Bull Arena to us). A Hudson River Derby is never an easy game, but at least the NYCFC players spent the night at home instead of in a hotel, and commuted by bus instead of charter plane.
New York City FC | 2023
| Team | Res | Score | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto FC | L | 0-1 | 4/29/2023 |
| Charlotte FC | L | 3-2 | 5/6/2023 |
| NY Red Bulls | L | 1-0 | 5/13/2023 |
| Orlando City | D | 1-1 | 5/17/2023 |
Still, the 2023 squad was the second-worst in club history, a gut-renovation rebuild that was still in the demolition stage when these games were played. It would get worse after this roadtrip, as the team went winless in the following seven games.
2016: 2W-0D-2L – 6 Pts
🥵🥵🥵
Four games played in the heat of July, with two of them on short rest, is not an easy roadtrip. But because an away game in Harrison has the travel conditions of a home match, the RMI is lower than it might be otherwise.
New York City FC | 2016
| Team | Res | Score | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| New England | W | 0-1 | 7/6/2016 |
| Kansas City | L | 3-1 | 7/10/2016 |
| Montréal Impact | W | 1-3 | 7/17/2016 |
| NY Red Bulls | L | 4-1 | 7/24/2016 |
The opposition was strong-ish in 2016. The Red Bulls were the best team in the Eastern Conference that year, followed closely by NYCFC. But Montréal Impact, New England Revolution, and Sporting Kansas City were all mid-table.
2024: 0W-3D-1L – 3 Pts
🥵🥵🥵
The RMI for 2024 is joint-second-highest for any four-game roadtrip, which is surprising given the weak opposition: Orlando was the only truly competitive squad out of the four teams faced, with Austin FC and Chicago Fire missing the playoffs and Atlanta United finishing in 9th Place in the Eastern Conference.
New York City FC | 2024
| Team | Res | Score | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austin FC | L | 2-1 | 7/6/2024 |
| Chicago Fire | D | 0-0 | 7/13/2024 |
| Atlanta United | D | 2-2 | 7/17/2024 |
| Orlando City | D | 1-1 | 7/20/2024 |
But the conditions that year were brutal, with stupefying July heat and three games played on short rest — including the opener against Austin, which was also the longest flight.
2017: 1W-1D-2L – 4 Pts
🥵🥵🥵🥵
When did the scheduling gods think it was a good idea to play three away games on short rest, with a Friday matchup against Real Salt Lake in Utah, followed by a Sunday matchup against Orlando City in Florida?
New York City FC | 2017
| Team | Res | Score | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| FC Dallas | D | 1-1 | 5/14/2017 |
| Real Salt Lake | L | 2-1 | 5/19/2017 |
| Orlando City | W | 0-3 | 5/21/2017 |
| Atlanta United | L | 3-1 | 5/28/2017 |
The 2017 roadtrip took place in May, and FC Dallas, Orlando, and Real Salt Lake weren’t particularly strong that year, but the logistics brings up the RMI.
2025
🥵🥵🥵🥵
This year’s four-game roadtrip will rank as one of the toughest in history. Once again, Orlando is the only team above the playoff line. But away games in North Carolina, Florida, Kansas, and Texas in the heat of July brings up the RMI.
New York City FC | 2025
| Team | Res | Score | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte FC | — | — | 7/12/2025 |
| Orlando City | — | — | 7/16/2025 |
| Kansas City | — | — | 7/19/2025 |
| FC Dallas | — | — | 7/25/2025 |
The midweek game against Orlando and the following game against Kansas City will be played on short rest, while the Dallas match will be played on a Friday. That means that the team won’t have a full week of recovery and training in this run of fixtures.
Will a New York City that has just one road win in nine away games this season find a way to get results this month? Arguably, NYCFC’s best chance will come tomorrow, when the team faces a struggling Charlotte on the plastic grass at Bank of America Stadium.
