After the thrilling, anxiety-laden, 3-1 victory on the road in Charlotte, New York City FC find themselves right back where the season ended last year: In the Eastern Conference Semifinal.
NYCFC fans don’t need a reminder of the happenings of last year's rendition, which saw them dumped from the playoffs in devastating fashion, losing to local rivals “Red Bull New York” (as the club now wants to be known) on home soil, playing as the higher seed. It was the sort of loss that stuck with you for days, maybe even weeks. The sort that made you either hate-watch the rest of the playoffs seeking some weird form of mental revenge, or that made you turn them off altogether as a coping mechanism.
But as the days turned to weeks, and weeks to months, the red stain left by that single playoff result faded a bit in the wash — seeing the Red Bulls fall in the 2024 MLS Cup Final certainly helped that cause. After some reflection, and with the luxury of hindsight, the narrative of that year ultimately shifted from “I can’t believe we lost to Red Bulls,” to “That was actually a pretty decent season.”
Remember, after a dismal 2023 campaign that felt like hitting rock bottom, NYCFC were just hoping to pull themselves off the mat in 2024. In 2023, they’d missed the playoffs for the first time since 2015, and nearly all the hands that hoisted the 2021 MLS Cup had fled for greener pastures. So, a solid regular season coupled with advancing to the Conference Semis (no matter how that result ultimately ended), marked tangible improvement in 2024.
Because of that run, NYCFC could once again think of itself as a relative contender in the Eastern Conference, ultimately shaping the fans’ expectations of the club as they set out for the 2025 season. The hope from fans was not that their side would become an MLS Cup contender overnight, but that it would at the very least show continued growth in the coming year.
Andrew Leigh
Slow start to the season
But, for much of this 2025 season, it felt like NYCFC hadn’t capitalized on that growth. The excitement of Pascal Jansen’s appointment was offset by the departures of James Sands and Santiago Rodríguez, whose replacements didn’t arrive until the 12th and 24th matches of the MLS regular season, respectively. As such, large portions of this year felt more like an experiment to see how many points Jansen could squeeze out of a young, thin squad, rather than NYCFC doubling down on their progress in 2024.
As most young squads do, NYCFC struggled to find consistency. This frustrating run of form didn’t come in the form of hot streaks and cold streaks, but rather, in choppy smatterings of results throughout the season — a couple of wins here, a couple of losses there, and a rare Pascal draw every so often to balance things out.
Andrew Leigh
But all along, quietly, under all of our noses, Jansen was squeezing drop after drop from this squad, and getting point after point. Given the strength of this year’s Eastern Conference, which saw the most points for 9th Place in MLS history, NYCFC looked stuck on the table, but they were still within striking distance, accruing enough points to stay in the playoff picture while building up the floor of the squad with each passing week.
By the time the Secondary Transfer Window rolled around in July, Jansen had built the foundation; now he just needed a few key additions to take them to the next level. Those signings came in the form of Nico Fernández Mercau and Raul Gustavo, and NYCFC’s record since then speaks for itself. From the day that window opened until decision day, the Pigeons operated at a pace of 1.92 points per game, snagging eight wins in their last 13 games, and catapulting themselves out of the Wildcard zone and into the Top 4 conversation.
56 Points in 2025
By the end of this regular season, Jansen has answered the question of season-over-season growth loud and clear: This 2025 team built on the progress of the season prior, and are fundamentally better than their 2024 counterpart.
As far as the table goes, the 2025 squad finished one slot higher than they did in 2024, landing 5th Place instead of 6th Place, while accruing six more points. Their points total of 56 was their highest since 2019, when they topped the Eastern Conference. As for the ol’ eye test, they looked more impressive too, with Jansen employing tactical setups that were far more nuanced than those of his predecessor, Nick Cushing, giving fans a much higher degree of confidence in their manager.
As far as measuring sticks go, there’s really only one category in which this 2025 squad hasn’t already surpassed 2024 - in the depth of their playoff run. As they stare down the very hurdle that felled them last year, a win in this year’s Eastern Conference Semi-Final would see NYCFC emphatically surpass last year's success. An Eastern Conference Final appearance, something they’ve only achieved three times in their history, will likely go down as one of NYCFC’s best-ever seasons.
2024 MLS Cup Playoffs: Not up to the moment
The difference between this year and last year’s Conference Semi-Final, however, lies in the expectation surrounding the fixture.
In 2024, this game felt like a must-win. Not because NYCFC needed the victory to cement themselves as “better than last year” — they’d already done that. Rather, it was a must-win given the context of the matchup. When you’re playing at home as the higher seed against your biggest rivals, a team that famously struggle in the playoffs, the pressure is always going to be on you.
On that day, Cushing’s men weren’t up to that pressure. The sacking of Cushing in the aftermath proved that it was, in fact, a must-win for him personally. Even though his side had improved from the disaster of 2023, City Football Group made it clear that a 6th Place finish and a second-round playoff exit weren't up to standard.
This year, though, that expectation has shifted. In part, it’s because of their much-improved regular season, but also because of their opponent: The Supporters’ Shield-winning Philadelphia Union.
Philly's 66 points on the year topped the Pigeons by 10, and were enough to keep ahead of a gaggle of other shield contenders, such as Inter Miami, FC Cincinnati, San Diego FC, and Vancouver Whitecaps. Philadelphia’s 35 goals allowed were the best in the league, and their 12 home wins were second-best. Both of these stats were seen on full display last time these two sides met, when NYCFC fell 1-0 on the road at Subaru Park.
Oliver Strand
Pressure is on Philadelphia, not New York City
This all points to a supremely difficult road fixture for NYCFC in this year's Conference Semifinal. But instead of that difficulty coming with pressure, it comes with a degree of freedom. They’re still fueled by the adrenaline of a cup run, but are free to do so without the weight of needing to advance for the sake of their season’s legacy, which has already been cemented by the team’s growth to date.
As such, NYCFC heads down the Jersey Turnpike with a busload of house money to play with. A win in nine days would exceed all expectations, and mark a special moment for the club and for these players. And hey, if you make a conference final, who’s to stop you from dreaming about going all the way?
But a loss in this fixture wouldn’t mark a loss for the season as a body of work, as that’s already been cemented as a success in Jansen’s first year at the helm.
With a year of MLS under his belt, a year of growth from his squad, a full season of Nico upcoming, and whatever additions NYCFC can sign in the offseason, expectations are then reset again for 2026. And, at that stage, you can only have so many years of season-over-season growth until you walk away with another MLS Cup.
