New York City FC ended the first half of the 2024 season on a frustrating note after a squad reduced to 10 players lost at home to Columbus Crew on Friday night. The result didn't go NYCFC's way, but it doesn't take detract from the fact that this team posted one of the strongest first halves of a season in club history.
New York City now have 29 points after 17 games, which works out to 1.71 points per game (PPG). That equals the points tally of the 2022 and 2019 teams, which also had 1.71 PPG, and trails only 2017 (1.76 PPG) and 2018 (1.82 PPG). It's even slightly higher than the total from 2021 (1.65 PPG), when New York City went on to win MLS Cup.
New York City FC Record | First 17 Games
| Year | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 9 | 2 | 6 | 26 | 20 | 6 | 29 | 1.71 |
| 2023 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 17 | 22 | -5 | 18 | 1.06 |
| 2022 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 33 | 19 | 14 | 29 | 1.71 |
| 2021 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 32 | 18 | 14 | 28 | 1.65 |
| 2020* | 8 | 2 | 7 | 22 | 15 | 7 | 26 | 1.53 |
| 2019 | 7 | 8 | 2 | 30 | 20 | 10 | 29 | 1.71 |
| 2018 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 34 | 24 | 10 | 31 | 1.82 |
| 2017 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 31 | 20 | 11 | 30 | 1.76 |
| 2016 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 27 | 31 | -4 | 24 | 1.41 |
| 2015 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 17 | 19 | -2 | 17 | 1.00 |
* The COVID-interrupted 2020 season consisted of 23 games
The nine wins of this team match the club-best mark set in 2018 and 2017. By many measures, it's a return to form for a New York City that suffered through a rebuild in 2023, when they earned just 18 points in 17 games, the second-lowest tally in club history. Last year looks increasingly like a blip, to use the technical term.
Not all the numbers are strong. NYCFC's 20 goals allowed are in line with the club's historic record, and place the team in a three-way tie for the fifth-fewest in Major League Soccer this season — only Columbus Crew, Charlotte FC, FC Cincinnati, and Houston Dynamo have fewer. But the 26 goals scored are in the bottom half of the team's historic record, and place the team in a many-way tie for a less impressive 10th-most in MLS this year.
The six losses this season are also high for the club. The only years with more losses are 2015 (the club's inaugural year, when New York City didn't make the playoffs), 2020 (the COVID-shortened season), and 2023 (the only other year the club didn't make the playoffs).
Still, New York City sporting director David Lee and head coach Nick Cushing must be pleased with how this season is shaping up. NYCFC are in fourth place in the Eastern Conference after 17 games, and in sixth place in the league standings. (Columbus, which rescheduled games because of their deep run in the Concacaf Champions Cup, have played only 15 games are behind New York City on points but ahead on PPG.)
