Last month, New York City FC continued the trend of failing to win on Opening Day with a 1-1 draw away at LA Galaxy. With the Big Apple's harsh climate during the winter months, the Pigeons have played every Opening Day on the road and have only won twice. But usually, once the squad returns home to christen the new season within their home confines, the record flips on its head.
Across 11 home openers from 2015 to 2025, New York City have a dominant record of 8W-2D-1L, with six clean sheets – five of those are wins. Over those games, the Pigeons have outscored their opponents by 24 goals to seven.
New York City FC | Home Opener Results
The club's lone loss came in 2024, when a 97th-minute goal from Evander delivered a 2-1 win to Portland Timbers at Yankee Stadium. But even then, the Pigeons have only dropped seven points out of a possible 33 in home openers, while scoring 23 goals and conceding just six.
On that note, let's look at the five most memorable home openers in New York City history.
Hudson River Blue Staff
Hudson River Blue Staff
5. New York City 1 - 0 Inter Miami
March 11th, 2023
Who doesn't love a result over the Herons?
For the 2023 home opener against Inter Miami, Santi Rodriguez made his first appearance for the club since returning to the Big Apple as a designated player. He made an immediate impact when his free kick deflected off Miami defender Christopher McVey past goalkeeper Drake Callendar. It was all New York City needed.
A poor clearance of Santi's free kick was enough for all three points in the Bronx | newyorkcityfc.com
