Mounsef Bakrar is experiencing the worst goal drought of his New York City FC career to date. With no goals so far in 2025 – and none since the August 31, 2024, more than 250 days ago – the striker who was brought in to bolster the front line hasn't justified the reported $2 million fee it cost to sign him from NK Istra in Croatia back in 2023.
When the club loaned out 19-year-old striker Jovan Mijatović to OH Leuven in Belgium at the start of the season, it cleared a path for Bakrar to lay claim to a role in the NYCFC attack. Instead, Bakrar has stagnated on the bench and failed to produce when called upon.
As the Boys in Blue struggle to find a consistent source of goals outside of talisman Alonso Martínez, Bakrar's lack of impact and seemingly stunted development since arriving in the Big Apple has left many questioning if the Algerian's time to prove himself is running out.
A ghost in front of goal
The last competitive match in which Bakrar scored a goal for New York City FC was a 4-2 loss to the Columbus Crew last August. In the time since, the Boys in Blue made a run in the MLS Cup Playoffs, sacked head coach Nick Cushing, hired Jansen, sold Santiago Rodríguez, and played the first 14 matches of the 2025 MLS season.
The world at large has changed as well: The United States has a new president, the Vatican has a new pope, and Liverpool has a new trophy. But the man who wears the No 9 jersey for New York City hasn't scored a single goal for his club.
Even more concerning, Bakrar has just one shot on target this season. That's the second-fewest of any attacking player – he is only above Agustín Ojeda, who has zero shots – and puts him even with defensive players such as Tayvon Gray, Justin Haak, and Jonny Shore.
Bakrar did land two shots on target in the one non-league game New York City played so far this year, when he was the focus of the attack in the team's 1-0 cupset loss to second-division Pittsburgh Riverhounds in the US Open Cup earlier this month. But the striker was effectively shut down by Pittsburgh's defense, and managed just three touches in the opposition's box.
This isn't to say that the Algerian was left on an island, either. Though the Boys in Blue swung in only three accurate crosses, Jansen's side created 10 chances and sent 83 passes into the final third. Despite this, Bakrar recorded just 20 touches overall, the fewest of the New York City starters.
Bakrar finished the match with three shots. But he never seriously troubled a Riverhounds back line that had given up two goals at home to North Carolina FC just four days earlier.
During the few moments the Algerian was on the ball, the striker was tame when challenging the Riverhounds backline, attempting, albeit successfully, just one dribble during the loss. And the striker's two shots on target? Both resulted in routine saves for Riverhounds shot-stopper Eric Dick as he shut out New York City.
The weakest link
It's a fair claim to make that Bakrar is currently the weakest link in an already lackluster New York City forward core.
As a club, the Boys in Blue have scored 15 goals in the MLS this season, the fifth-fewest in the Eastern Conference. Martínez alone is responsible for over half of those goals, scoring seven and assisting one other. Both Julián Fernández and Hannes Wolf have four goal contributions each, leaving just Agustín Ojeda and Bakrar as the forwards yet to add their names to the scoresheet. But Ojeda has still managed to take more shots than the Algerian, with nine attempts from the wing.
New York City FC | 2025 Attacking Stats
| Player | G | A | xG | S | SOT | Starts | Apps | Min | G/90 | GI/90 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alonso Martínez | 7 | 1 | 9.51 | 49 | 25 | 13 | 13 | 1145 | 0.55 | 0.63 |
| Julián Fernández | 2 | 2 | 1.53 | 21 | 6 | 9 | 14 | 719 | 0.25 | 0.50 |
| Hannes Wolf | 3 | 1 | 3.46 | 27 | 7 | 13 | 14 | 1130 | 0.24 | 0.32 |
| Mitja Ilenič | 1 | 1 | 0.42 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 12 | 834 | 0.11 | 0.22 |
| Keaton Parks | 1 | 0 | 1.57 | 11 | 6 | 10 | 11 | 820 | 0.11 | 0.11 |
| Maxi Moralez | 1 | 0 | 1.11 | 13 | 3 | 14 | 14 | 1145 | 0.08 | 0.08 |
| Andrés Perea | 0 | 0 | 1.12 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 331 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Agustín Ojeda | 0 | 0 | 0.47 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 14 | 498 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Jonny Shore | 0 | 0 | 0.42 | 9 | 1 | 9 | 13 | 874 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Justin Haak | 0 | 0 | 0.39 | 7 | 1 | 14 | 14 | 1236 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Mounsef Bakrar | 0 | 0 | 0.34 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 314 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Tayvon Gray | 0 | 0 | 0.05 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 395 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
By contrast, Bakrar has managed six shots this season, with just one on the target. Midfielders Keaton Parks (11 shots, 6 SOT, 1 goal) and Andrés Perea (9 shots, 2 SOT) have both proven more threatening going forward, despite playing most of the season as deep-lying No 6's or No 8's, and joining the attack only on when the run of play allows for it.
To make matters worse, Bakrar isn't just lagging behind his fellow forwards in Skyscraper Blue, but the majority of his squad. With the fewest goals of all the senior strikers in the squad, Bakrar boasts the second-lowest expected goals (xG) per 90 at the club, with o.34 xG. This metric places Bakrar behind defensive players like Shore (0.42) and Haak (0.39). Gray (0.05), a right-back, is the only player trailing Bakrar, yet that's due in part to the Jamaican international missing seven matches this season due to injury.
Most players in the New York City attack are underperforming, and lagging behind the goal totals their stats suggest they should be scoring. But even then, Bakrar's lack of productivity stands out.
Diminishing returns
Bakrar's scoring problems aren't anything new. He has just eight league goals for NYCFC since signing for the club in July 2023 — that's eight goals across 62 matches in both league games and cup competitions, or a goal every 355 minutes. The rule of thumb is that for a professional striker to pull their weight, they should average at least one goal every 180 minutes. Bakrar's scoring rate this year is almost double that average.
Mounsef Bakrar | New York City Stats by Year, MLS
| Year | G | A | xG | S | SOT | Starts | Apps | Mins | G/90 | GI/90 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0 | 0 | 0.34 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 314 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 2024 | 4 | 0 | 6.36 | 61 | 20 | 14 | 31 | 1360 | 0.27 | 0.27 |
| 2023 | 3 | 0 | 6.11 | 28 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 760 | 0.36 | 0.36 |
In 2023, when Bakrar made 10 appearances, he took 28 shots, which works out to 2.8 shots per game, and scored three goals. In 2024, when he made 31 appearances, he took 61 shots, which works out to almost 2.0 shots per game, and scored six goals. That season is widely regarded as a bust, as Bakrar lost his starting spot to Martínez. But 2024 looks like a career year compared to 2025: This season, Bakar's six shots in 13 appearances works out to just 0.5 shots per game.
Bakrar's game has taken a significant step back. He's shooting less and attempting fewer dribbles, thus diminishing his impact more and more as the seasons progress.
It may be unfair to pin the blame squarely on the shoulders of the Algerian. After all, soccer is a team sport, and many others in the NYC squad have failed to pull their weight in recent weeks.
But there are opportunities for Bakrar. He just hasn't taken them. In each of his 14 appearances in 2025, Bakrar has looked lost up front with seemingly no way to take advantage of the chances the team creates. Bakrar’s ability to get in behind hasn’t proved effective, nor has his overall shot selection.
When given chances to start, like what he saw vs the Riverhounds in the US Open Cup, Bakrar failed to deliver.
What's going wrong?
The gulf in quality between NYC's options at the No 9 slot is staggering when you remember that Bakrar was one of the big signings to join the club in the summer of 2023. Bakrar was the prized striker brought in to lead the line for New York City FC in 2023, not Martínez.
Could it be an issue with the tactical setup employed by Pascal Jansen? Unlikely, considering the English-born Dutch head coach employs attacking systems similar to that of former boss Cushing. Whether it's a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1, Bakrar has experience playing in both systems. He even saw semi-decent success during the early days of his NYC move, scoring three goals in the final 10 matches of the 2023 MLS season.
What about playing time? Could the Algerian still be struggling to score due to inconsistent appearances for the club? This is the more likely answer to the problem, albeit a lazy one.
Consistent minutes and appearances are critical for players to build confidence and ultimately improve their form. Bakrar's 314 minutes are among the lowest on the First Team. The only players with less playing time are Nico Cavallo (232 minutes), a depth piece sign in the MLS SuperDraft at the start of the season; Strahinja Tanasijević (222 minutes), a backup center-back with a knack for earning yellow and red cards; and Aiden O'Neill (197), a midfielder who joined the team less than two weeks ago.
Will he start to see even less playing time? Jansen left Bakrar on the bench for the first time this season in the scoreless draw with DC United. Even though the team was desperate for a goal, Jansen looked to other players when he made his five substitutes, choosing to bring on Ojeda in the 81st minute for Wolf in a desperate attempt to find a goal.
When Jansen arrived this January, he talked about instilling a "bulletproof mindset" into the squad, longing to transform the squad into a more aggressive and stable unit, while focusing on the development of young players like Bakrar. This hasn't panned out like many in the front office may have hoped.
While the creativity surrounding NYCFC's No 9s this season has certainly left a lot to be desired, Bakrar's inability to put the ball on frame – let alone past an opposing keeper – has opened the door to speculation that the Algerian's time in the Big Apple is running out.
And with fans of the Boys in Blue clamoring for more attacking reinforcements this summer, it remains to be seen if Bakrar will remain an NYCFC player after the summer transfer window opens on July 24th.
