NYCFC 0 – LA Galaxy 1 | NYCFC starts off the season with a defeat
The defending champions started the season away from home, LA Galaxy was the rival to beat. On paper, it was a manageable task as NYCFC had a few games already on their belt. The home side also had momentum behind them after signing Brazilian star Douglas Costa during the offseason. NYCFC arrived with the championship squad practically untouched, but playing away from home is always difficult regardless of the circumstances.
CCL: NYCFC 4 – Santos de Guapiles 0 | Taking care of business at “home”
The CONCACAF Champions League returned ahead of schedule for the start of the upcoming MLS season. The Boys in Blue hosted Santos de Guapiles for the second leg of the round of 16. California was home away from home for NYCFC, a bit strange but logistically it was a good move. The defending champions begin their season against LA Galaxy on Sunday, so the decision to play there saved the team time and energy for the first fixture of the domestic competition. The team and staff arrived confident in obtaining a result that allowed them to secure a place in the CCL quarterfinals. Santos arrived under pressure after losing in Costa Rica last week.
NYCFC 2 – Santos de Guapiles 0 | Castellanos sends a message
The MLS champions return to action in the CONCACAF Champions League. NYCFC made their second appearance in the competition thanks to the championship obtained last season. The “Boys In Blue” traveled to Costa Rica confident to obtain a good result ahead of the second leg on home soil.
NYCFC achieves greatness | 2021 MLS Champions
The MLS Cup final was set. Both finalists arrived on the big stage with enough merits. The
Portland Timbers would play with a home-field advantage alongside fan support. This was the
opportunity for the team to win the trophy at home. They had all the pressure behind them, The
second finalist NYCFC arrived after a hard-fought season. Their motivation? Beating New
England, the best team in the conference. The team did struggle in the conference final, but they
pushed forward to make a historic appearance against Portland. The Boys in Blue are writing
history, with Castellanos as the Golden Boot and a whole city behind them.
NYCFC Eastern Division champions | Portland awaits!
NYCFC overcame the odds and pulled off the upset against New England. This allowed them to
make their appearance in the conference final for the first time in team history. Rivals
Philadelphia Union also made their first appearance in this stage, however, they had unfortunate
setbacks hours away from the fixture. The Union called 3 players from their academy to make up
for the last-minute problem. Nonetheless, both teams were ready to make history.
Philadelphia had extra motivation having their fans behind them. The locals have been able to
make their fans the 12th man, but NYCFC is no stranger to playing under pressure. With the
match underway Philadelphia did what any local team would do, starting in the attack and
managing to unsettle the Boys in Blue. The first 45 minutes turned very physical, forcing
NYCFC to make a few mistakes in the defensive line. Callens stepped up once again making
clear interventions to keep the game level. NYCFC struggled to connect passes as Philadelphia
played a very specific man-marking system. Players like Maxi and Santiago Rodriguez were
unable to create opportunities with multiple players around them. Both teams made it to halftime
level, but Philadelphia was the better team.