From NYCFC
Pre-Match Press Conference Quotes
New York City FC Head Coach Pascal Jansen
On the final 10 games of the MLS Regular Season...
“It's the final stage of the league. We've had our review, looked at how we got ourselves into this situation, the position we are in now, and how the team is going and moving forward. The conclusion is very simple: [these last 10 games] has got to be 10 finals to get what we want, and that's to be in the playoffs. That goal hasn't changed since the beginning of the season. Now, it's 10 games to get the job done, and we're fully committed and determined to make that happen.”
Thoughts on Defender Raul Gustavo...
“Raul Gustavo can play as a left center back, but I also know Raul is able to play in a back three, back four, or as a left fullback. Overall, he gives us a lot of flexibility and new solutions that we can apply within the team. As always, with all the players in our dressing room, you have to earn the minutes in order to play for the team. That won't be any different for Raul coming in.”
New York City FC Forward Julián Fernández
On facing Nashville this weekend...
“[Vamos a tratar este equipo] lo mismo que cualquier otro. Como hablamos recién, debemos saber que quedan 10 partidos. Entonces debemos entender que prácticamente son 10 finales, porque tenemos objetivos, tenemos planes obviamente para nosotros individualmente y como grupo. Entonces, saber que ahora son 10 partidos con el mismo valor: necesitar ganar y necesitar los tres puntos en cada partido. Así que, debemos mentalizarnos de que sea quien sea quien tengamos enfrente, debemos dar lo mejor de nosotros porque lo necesitamos y porque debemos llevar a New York City lo más alto posible. Así que enfocarnos en que sea quien sea el que tengamos enfrente, debemos hacerlo de la mejor manera.”
Sobre enfrentar a Nashville este fin de semana...
“[We are going to treat this team the] same as with any other opponent. As mentioned earlier, we know there are about 10 games left. We have to understand that they’re practically 10 finals, because we have goals, we have plans—both individually and as a group. So, knowing that now these 10 games all have the same value, where we need to win and we need to collect three points in each match. As a team, we have to focus that whoever is in front of us, we have to give our best, because we need it and because we have to take New York City to the highest position possible. So, we will focus on doing our best no matter who the opponent is.”
On his chemistry with Midfielder Nicolás Fernández Mercau...
“Obviamente que [Nicolás Fernández Mercau] es argentino, entonces compartimos muchas cosas, el día a día y demás, así que estamos muy contentos con su llegada. Espero que él pueda aportar mucho al equipo, que ya lo está haciendo, y estamos muy contentos con él.”
Sobre su química con el mediocampista Nicolás Fernández Mercau...
“Obviously, he’s Argentine, so we share many things in common, our daily routines and so on. Overall, we’re very happy with his arrival. I hope he can contribute a lot to the team, which he’s already doing, and we’re very happy with him in doing so.”
Key Points
Back in The Bronx
New York City has played eight games this season at Yankee Stadium, with the Club gearing up for their ninth as they host Nashville SC on Matchday 29.
- After New York City plays Nashville at Yankee Stadium, the team has three more confirmed games in the Bronx (v. D.C. United, Columbus Crew, and Charlotte FC).
- Their record through eight matches at Yankee Stadium this season stands at 5-3-0.
- The wins came against Orlando City, the New England Revolution, Chicago Fire FC, Atlanta United, and Toronto FC.
- The losses were recorded against Minnesota United FC, CF Montréal, and the Houston Dynamo FC.
- No ties have been recorded at Yankee Stadium this season.
- The last time a tie was recorded at Yankee Stadium was during the 2024 MLS Regular Season (09/21/2024 in a 1-1 result against Inter Miami CF).
- From the time New York City’s Matchday 29 game is played against Nashville, it would be 331 days since a tie occurred in the Bronx.
- The team was held scoreless in two of the three losses this season (v. Montréal and Houston) but scored in the other (v. Minnesota).
- The two most common point yielding results at Yankee Stadium this season include 2-1 wins (result occurred in two matches) and 3-1 wins (result also occurred in two matches).
- New York City won against Orlando City and New England in 2-1 wins.
- Alonso Martínez scored in both matches, Forward Julián Fernández recorded goal contributions in both (1A v. Orlando and 1G v. New England), and Midfielder Hannes Wolf recorderd goal contributions in both (1G v. Orlando and 1A v. New England).
- The 3-1 wins were recorded against the Chicago Fire and Toronto FC.
§ The following players recorded goal contributions in both matches: Hannes Wolf (2G, 2A) and Maxi Moralez (2A).
§ Against Chicago, Former Forward Mounsef Bakrar, Wolf, and Martínez each scored one goal. Midfielder Justin Haak, Wolf, Fernández, and Moralez each provided one assist.
§ Against Toronto, Wolf, Ilenič, and Defender Kevin O'Toole each have one goal. Ilenič, Forward Agustín Ojeda, Midfielder Aiden O'Neill, Moralez, and Wolf each recorded one assist.
- Seven current players have scored in matches this season at Yankee Stadium: Wolf (5G), Martínez (3G), Fernández (1G), Ilenič (1G), Maxi Moralez (1G), Keaton Parks (1G), and Kevin O’Toole (1G).
- Eight players have recorded assists in the Bronx: Wolf (4A), Moralez (3A), Fernández (2A), Justin Haak (2A), Agustín Ojeda (1A), Ilenič (1A), Aiden O'Neill (1A), and Andrés Perea (1A).
- At Yankee Stadium, across all MLS Regular Season matches, Moralez ranks third in Club history for most goals scored at the venue, netting 18 during his New York City career.
- Martínez (5G) is tied for sixth alongside Midfielders Alexandru Mitriță and Ismael Tajouri-Shradi with the same goal count. Martínez is one goal off fifth place, which is held by former Midfielder Santiago Rodríguez (9G).
- Moralez leads in assists recorded at Yankee Stadium, with 44.
- The player closest to him in second is former Forward David Villa, with 22.
Facts in a New York Minute
New York City FC is coming up on their final ten matches of the season and sits in eighth place with 38 points.
- During the 2025 season thus far, New York City’s record is 11-8-5 with ten more matches to play. They’ve recorded 33 points in wins, and five points in ties. They’ve scored 34 goals over this time.
- Since the inaugural season, and including this season thus far, New York City has captured 10 wins or more in their first 24 games in eight different seasons (2025, 2024, 2022, 2021, 2019, 2018, 2017, and 2016).
§ In all these seasons but 2016, the team recorded at least 11 wins. The team’s record in 2016 was 10-7-7.
§ In past seasons when New York City FC recorded 10 or more wins, the Club’s final Eastern Conference standing and points total were as follows: 2016 (2nd in Eastern Conference, 54 points), 2017 (2nd in Eastern Conference, 57 points), 2018 (3rd in Eastern Conference, 56 points), 2019 (1st in Eastern Conference, 64 points), 2021 (4th in the Eastern Conference, 51 points), 2022 (3rd in Eastern Conference, 55 points), 2024 (6th in Eastern Conference, 50 points).
- The team’s best record with ten games left to play and 24 already in the rearview mirror was from the 2018 Regular Season. The Club’s record was 14-5-5, with a total point haul of 47 (42 points from wins, and five from ties).
- The 2018 season also saw the team score the most goals in their first 24 games played, with 48.
- The second-best record occurred the year prior in 2017, when the team went 13-7-4 over the first 24 games of the season.
- The Club scored 45 goals and took home a total of 43 points (39 from wins, four from ties).
o In the last five years, the best record was from the 2022 Regular Season. New York City had a record of 12-6-6 in the first 24 games, collected 42 points total (36 from wins, six from ties), and scored 45 goals.
o The season with the least number of wins at this point of the year, barring the shortened 2020 schedule, was 2023.
- The Club’s record in 2023 was 5-8-11, and they’d gathered 26 points total (15 from wins, 11 from ties). 25 goals were scored over this time.
o Additionally, in 2020 with the shortened schedule, the team had a record of 5-6-2 over 13 games played. The team scored ten goals, and collected17 points (15 from wins, two from ties).
o The Club scores an average of 36.7 goals over their first 24 games played.
o As for points, by this point of the season, New York City has normally collected an average of 35.7 points.
- The team's record at home stands at 8-3-0, with 19 goals scored.
- The Club's away record moves to 3-5-5, with 15 goals.
- The team’s four most recent games have been on the road prior to the pause in league play, and New York City captured points in three of them.
- New York City FC is unbeaten in three matches with a record of 2-0-1, which ties for the longest streak of games without a loss this season.
o Being unbeaten over three matches has happened two other times this year (March 8, 2025 - March 22, 2025, and May 14, 2025 - May 25, 2025).
o During the current streak, the team earned road wins over Orlando City (2-1) and FC Dallas (4-3) and battled to a 1-1 draw with Sporting Kansas City.
- This season, New York City has scored 34 goals and allowed 29, for a goal differential of five.
- Nine current players have scored, including team leading goalscorer Alonso Martínez (12G), Hannes Wolf (9G), Maxi Moralez (2G), Julián Fernández (2G), Mitja Ilenič (2G), Andrés Perea (1G), Keaton Parks (1G), Kevin O’Toole (1G), and Midfielder Jonathan Shore (1G).
- Martínez has the fourth most goals scored in Club history (28).
o He has now scored 12 goals this season, which is the second consecutive time he has reached 10 or more goals in a single season.
o The players that are ahead of Martínez in this category are former Forwards David Villa (77) and Valentín Castellanos (50) and current player Maxi Moralez (29).
- 12 players recorded assists: Moralez (8A), Wolf (5A), Fernández (4A), Haak (3A), Ilenič (2A), O’Neill (2A), Parks (2A), Defender Thiago Martins (1A), Martínez (1A), Perea (1A), Midfielder Nicolás Fernández Mercau (1A), and Ojeda (1A).
- Moralez leads the Club in assists all-time, with 82.
o His eight assists this season are his most since the 2022 MLS Regular Season, where he had nine.
o Parks is seventh on the list with 17, and Wolf is tied with four other players to help round out the top ten overall with 13 assists.
- During Matchday 27, Jonathan Shore recently became the youngest player in New York City FC history to record a goal for the Club at 18 yrs., 103 days.
o The record was previously held by Forward Talles Magno, who scored at 19 yrs., 80 days when also playing FC Dallas.
o Shore becomes the fifth Homegrown player to score in Club history following the likes of Midfielders James Sands and Justin Haak, Defender Tayvon Gray and Forward Andres Jasson.
o Shore has played in 23 matches, started 14 games, recorded 1,271 minutes, maintained an 88% pass accuracy rate, and scored one goal.
- The Club has scored two or more goals in a single game 11 times during the 2025 MLS Regular Season, with the most recent occurring on Matchday 27 when New York City defeated FC Dallas on the road.
- Martínez scored a hattrick in the team’s most recent match (Matchday 27 away v. DAL). This marked his second hattrick in his New York City FC career, with the other being recorded in 2024. The only other New York City FC player to record two hattricks in Club history during the MLS Regular Season is Valentín Castellanos (2020, 2022).
- The only other player with a multi-goal game this season is Hannes Wolf, who has achieved the feat three times (Matchday 6 away v. ATL, Matchday 17 away v. NSH, and Matchday 19 home v. ATL). Wolf’s total is tied for the fourth-most multi-goal games in a single MLS Regular Season in Club history.
- Martínez is tied for second in the league in scoring game-winning goals this season, with six in 21 games played.
o Charlotte FC Midfielder Pep Biel is the additional player with six game-winning goals in 24 games played, and Forward Kevin Denkey of FC Cincinnati leads the statistic with seven game-winning goals in 22 games played this season.
- Freese maintains his place with one of the best save percentages in the league, as he is fourth overall with a rate of 75.53%.
o The minimum amount of saves for this statistic is 23.
- New York City has the highest save percentage as an overall squad in the league, with 77.14% over 24 games played.
o The Club is the only Eastern Conference team in the top three in this statistic, with Austin FC in second (76.32% over 24 GP) and the Colorado Rapids in third (74.83% over 26 GP).
- Lastly, New York City is tied with Nashville SC for the third-fewest goals conceded in the league at 29.
- Philadelphia Union leads with 25, while Vancouver Whitecaps and Austin FC sit just ahead with 28.
All-Time vs. Nashville SC
New York City FC hosts Nashville SC, playing their Eastern Conference opponents for the second and final time of this 2025 MLS Regular Season.
- New York City and Nashville have played each other seven times since their first meeting in 2021, with the Club holding a 2-3-2 (W-L-D) record over that time.
o In the overall series, New York City has scored eight goals and conceded 10.
o New York City has played Nashville on the road four times, for a record of 0-3-1.
§ Over those matches, New York City has scored three times and conceded eight times.
- At home, New York City has hosted three games and stayed undefeated against Nashville with a record of 2-0-1.
- The Club has scored five goals and conceded just two.
- Three players on the current roster have goals scored against Nashville: Midfielder Hannes Wolf (2), Midfielder Keaton Parks (1), and Forward Alonso Martínez (1).
- Four current players have registered assists: Wolf (1), Parks (2), Defender Mitja Ilenič (1), and Midfielder Maxi Moralez (1).
- For goals scored in 15-minute intervals, New York City has the most goals scored in minutes 16-30 (3).
o As for other intervals, New York City scored two in minutes 1-15, one in minutes 46-60, and two in minutes 76-90.
o The Club has no goals scored in minutes 31-45, 61-75, or OT.
- Subsequently, New York City has scored five goals in the first halves of matches, and three scored in the second.
- New York City has been held scoreless against Nashville on three occasions (10/3/2021, 2/25/2023, 6/22/2024) but scored at least one goal in the four other matches played in the series.
- The most goals the team has scored against Nashville in a single game was three, which was done on one occasion (10/06/2024 at Sports Illustrated Stadium in a 3-1 victory for the Club).
- Martínez scored in this match, while Wolf provided an assist.
- Conversely, the most goals conceded by New York City in a single match against Nashville was also three, which occurred in the first ever game in the series (09/03/2021 at Nissan Stadium in a 3-1 win for Nashville).
- Goalkeeper Matt Freese has played three games against Nashville.
- Freese has logged 270 minutes, 13 shots faced, nine saves made, a goal against average (GAA) of 1.33, and conceded four goals.