New York City FC 4 - 0 Atlanta United FC 2025 MLS Regular Season - Matchday 19 Date: Thursday, June 12, 2025 | Kickoff: 7:40pm ET Location: Yankee Stadium | The Bronx, NY Attendance: 18,062
Prior to the start of the match, former New York City FC forward and MLS Cup champion Valentín Castellanos was honored and ignited the ceremonial smokestacks. The 2021 Golden Boot winner scored in all three of his appearances during the 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs, including the opening goal in the MLS Cup Final, helping New York City FC secure its first league title.
New York City FC recorded an emphatic 4-0 win against Atlanta United on Thursday night. A clinical four-goal burst, including a Hannes Wolf brace and strikes from Bakrar and Moralez, capped a dominant performance. Tomás Romero impressed on his MLS debut, while City’s high press and attacking fluency sealed their biggest win yet under Pascal Jansen.
UP NEXT: The ‘Boys in Blue’ end the month on the road at Stade Saputo as they face CF Montréal on Saturday, June 28, at 7:30pm ET. | Apple TV: MLS Season Pass | Radio (English/Spanish) newyorkcityfc.com/radio
Today's 4-0 victory over Atlanta United marks the largest margin of victory for New York City this season.
It is also the team’s largest win margin over Atlanta in series history.
The team has only scored four against Atlanta once prior to this match, which occurred in September 25, 2019 when the Club won 4-1.
New York City FC scored three goals in a span of four minutes tonight. Three goals in the span of four minutes is the fastest in Club history.
The two-minute span between goals is tied for the second-fastest in MLS history, matching the mark set by the MetroStars, Houston Dynamo FC and FC Dallas. D.C. United holds the record, having scored three goals in three minutes on July 27, 2003.
Midfielder Maxi Moralez scored his second goal of the season and second all-time against Atlanta United, becoming the oldest player all-time to score for New York City FC in an MLS Regular Season match at 38 years, 3 months and 16 days.
Moralez also made his 180th start for the Club in MLS Regular Season play, surpassing Goalkeeper Sean Johnson for the most regular season starts (179) in New York City FC history.
Midfielder Hannes Wolf recorded his third brace of the season and second against Atlanta United, scoring both goals two minutes apart. He becomes only the fourth player in Club history to record braces in back-to-back games, alongside Forward David Villa (who did this in two instances), Midfielder Alexandru Mitriță, and Forward Valentín Castellanos.
Wolf is now tied alongside former Midfielder Gabriel Pereira for most goals scored for New York City FC in the series against Atlanta with four total.
Hannes Wolf became the first New York City FC player to score two or more goals in a three-minute span within the same half. Previously, three New York City players scored twice within a four-minute span—based on the minute of each goal rather than exact time elapsed: Frank Lampard on July 30, 2016; David Villa on Aug. 6, 2017; and Alonso Martínez on May 31, 2024.
David Villa recorded three braces through New York City FC’s first 18 matches in both 2016 and 2017, while Valentín Castellanos matched the feat in 2022. They are the only players in Club history to do so.
In his MLS debut for New York City FC, Goalkeeper Tomás Romero recorded his first clean sheet of the season, and his first in league play since Sept. 3, 2021, when he posted a shutout for LAFC against Sporting Kansas City.
He is the first goalkeeper in Club history to record a clean sheet while making his first start with New York City in league play.
Additionally, Romero is now the youngest goalkeeper in Club history to record a clean sheet in the regular season. He did so at 24 years, 5 months and 24 days. He surpasses Goalkeeper Luis Barraza, who accomplished it at 24 years, 8 months and 13 days.
As a collective, the team recorded its second all-time home clean sheet against Atlanta United in the series in regular season play.
This is the seventh clean sheet recorded in the 2025 MLS Regular Season for New York City. The Club is tied for second league wide for most clean sheets this season and are only one off the lead of eight (set by Minnesota United FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC).
New York City adds to their winning record in the series, with a 5-3-8 over 16 matches, scoring 31 goals and conceding 24.
New York City has never dropped points at home against Atlanta, with a 4-0-4 record over eight matches hosted by the Club, scoring 17 and conceding seven.
Goalkeeper Tomás Romero made his first start for New York City FC in league play, after previously making MLS appearances with Los Angeles FC and Toronto FC.
Romero had made appearances for the Club in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, but never in Major League Soccer play with New York City FC until today.
He is now the youngest goalkeeper in Club history to record a clean sheet in the regular season. He did so at 24 years, 5 months and 24 days. He surpasses Goalkeeper Luis Barraza, who accomplished it at 24 years, 8 months and 13 days.
Midfielder Maxi Moralez scored his second goal all-time against Atlanta United today.
This is his sixth goal contribution (2G, 4A) in the series over 13 games played.
His goal today versus Atlanta makes him the oldest New York City FC player all-time to score a goal for the Club.
He did so at 38 years, 3 months and 16 days. He surpasses former Forward Frank Lampard, who accomplished it at 38 years, 2 months and 21 days.
Moralez also made his 180th start for the club in MLS regular-season play, surpassing Sean Johnson for the most regular-season starts (179 starts) in New York City FC history.
Midfielder Hannes Wolf scored his seventh and eighth goals of the season, marking his second brace in two consecutive matches.
This is Wolf’s third brace of the season and second straight against Atlanta.
He also assisted Moralez’s first-half goal, recording his third assist of the season and the 11th of his New York City FC career.
This is the second straight match in the series where Wolf has provided goal contributions (4G, 1A) against Atlanta.
Forward Mounsef Bakrar recorded his first start in league play since April 19 and scored to add to the Club’s advantage in the 55th minute.
This is Bakrar’s second goal in the last four matches he’s played.
Midfielder Justin Haak recorded his third assist of the season.
Midfielder Andrés Perea recorded his first assist of the season, and the third of his MLS career.
All three were recorded with New York City. One this season, and two more during the 2024 Regular Season.
Forward Seymour Reid made his home debut for New York City FC. This is Reid’s second appearance for the club; his first appearance was against Columbus Crew on March 22, 2025.
NEW YORK CITY FC COACH PASCAL JANSEN
On what has changed in Hannes Wolf game to be more effective in front of goal... “That's interesting because that is the result until now of the progress we made as a team. He [Hannes Wolf] had his moments where we were all thinking, ’How could you miss this moment?’ and ’Why are you not there?’ But it's all about being consistent in your behavior, because you have to be in the spots where you need to be, where you're expected to be in certain plays, and today was a good example. He was at the right moment, in the right spot and was very clinical in his finish. So that builds confidence for the team in general, but also for the individual player, because he starts to feel and understand more about the things that we discuss in training, in the video analysis, and making sure that he has to maintain that discipline in order to become successful. So if he does that, I have no concern that he will not. I think he can have a good season overall. But like I said to your colleague just now, if we have the idea to slow down for even a second or a minute, that is something that we have to be on top of every day, and that is my job, and that is the growth within the squad. We're playing just one game after the mid-part of the season, so this is a good reference for us to move forward.”
On the team stepping up given the absences due to International Break... “I hope you can see the progress we're making as a team because consistency is still our most important word for this season, becoming more consistent. It looks like it's heading in that direction, but we have to be aware of the fact that we have to work so hard in order to get these achievements done. The guys who had to step up today, I see them every day in training, and I know for a fact that it's very hard to accept that there's a better player on your spot. You have to be patient and give your best at everything that you have inside you every day in training in order to be competitive, and that's what they do. That is the only way to be prepared for when it is your moment. Tomás [Romero] showed it today, coming behind Matt Freese, who is one of the best goalies in the country and that's why he's with the national team, and he [Tomás Romero] stepped up today. He started a little shaky, but he stepped up. Tana [Strahinja Tanasijević] had to wait for his moment, stepped up today. I'm happy that Pepe [Andres Perea] is back again and we could give minutes to Kevin O'Toole again. It shows the commitment of the whole squad and how important it is to be ready all the time.”
NEW YORK CITY GOALKEEPER TOMÁS ROMERO
On what this win and first start meant to him, especially after choosing Club over national team duty... “Yeah, it’s amazing. It’s been maybe 18 months since I got here, so I really wanted the opportunity. I saw the chance to play a game, and I’m just happy I got the minutes, the clean sheet, and everything. I think I had a good night, and the team in front of me put in so much work. They gave me a lot of confidence. So it was amazing—I’m really happy with it.”
On whether he felt any nerves making his first MLS start for the Club... “It’s always hard to be in-form when you’re not playing a lot of games. But as a goalkeeper, you always have to be ready. In training, you just work as hard as you can. Rob [Vartughian], our goalkeeper coach, does an amazing job keeping everyone ready. The drills we do are all game-realistic, so I felt good. I saw a lot of things out there that we train for.“
NEW YORK CITY FORWARD MOUNSEF BAKRAR
On the halftime changes affecting the second half... “We had a good speech from Coach that we have to believe in ourselves because we dominate the game and they were afraid of us, especially in the runs behind and he asked us to keep the ball more and that's what we did and we played a counter and we scored four goals.”
NEW YORK CITY MIDFIELDER HANNES WOLF
On how it feels to score two goals in back-to-back games... “I mean, always good to score, of course, and always better if you win. It was nice feeling in Nashville too, but we adjusted, and got one point there. But at home, especially in front of our fans, it's always nice to score two goals and get the three points. I think we played very good today and we want to keep going.”
On what it means to reach 10 goal contributions and help lead the attack alongside Alonso Martínez... “I think you can see, for Alonso [Martínez], there's a lot of pressure because in the start of this season, he was almost the only one who scored. I know I can find the net. I always scored goals wherever I played, but sometimes you lose it for a bit, you know, and I try to get back to my best. I think I'm on a good path so far. Just trying to assist, go for goals and make the right decisions.”
Valentín Castellanos Back in The Bronx - In tonight's match the Club welcomed back MLS Cup Champion Forward Valentín Castellanos for the pre-match igniting of the ceremonial smokestacks.
Goal - NYC - 44' - Maxi Moralez [10] -
Goal - NYC - 55' - Mounsef Bakrar [9]
Goal - NYC - 57' - Hannes Wolf [17] -
Goal - NYC - 59' - Hannes Wolf [17] -
44’ - NYC - Maxi Moralez [10]
Scored with a right-footed shot from the left side of the box to the lower left central zone. Assisted by Hannes Wolf [17].
55’ - NYC - Mounsef Bakrar [9]
Scored with a right-footed shot from the center of the box to the top right corner. Assisted by Andrés Perea [8].
57’ - NYC - Hannes Wolf [17]
Scored with a right-footed shot from the left side of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Maxi Moralez [10].
59’ - NYC - Hannes Wolf [17]
Scored with a left footed shot from the center of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Justin Haak [80].
[9] Saba Lobjanidze (62’ - [19] Emmanuel Latte Lath)
[28] Will Reilly
[43] Mateusz Klich
[59] Alexey Miranchuk
[14] Jamal Thiare (78’ - [20] Luke Brennan)
Subs Unused
[18] Greg Ranjitsingh
[23] Max Murray
[29] Máximo Carrizo
[38] Drew Baiera
Subs Unused
[10] Miguel Almirón
[21] Efraín Morales
[42] Jayden Hibbert
[48] Cooper Sanchez
NYC Yellow Cards (0) Red Cards (0)
ATL Yellow Cards (0) Red Cards (0)
Referee: Sergii Boiko
Ast. Referee 1: Jeffery Swartzel
Ast. Referee 2: Stephen McGonagle
Fourth Official: Ricardo Montero
VAR: José Carlos Rivero
Ast. VAR: Jonathan Johnson
A warm summer evening in the Bronx set the stage for New York City FC’s Thursday night clash against Atlanta United.
Eager to build on their spirited 2-2 draw with Nashville SC, City entered the contest with purpose. Head Coach Pascal Jansen made five changes to the lineup, notably handing Tomás Romero his MLS debut in goal.
The home side started brightly, pressing high and forcing several early corners. Their first real chance came in the ninth minute, when Justin Haak found space in the box and let fly, only to see his effort blocked by Alexey Miranchuk.
Moments later, captain Thiago Martins rose highest to meet a corner with a thundering header, drawing a sharp save from Atlanta’s veteran goalkeeper Brad Guzan.
Atlanta struggled to create much going forward until the 32nd minute, when Miranchuk nearly turned the tide with a powerful strike from distance that rattled the crossbar. Just five minutes later, the visitors thought they had taken the lead. Derrick Williams met a corner with a strong header, and Jamal Thiaré turned it over the line — only to see the goal ruled out for offside.
City took full advantage of the reprieve. Just before halftime, Maxi Moralez forced a poor pass from Brooks Lennon, that allowed Hannes Wolf to intercept the ball deep in Atlanta territory.
The Austrian quickly found Moralez, who in turn made no mistake, coolly slotting the ball past Guzan at his near post to give City a deserved 1-0 lead.
City began the second half with electric intent, scoring three goals in a breathtaking five-minute spell that stunned the visitors.
The flurry began in the 54th minute when Mounsef Bakrar found the net. Having been denied just moments earlier, the Algerian striker responded in emphatic fashion, firing a crisp first-time finish from the edge of the box to double City’s lead.
Barely three minutes later, it was 3-0. A sweeping counter-attack saw Maxi Moralez turn creator, slipping a perfectly timed pass to Hannes Wolf. The Austrian forward made no mistake, bending a precise shot beyond Brad Guzan.
City weren’t done. In the 59th minute, Wolf struck again. This time, Justin Haak unlocked Atlanta’s high defensive line with a superb through ball.
Wolf raced onto it and showed ice-cold composure, dinking the ball over the onrushing Guzan to seal his brace and City’s fourth of the night.
Jansen turned to his bench for the first time on the 73rd minute to make a triple substitution. On came Kevin O’Toole, Nico Cavallo, and Tayvon Gray, in place of Strahinja Tanasijevič, Birk Risa, and Agustín Ojeda.
Atlanta continued to look for a route back into the game and that saw Miranchuk fire off a shot that required a last ditch block from Haak to divert it away from goal.
Bakrar's night would end in the 78th minute as he was replaced by Seymour Reid. City's final change of the night saw Jonathan Shore replace Julián Fernández.
City would ride out the rest of the game to confirm an emphatic 4-0 win at home—their biggest winning margin of the Pascal Jansen era so far.
