Break it down how you like. Goodness knows I do that a lot and appreciate it from others. In totality though, we scored 50 goals and that ranks 16th in a league of 30. By xG, NYCFC ranks 15th. We define the median offensive team. The roster is not bad. The defense is quite solid. The offense is the definition of mediocre.
In terms of year over year progress, this team stalled. The quality from 2015-2017 had a curve much more sharply upward than 2023-2025.
The 2015 team's problem was mostly defense and the big improvement in 2017 came on that side. The 2023 team's problem was entirely offense and that improved much in 2024. The issue is that from 2024 to 2025 we merely traded away 4 goals on offense for 5 fewer goals allowed. xG also went down from 2024 to 2025.
Finally, I don't much credit Santi's ill-timed departure as an excuse made better by acquiring Nico. Within 2025 we did score 10 more goals in the second half than the first. But it was all finishing: shots taken and xG were both lower in the second half. About 80% of Alonso's cumulative G-xG deficit in 2025 is from the first half of the season. I don't think Santi or Nico had that much effect on his ability to properly place his shots with power. Plus Nico was only here for the final quarter of the season.
On top of that, I think we are an outlier in MLS in defining our team character by developing and selling players, especially among ambitious teams. Admittedly this is pretty subjective, and the league is a selling league. So I could be wrong, and maybe it's familiarity bias. I see our non-sporting CEO extolling this ethos in interviews so (among other reasons) I think it's a greater factor for us than other teams. Also the pattern (Taty, Gaby, etc) establishes that we will hold a player to get a better price but never for sporting reasons to help a season. If I'm forgetting a counterexample let me know. The biggest roster issues we have tie to this team value directly. We not only chose the maximum U22 slots but filled them with younger than necessary completely unseasoned players to maximize potential selling profit. That was a deliberate choice apart from the fact that none of them hit. As for Santi, this was the second time he left around camp and preseason. I don't credit any excuse based on being surprised he did it a second time.
In terms of year over year progress, this team stalled. The quality from 2015-2017 had a curve much more sharply upward than 2023-2025.
| GF | GA | GD | |
| 2015 | 49 | 58 | -9 |
| 2016 | 62 | 57 | 5 |
| 2017 | 56 | 43 | 13 |
| 2023 | 35 | 39 | -4 |
| 2024 | 54 | 49 | 5 |
| 2025 | 50 | 44 | 6 |
The 2015 team's problem was mostly defense and the big improvement in 2017 came on that side. The 2023 team's problem was entirely offense and that improved much in 2024. The issue is that from 2024 to 2025 we merely traded away 4 goals on offense for 5 fewer goals allowed. xG also went down from 2024 to 2025.
Finally, I don't much credit Santi's ill-timed departure as an excuse made better by acquiring Nico. Within 2025 we did score 10 more goals in the second half than the first. But it was all finishing: shots taken and xG were both lower in the second half. About 80% of Alonso's cumulative G-xG deficit in 2025 is from the first half of the season. I don't think Santi or Nico had that much effect on his ability to properly place his shots with power. Plus Nico was only here for the final quarter of the season.
On top of that, I think we are an outlier in MLS in defining our team character by developing and selling players, especially among ambitious teams. Admittedly this is pretty subjective, and the league is a selling league. So I could be wrong, and maybe it's familiarity bias. I see our non-sporting CEO extolling this ethos in interviews so (among other reasons) I think it's a greater factor for us than other teams. Also the pattern (Taty, Gaby, etc) establishes that we will hold a player to get a better price but never for sporting reasons to help a season. If I'm forgetting a counterexample let me know. The biggest roster issues we have tie to this team value directly. We not only chose the maximum U22 slots but filled them with younger than necessary completely unseasoned players to maximize potential selling profit. That was a deliberate choice apart from the fact that none of them hit. As for Santi, this was the second time he left around camp and preseason. I don't credit any excuse based on being surprised he did it a second time.
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