Everything to know about the NYCFC 2025 schedule | OneFootball

New York City FC can be proud of the team’s improvement from 2023 to 2024.  They made the MLS Cup Playoffs after they finished in sixth place in the Eastern Conference.  They also made the Conference Semifinals in the playoffs while previously making the quarterfinals in the Leagues Cup.

Of course, fans want more and there is room to grow in 2025. A new head coach will eventually be named after Nick Cushing’s sacking and some more roster changes are expected.  Hopefully, fans will not see anything like the 2022 mass exodus and will instead bring in stronger players to compete with the current starters.

NYCFC supporters also wanted to know who the team will play against in 2025.  The schedule release is always a big day of the preseason, and it gives a glimpse of the team’s tough stretches during the year.  The club is also celebrating ten years of playing the beautiful game, for they just completed their tenth season and will begin the 11th next year.  This added to the excitement of the schedule release.

So, on Thursday, Major League Soccer released the schedules for NYCFC and the other teams in the league.  The 34 games are only for the regular season, for it is unknown which sides will play in the U.S. Open Cup and Leagues Cup.  For the Pigeons specifically, it gives an idea of where most of the games will be played and when the big matches are.

Looking at the 2025 schedule for NYCFC

To begin, NYCFC will begin the 2025 season with two matches on the road.  The 11th season opener sees the Pigeons head to Florida to take on Inter Miami CF on Saturday, February 22.  This will be a big game to open the season since Miami has turned into one of the top sides in MLS with the addition of Lionel Messi and friends.  There is a reason they won the Supporters’ Shield in 2024.  Afterward, they will meet last season’s first-place Western Conference team, Los Angeles FC, on Saturday, March 1.

Thankfully, NYCFC will return to Yankee Stadium for the home opener on Saturday, March 8.  The Bronx side will play Orlando City SC, who they beat in 2024 at home.  The Florida team will make it a competitive home opener since they were separated by two points in the standings.  What makes this home opener really cool is that this will mark the 10th anniversary of the teams' first MLS fixture, which was played against one another.  The home opener should be a celebratory affair.

On the opposite end, the Boys in Blue will end the season at home, with the venue to be determined.  NYCFC will host the Seattle Sounders on Decision Day, which will take place on Saturday, October 18.  This will be a tough match to end the regular season, for Seattle has always been a difficult opponent.

Looking at the schedule, the busiest month, at the moment, will be May.  As mentioned, it is unknown what competition the Pigeons will compete in.  In MLS, the team will play seven matches.  Fortunately, to make up for the congestion, five of the seven fixtures will be at home, with the longest home streak of three taking place during this time.

In addition, the longest road trip will take place in July.  NYCFC will play four away matches in a row from July 12 to July 25.  This includes the opposite game against Orlando and a trip out to Dallas to face FC Dallas.

Notably, the Boys in Blue will face each Eastern Conference foe twice, home and away.  This season, all MLS sides will play against six teams in the other conference.  At home, they will welcome Minnesota United FC, Houston Dynamo FC, and Seattle.  Then, they will play LAFC, Sporting Kansas City, and Dallas on the road.  LAFC will probably be the hardest fixture, but as fans remember, life on the road is not always pleasant for NYCFC.

Of course, supporters will be circling two games on the calendar: the home Hudson River Derby and the one at Red Bull Arena.  NYCFC will play the New York Red Bulls at Citi Field on Saturday, May 17.  The opposite fixture will take place on Saturday, September 27.  May 17 will be huge though, for the Pigeons will want to take revenge after RBNY beat them in the playoffs.

There are other items to know about the schedule as well.  NYCFC will play 11 games at Yankee Stadium and five at Citi Field.  Currently, the last game’s location is unknown since it will depend on whether the local baseball teams make the playoffs.  Then, nine of the 17 home games will occur in the first half of the season while eight will take place in the second.

Plus, MLS teams will take a break from June 15 to June 24 for the FIFA World Cup and Gold Cup.  NYCFC will play on Thursday, June 12, before playing again on Saturday, June 28.  Teams will not break for the Leagues Cup as they have the last two seasons.  Finally, the team will still play most of the matches on Saturdays at 7:30 PM.  There is an increase of games being played at other times and other days, for the Pigeons will play 12 of 34 games on days other than Saturday.  That is two more than 2024.

Overall, this is a good schedule for NYCFC.  Home and away fixtures are mostly spread out.  More importantly, 16 of the 17 home games will take place at one of the baseball stadiums.  There are no complaints.