You have arrived at the 2015 Nostalgia Bowl. Coincidentally, the very first match in Orlando City SC’s history also happened to be the very first match in New York City FC’s history, so this will be the eleventh home opener in NYCFC history.
After a long absence, New York City will make its long-awaited return to Yankee Soccer Stadium on September 21, 2024. That fateful Saturday afternoon, James Sands scored an injury-time equalizer, ruining the celebration for Lionel Messi and pals who had come to town.
New York City FC will be playing a different visiting team from Florida this time around. They are hoping to win their first game of 2025, their first game under coach Pascal Jansen, and improve upon their historically fantastic record in home openers.
Though recent results have favored NYCFC, the team’s head-to-head record against 2015 expansion pals Orlando City is less impressive than its historically outstanding record in home openers. Orlando has failed to secure a victory in each of the last five encounters between the two teams. Their most recent road victory came against NYCFC on April 23, 2017, continuing a run of seven consecutive travels to New York without a victory. Anyone claiming that Orlando defeated NYCFC on the road in 2020 is lying: The more silence surrounding that 3-1 Orlando “road” victory in the MLS Is Back bubble tournament—which took place amidst the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic—the better.
Report from the New York City Scouts: • Player Availability: Malachi Jones will not play since he is still healing from a broken leg he sustained in July 2024 on the road to Orlando. Andrés Perea (hip) is also sidelined, while Tayvon Gray (leg) is out as well due to an early injury that forced him to leave last week’s match against LAFC. Despite not being noted on the official injury report, Birk Risa’s status seems doubtful as he missed Thursday’s workout due to an illness.
• The starting lineup for defense is in doubt due to injuries and two careless goals conceded in the closing minutes of consecutive games. With Thiago Martins gaining his first competitive minutes of 2025—including the preseason—in the final moments of the 1-0 loss to LAFC, is he prepared to take on a heavier workload? If Thiago or Risa are unable to play, may Justin Haak be asked to fill in at center back?
Once again, Alonso Martínez is expected to front that offensive line as the striker. Twelve of his eighteen goals for the 2024 season came in home games, giving him a fantastic record in that regard. Despite going scoreless against LAFC, he scored in the match against Inter Miami CF and will be eager to get back on the scoresheet. Martínez failed to score in 2024’s match against Orlando City, but he did record an assist in every matchup between the two teams last season, as El Clínico took on the role of facilitator. Has Hannes Wolf cemented his spot in the starting eleven? Wolf, an Austrian attacker, has been scoreless in his first two games this season and has only assisted once in his last nineteen appearances across all competitions for NYCFC (beginning with the Leagues Cup in 2024). • For all the information you need regarding NYCFC’s opponents, Orlando City, check out the most recent edition of Oppo Research with Ben Miller of The Mane Land.
