# 2021 New York City FC season

The 2021 New York City FC season was the club's seventh season of competition and its seventh in the top tier of American soccer, Major League Soccer. New York City FC usually played its home games at Yankee Stadium in the New York City borough of The Bronx. Like the 2020 MLS season, the club also played several of their home games at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey due to scheduling conflicts with Yankee Stadium and its backup stadium, Citi Field. New York City FC won the clubs' first MLS Cup title by defeating the Portland Timbers 2–4 in penalty shoot-outs with a 1–1 score before going into extra time, in which neither of the teams scored.
In addition to the MLS season, the club also competed in the Leagues Cup for the first time, finishing up in the quarter-finals after losing to UNAM in a penalty shoot-out.

## Player movement
### In

| No. | Pos. | Player | Transferred from | Fee/notes | Date |
| 12 | DF | Malte Amundsen | Vejle BK | Signed on permanent transfer | February 12, 2021 |
| 21 | MF | Andres Jasson | Yale Bulldogs | Homegrown Contract | November 19, 2020 |
| 25 | GK | Cody Mizell | New Mexico United | Transfer | March 4, 2021 |
| 23 | MF | Gedion Zelalem | New York City FC | Re-sign | March 8, 2021 |
| 2 | DF | Chris Gloster | Jong PSV | Transfer | March 22, 2021 |
| 7 | MF | Alfredo Morales | Fortuna Düsseldorf | Transfer | April 7, 2021 |
| 8 | FW | Thiago Andrade | Esporte Clube Bahia | Transfer | April 10, 2021 |
| 32 | DF | Vuk Latinovich | Chicago FC United | 2021 MLS SuperDraft | May 1, 2021 |
| 43 | MF | Talles Magno | CR Vasco da Gama | Transfer | May 19, 2021 |
| 42 | MF | Santiago Rodríguez | Montevideo City Torque | Loan | June 10, 2021 |

### Out

| Pos. | Player | Transferred to | Fee/notes | Date |
| DF | Joe Scally | Borussia Mönchengladbach | $2 million | September 9, 2020 |
| MF | Alexander Ring | Austin FC | $1.25 million in General Allocation Money | December 17, 2020 |
| DF | Rónald Matarrita | FC Cincinnati | $500,000 of General Allocation Money | December 29, 2020 |
| FW | Gary Mackay-Steven | Heart of Midlothian | Free transfer | January 8, 2021 |
| GK | Brad Stuver | Austin FC | Free transfer | December 28, 2020 |
| FW | Alexandru Mitriță | Al-Ahli | Loan | October 8, 2020 |
| GK | Mason Stajduhar | Orlando City SC | Loan return | November 20, 2019 |

## Roster

| Squad No. | Name | Position(s) | Since | Date of birth (age) | Signed from | Games Played | Goals |
| Goalkeepers |||||||||
| 1 | Sean Johnson (captain) | GK | 2017 | (1989-05-31) May 31, 1989 (age 35) | Chicago Fire FC | 163 | 0 |
| 13 | Luis Barraza | GK | 2019 | (1996-11-08) November 8, 1996 (age 28) | Chicago FC United | 5 | 0 |
| 25 | Cody Mizell | GK | 2021 | (1991-09-30) September 30, 1991 (age 33) | New Mexico United | 0 | 0 |
| Defenders |||||||||
| 3 | Anton Tinnerholm | RB | 2018 | (1991-02-26) February 26, 1991 (age 33) | Malmö | 123 | 9 |
| 4 | Maxime Chanot | CB | 2016 | (1989-11-21) November 21, 1989 (age 35) | Kortrijk | 144 | 5 |
| 6 | Alexander Callens | CB | 2017 | (1992-05-04) May 4, 1992 (age 32) | Numancia | 155 | 9 |
| 20 | Guðmundur Þórarinsson | LB | 2020 | (1992-04-15) April 15, 1992 (age 32) | IFK Norrköping | 49 | 2 |
| 2 | Chris Gloster | LB | 2020 | (2000-07-28) July 28, 2000 (age 24) | Jong PSV | 6 | 0 |
| 24 | Tayvon Gray | CB | 2017 | (2002-08-19) August 19, 2002 (age 22) | New York City Academy | 15 | 0 |
| 5 | Sebastien Ibeagha | CB | 2021 | (1992-01-21) January 21, 1992 (age 33) | San Antonio | 71 | 0 |
| 32 | Vuk Latinovich | CB | 2021 | (1997-09-14) September 14, 1997 (age 27) | Chicago Football United | 3 | 0 |
| 12 | Malte Amundsen | CB | 2018 | (1998-02-11) February 11, 1998 (age 27) | Vejle | 36 | 1 |
| Midfielders |||||||||
| 10 | Maximiliano Moralez | AM | 2017 | (1987-02-27) February 27, 1987 (age 37) | León | 155 | 28 |
| 43 | Talles Magno Bacelar Martins | AM | 2021 | (2002-06-26) June 26, 2002 (age 22) | Vasco da Gama | 18 | 3 |
| 42 | Santiago Rodríguez | AM | 2021 | (2000-01-08) January 8, 2000 (age 25) | Montevideo City Torque | 26 | 4 |
| 23 | Gedion Zelalem | CM | 2020 | (1997-01-26) January 26, 1997 (age 28) | Sporting Kansas City | 8 | 0 |
| 14 | Juan Pablo Torres | DM | 2019 | (1999-07-26) July 26, 1999 (age 25) | Lokeren | 9 | 0 |
| 7 | Alfredo Morales | DM | 2021 | (1990-05-12) May 12, 1990 (age 34) | Fortuna Düsseldorf | 32 | 0 |
| 15 | Tony Rocha | CM | 2019 | (1993-08-21) August 21, 1993 (age 31) | Orlando City SC | 38 | 1 |
| 16 | James Sands | DM | 2017 | (2000-07-06) July 6, 2000 (age 24) | New York Soccer Club | 76 | 0 |
| 26 | Nicolás Acevedo | DM | 2020 | (1999-04-14) April 14, 1999 (age 25) | Liverpool Montevideo | 40 | 0 |
| 55 | Keaton Parks | CM | 2019 | (1997-08-06) August 6, 1997 (age 27) | Benfica | 86 | 10 |
| 80 | Justin Haak | CM | 2019 | (2001-09-12) September 12, 2001 (age 23) | New York Soccer Club | 3 | 0 |
| Forwards |||||||||
| 9 | Héber | CF | 2019 | (1991-08-10) August 10, 1991 (age 33) | Rijeka | 55 | 16 |
| 8 | Thiago Andrade | LW | 2021 | (2000-10-31) October 31, 2000 (age 24) | Esporte Clube Bahia | 23 | 4 |
| 11 | Valentín Castellanos | CF | 2018 | (1998-10-03) October 3, 1998 (age 26) | Montevideo City Torque | 109 | 42 |
| 19 | Jesús Medina | RW / AM | 2018 | (1997-04-30) April 30, 1997 (age 27) | Libertad | 116 | 24 |
| 21 | Andres Jasson | LW | 2020 | (2002-01-17) January 17, 2002 (age 23) | New York Soccer Club | 21 | 0 |
| 17 | Ismael Tajouri-Shradi | RW | 2018 | (1994-03-28) March 28, 1994 (age 30) | Austria Wien | 99 | 29 |

## Competitive
### Major League Soccer
#### Standings
##### Eastern Conference

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 2 | Philadelphia Union | 34 | 14 | 8 | 12 | 48 | 35 | +13 | 54 | Qualification for the playoffs first round |
| 3 | Nashville SC | 34 | 12 | 4 | 18 | 55 | 33 | +22 | 54 | Qualification for the playoffs first round |
| 4 | New York City FC (C) | 34 | 14 | 11 | 9 | 56 | 36 | +20 | 51 | Qualification for the playoffs first round and CONCACAF Champions League |
| 5 | Atlanta United FC | 34 | 13 | 9 | 12 | 45 | 37 | +8 | 51 | Qualification for the playoffs first round |
| 6 | Orlando City SC | 34 | 13 | 9 | 12 | 50 | 48 | +2 | 51 | Qualification for the playoffs first round |
* ↑ As MLS Cup 2021 champions

##### Overall table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 6 | Philadelphia Union | 34 | 14 | 8 | 12 | 48 | 35 | +13 | 54 | |
| 7 | Nashville SC | 34 | 12 | 4 | 18 | 55 | 33 | +22 | 54 | |
| 8 | New York City FC (C) | 34 | 14 | 11 | 9 | 56 | 36 | +20 | 51 | Qualification for the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League |
| 9 | Atlanta United FC | 34 | 13 | 9 | 12 | 45 | 37 | +8 | 51 | |
| 10 | Orlando City SC | 34 | 13 | 9 | 12 | 50 | 48 | +2 | 51 | |
* ↑ As MLS Cup 2021 champions (USA1)

#### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
| Pld | Pts | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD |
| 34 | 51 | 14 | 11 | 9 | 56 | 36 | +20 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 37 | 13 | +24 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 19 | 23 | −4 |
Source: MLS standings Pld = Matches played; Pts = Points; W = Matches won; T = Matches tied; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference

#### Results by round

| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 |
| Stadium | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | H | H | A | A | H | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | H |
| Result | L | W | W | D | D | L | W | L | W | W | L | L | W | W | W | D | D | W | L | W | L | L | D | W | D | L | L | D | L | D | W | W | W | D |

#### Results
### U.S. Open Cup

On July 20, US Soccer announced that the tournament would be cancelled for 2021 and would resume in 2022.

### Leagues Cup
## Statistics
### Appearances and goals

    Last updated on December 12, 2021
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | MLS | MLS | MLS Cup Playoffs | MLS Cup Playoffs | U.S. Open Cup | U.S. Open Cup | 2021 Leagues Cup | 2021 Leagues Cup |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||||||||
| 1 | GK | USA | Sean Johnson | 34 | 0 | 29 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 13 | GK | USA | Luis Barraza | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | GK | USA | Cody Mizell | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Defenders ||||||||||||||
| 3 | DF | SWE | Anton Tinnerholm | 25 | 0 | 23+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | LUX | Maxime Chanot | 34 | 0 | 29+1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | DF | PER | Alexander Callens | 31 | 2 | 25+1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 20 | DF | ISL | Guðmundur Þórarinsson | 28 | 2 | 20+4 | 2 | 1+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 24 | DF | USA | Tayvon Gray | 15 | 0 | 3+7 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2 | DF | USA | Chris Gloster | 5 | 0 | 1+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | USA | Sebastien Ibeagha | 8 | 0 | 3+5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | DF | SRB | Vuk Latinovich | 3 | 0 | 1+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | DF | DEN | Malte Amundsen | 36 | 1 | 14+18 | 1 | 3+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Midfielders ||||||||||||||
| 10 | MF | ARG | Maximiliano Moralez | 35 | 4 | 27+3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 43 | MF | BRA | Talles Magno Bacelar Martins | 20 | 3 | 5+12 | 2 | 0+3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 42 | MF | URU | Santiago Rodríguez | 26 | 4 | 11+10 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 16 | MF | USA | James Sands | 31 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 7 | MF | USA | Alfredo Morales | 32 | 0 | 20+7 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 26 | MF | URU | Nicolás Acevedo | 25 | 0 | 15+9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 55 | MF | USA | Keaton Parks | 32 | 4 | 28+3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 21 | MF | USA | Andres Jasson | 21 | 0 | 6+14 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | MF | USA | Tony Rocha | 7 | 0 | 0+5 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | MF | USA | Gedion Zelalem | 7 | 0 | 1+6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | MF | USA | Juan Pablo Torres | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 80 | MF | USA | Justin Haak | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forwards ||||||||||||||
| 9 | FW | BRA | Héber | 8 | 0 | 0+7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | FW | BRA | Thiago Andrade | 23 | 4 | 9+12 | 4 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 11 | FW | ARG | Valentín Castellanos | 36 | 23 | 32 | 19 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 17 | FW | LBY | Ismael Tajouri-Shradi | 27 | 7 | 14+9 | 7 | 0+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 19 | FW | PAR | Jesús Medina | 38 | 9 | 27+6 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |