Sherman, set the wayback machine to NYCFC’s third match of the season. The team had just lost their home opener in a brutal 2-1 loss to visiting Portland and had ZERO points in their first three. Fans were, shall we say, relentless in their opinions of the squad. And I get it. After missing the playoffs the previous season the New York City Football Club picked up 15 points in their last 8 matches of the season. But sometimes in sports, you have a “click” moment. That moment where things finally seem to gel. In 2021 it was a game tying goal against Atlanta United and the team never lost on the way to the MLS Cup. In 2022, it was Campeones Cup. And depending on how the rest of the season goes, maybe for the 2024 season it was the match against Portland that was the click moment, 3 points that quickly dropped to 0.
Since then, the team has picked up 11 points in the previous 6 matches and 8 points in their last 4, playing the kind of soccer that gave them those 15 points last year. Matt Freese has had 2 clean sheets in a row, the team has outscored their opponents 8-4 in the previous 4 and with the latest match, a 2-0 win over visiting DC United at home at Citi Field the team is now in 9th, which means it’s a playoff spot. And while Reddit might have given me sh*t for saying it, I don’t care: It matters that the team is now in a playoff spot. Yes there’s still 25 matches to go on the season, yes it’s only 25% into the season but in sports and in business, you have milestones, rungs on a ladder. The first rung this season for NYCFC was getting that elusive win, then points in back to back, then eventually move up the ranks. You have to measure your team’s success not just by the rungs you reach, but with an expectation that once you’re there, you don’t fall back down the ladder. And to me, a playoff spot is something to brag on after the atrocious start they had. Is it the end? Absolutely not, but it’s a run on the ladder. The next step, stay there or better yet, move up. The homestand continues back at Yankee Stadium against Charlotte FC, a team they’ve never defeated in 5 matches and the club has the worst record against, going 0W-4L-1D against. A win would allow them to leapfrog the Crowns in the east and continue to give the youngest team in the East something to grow on.
Way back at the start of the season I predicted 6th in the East, something I still hold onto. And for a while, damn did that look like a stupid decision. Since 2021, the points 6th place teams needed in both the East and West since 2021 have been between 48 and 51, meaning the team would need 40 points in those remaining 25 to reach 51. Is it doable? I’d like to think so, but time will tell.
About the author – Scott Churchson has been an actor in every way for the past 13 years, from BG to stand in to stunts and principal, a sports writer for the past 4 and is one of the people that created Stream Punk Entertainment. He’s married to a veterinarian, has a cat with three working legs, a mother-in-law who just moved in and is just a simple man trying to make his way in the universe.