New York City FC’s 3–2 Hudson River Derby win wasn’t just a rivalry result—it was a statement about resilience and growth under head coach Pascal Jansen. Four days after a humbling night against Inter Miami, NYCFC answered with an early goal, hard running, and enough composure to close out a tense finish in Harrison. For Jansen, that bounce-back spoke to the team’s character and to a season-long climb in game management.
“It says a lot about the character of the team,” Jansen said. “Miami was a game where we played pretty well for 70 minutes, but we didn’t reward ourselves and got punished for mistakes. The focus was on bouncing back and keeping it simple. Getting the early goal helped, and I’ve seen that before this season—we’re fully aware we’re capable of doing those things. It’s a good weapon to have in your toolbox.”
That “toolbox” is bigger now than it was in spring. What has changed? Jansen points to the cumulative work—analysis, conversations, targeted training—translating into sharper recognition of moments. “The game management and overall understanding are at a much higher level,” he explained. “When you sense those moments, you keep focus and stick to the plan.”
Captain Thiago Martins echoes that shift, framing it as a cultural reset. “Since day one, he’s implemented a culture,” Martins said. “His presence, the way he approaches players, it’s different. He wants a strong culture and a winning mentality. That helps me as captain—to talk with the guys, bring energy, and build the right mentality for games.” Martins’ own derby winner underscored the buy-in.
Hunting Records, Not Just Results
The response has put NYCFC within reach of milestones. With a victory over the Philadelphia Union in their next match, City would reach 18 wins—tying the club’s single-season mark set in 2019. Jansen, currently on 17 league wins, is one shy of Domenec Torrent’s club record (18 in 2019) for most victories by a head coach in a single season. Take six points from Philadelphia and Seattle, and 2025 sets a new high-water mark at 19.
Form backs the ambition. NYCFC is 7-2-1 over the last ten and has authored two separate three-match winning streaks since mid-July. Notably, the team has thrived against tougher assignments: they’re 9-2-2 against opponents who were above them in the table at kickoff (19 scored, 10 conceded, six clean sheets). Against lower-placed sides the record sits at 8-8-2—uneven, but it underlines that City’s ceiling rises with the challenge.
Then there’s the sweep stat—a picture of consistency across the schedule. The derby triumph over the Red Bulls completed the club’s fifth two-match sweep of 2025, a new NYCFC single-season record. Toronto, Orlando, Cincinnati, and Chicago have also been swept, with another sweep still on offer against Philadelphia after April’s 1–0 win at Citi Field. It’s not just volume: several sweeps have come with clean sheets across both legs, a marker of control that Jansen has preached since March.
A Road Team, At Last
For years, NYCFC’s away form lagged behind its slick home performances. Not in 2025. The club is 6-5-5 away, unbeaten in six straight on the road (5-0-1) and riding a four-match away winning streak—the first such run in club history during a regular season. The difference is often a timely finish from Alonso Martínez, who has six goals during the six-match unbeaten away stretch and game-winners at Dallas, Cincinnati, and Chicago. He now leads the East in away game-winners (five) and sits one shy of the league lead. Martins delivered the latest road decider in the derby.
That production has NYCFC flirting with history: one more road victory would tie the club’s single-season best of seven (2016, 2019) and they’re currently matched with 2019 for fewest away losses (five) in a full 17-game road slate. It’s also a stark turnaround from 2023–2024, when City combined for just five away wins across two seasons.
The Philadelphia Test
Subaru Park offers both jeopardy and opportunity. The Union top the East with 63 points; NYCFC sits third on 56, with Cincinnati between them. City has already kept clean-sheet wins against both Philadelphia and Cincinnati this year and has split the all-time regular-season series with the Union right down the middle (10-10-2). A victory would not only deliver a season sweep of Philadelphia for the third time (after 2017 and 2019), it could do so with a second shutout—something NYCFC has never achieved in a two-match Union sweep.
Key contributors have history in this matchup. Martínez owns three goals in three appearances against Philadelphia since May 2024, including April’s winner. Maxi Moralez is tied for the club lead in all-time goal contributions against the Union (seven) and leads in assists (five). Hannes Wolf, Andrés Perea, Mitja Ilenič, and Kevin O’Toole have all chipped in decisive moments across this season’s run of sweeps.
The themes are clear: culture, clarity, and control. Jansen’s New York City isn’t simply out-talenting opponents; it’s out-managing moments. If that trend holds in Chester, City will collect more than three points—they’ll collect proof that the shift Martins describes is real, durable, and ready for the stakes to come.
- NYCFC’s Response Under Jansen: Culture, Control, and a Record in Sight
- Pochettino Stresses Merit and Mentality as USMNT Gathers
- Pochettino Names 26-Man USMNT Roster for October Friendlies Against Ecuador and Australia
- Fly Away FireWolves…to Oshawa
- Cremaschi Hat Trick Powers USA to Record-Setting 9-1 Rout of New Caledonia in U-20 World Cup Opener
