NYCFC began the 2025 preseason with a respectable 2-2 draw | OneFootball

With a couple of weeks of training under their belt, New York City FC played their first preseason match of the 2025 campaign. The closed-door friendly against Real Salt Lake took place Friday afternoon, with the club posting a few brief updates.

Notably, this was new head coach Pascal Jansen's first game in charge of the team. One should not read too much into the Starting XI and players chosen since it is the first part of the preseason. However, the club did not release everyone's name of who played, nor all of the details of the game. They did release the Starting XI and the scoring information.

NYCFC's 2-2 draw is not bad for the first preseason game

The following NYCFC players were in the Starting XI: Tomás Romero, Kevin O'Toole, Birk Risa, Strahinja Tanasijević, Mitja Ilenič, Justin Haak, Keaton Parks, Maxi Moralez, Santiago Rodríguez, Julián Fernández, and Alonso Martínez. Many of these players are normal starters, but it made sense to have a few players who are not usually starters. As the preseason progresses, fans should expect to see unexpected players in the Starting XI as Jansen analyzes his team.

NYCFC did release some photos on their website, and as such, supporters could see some of the others who played. Prince Amponsah, Maximo Carrizo, Agustín Ojeda, Jonathan Shore, and Zidane Yañez were examples of those who probably played in the second half. Also, Tanasijević had a new number: 19.

In the end, it was not an auspicious start to the preseason, but NYCFC and RSL ended the fixture in a 2-2 draw. Parks and Martínez scored for the Pigeons while Dominik Marczuk and Braian Ojeda scored for the Utah team.

So, what can supporters take away from the result? Clearly NYCFC cannot be properly judged since the match was not available to view. However, they did score two goals in the first preseason fixture, which is a positive. Moreover, the second goal allowed occurred when many starters were not on the pitch.

It is also important to remember that the Bronx team has had okay preseasons in the past but did well in the regular season. This was also the first match back since November when NYCFC was sadly knocked out of the playoffs by the New York Red Bulls. That is why it was a respectable result even though a win is always preferred.

Nevertheless, the Pigeons' next preseason match is against the 2024 MLS Cup Champions LA Galaxy. NYCFC will have a tough battle ahead of them but it will be a good early test.