Top 3 NYCFC home openers in club history | OneFootball

New York City FC has made it through the tough start of the 2025 Major League Soccer season. It was not an ideal road trip since they shared the points with Inter Miami CF and were beaten by Los Angeles FC due to a late goal.

Thankfully, they will be at Yankee Stadium this weekend for the home opener. NYCFC will also celebrate the 10th anniversary of MLS play. They will do so when they welcome Orlando City SC, their fellow 2015 inaugural club. The two opened their MLS campaigns against one another as well.

Since NYCFC will play their 11th home opener on Saturday and celebrate the 10th anniversary, it is a great time to look back at the top home openers of all time. So, let's take a look at those games.

Top 3 NYCFC home openers

3. NYCFC's 2015 home opener against the New England Revolution

It would be silly for NYCFC's first MLS home opener not to be included on the list. The Pigeons played against the New England Revolution at Yankee Stadium for the first time in front of over 43,000 fans. Some supporters would love to have games like that regularly again, but sadly, the higher attendance levels from 2015 will not be repeated.

Still, this historical game was one many will not forget. It was the first home fixture and the team's first MLS win. Former Captain David Villa scored the first goal at Yankee Stadium, and the team did not look back. A strong performance saw the Bronx side end the match with a clean sheet and one more goal by Patrick Mullins to earn the 2-0 win.

2. NYCFC's 2022 home opener against CF Montréal

The next top home opener in NYCFC history was the match against CF Montréal in 2022. This was a memorable one because the Pigeons had four different goal-scorers in the 4-1 win: Alexander Callens, Santiago Rodríguez, Talles Magno, and Thiago Andrade.

This was also the first MLS home game since NYCFC lifted the MLS Cup trophy. Hence, it was a day of celebration for the team and fans. They also got to celebrate in style on the pitch by outscoring Montréal in what was a mostly even fixture statistically. Sadly, not everyone could make the match due to bad weather, but over 21,000 fans still filled the stadium for the entertaining win.

1. NYCFC's 2021 home opener against FC Cincinnati

When all is said and done, the best home opener since NYCFC began MLS play in 2015 was the 2021 home opener. This was the first home fixture with some fans in the stands since the COVID-19 pandemic began. As such, this was a more meaningful match compared to years past. It brought supporters back together, and the players finally had real cheers, even if the attendance was limited.

Moreover, scoring four goals or more is not always common, so the 5-0 win over FC Cincinnati was a spectacular way to open 2021 at home. Jesús Medina, Gudmundur Thórarinsson, and Valentín Castellanos found the back of the net, with Medina scoring twice and Cincinnati contributing via an own goal. This was a home opener that fans will remember for years to come.