The overall improvement of New York City FC in 2024 papers over an uncomfortable truth: While the team took a step forward this year, the defense took a step back.
The 2023 squad might have put up the second-worst record in New York City history, but the 39 goals allowed were the second-fewest for the club in a 34-game season: it trails only the 36 allowed by the title-winning team in 2021. The 2023 edition of the team had many problems, but the defense was not one of them.
New York City FC | Record by Year
| Year | G | W | D | L | PTS | PPG | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 34 | 14 | 8 | 12 | 50 | 1.47 | 54 | 49 | 5 |
| 2023 | 34 | 9 | 14 | 11 | 41 | 1.21 | 35 | 39 | -4 |
| 2022 | 34 | 16 | 7 | 11 | 55 | 1.62 | 57 | 41 | 16 |
| 2021 | 34 | 14 | 9 | 11 | 51 | 1.50 | 56 | 36 | 20 |
| 2020 | 23 | 12 | 3 | 8 | 39 | 1.70 | 37 | 25 | 12 |
| 2019 | 34 | 18 | 10 | 6 | 64 | 1.88 | 63 | 42 | 21 |
| 2018 | 34 | 16 | 8 | 10 | 56 | 1.65 | 59 | 45 | 14 |
| 2017 | 34 | 16 | 9 | 9 | 57 | 1.68 | 56 | 43 | 13 |
| 2016 | 34 | 15 | 9 | 10 | 54 | 1.59 | 62 | 57 | 5 |
| 2015 | 34 | 10 | 7 | 17 | 37 | 1.09 | 49 | 58 | -9 |
You can't say the same of the 2024 squad, which gave up 49 goals. That's the third-most in club history: You have to go back to the dark days of 2015 and 2016, when Josh Saunders was the shot-stopper, to find an NYCFC that leaked more goals.
