New York City FC's third game of their four-match residency at the 2025 Coachella Invitational was a 3-1 loss to St Louis City SC. New York City fielded a Starting XI full of unfamiliar faces. Here are five thoughts about New York City's first loss at this year's edition of the Coachella Valley Invitational.
1. Heavy rotation
There was just one player in the Starting XI who also started the final game of the 2024 season: Hannes Wolf. You can't sweat the scoreline with a heavily-rotated side like this one. Better to look at passages of play than worry if it's a win or loss.
2. Kids at play
The average age of New York City's starting lineup was just 21.2 years. The oldest in the Starting XI was 25-year-old Wolf; the youngest was 16-year-old Peter Molinari.
And the kids looked good — at times. The 17-year-old Homegrown Drew Baiera was comfortable in the midfield, ditto 17-year-old Johnny Shore after he came on in the second half. This will be an important season for both of them if they are to fight their way into the First Team in the coming years.
John Baney
3. Is Risa back?
The tone of the game changed when Birk Risa came on in the 60th minute. He looked composed in defense, and his distribution was sharp: It was more like the Risa we glimpsed at the end of 2023, when he was one of the team's biggest signings, than the Risa we saw struggle through last season, when nagging injuries hampered the quality of his play.
RISAN AL GAIB 🇳🇴💫 pic.twitter.com/vYVbZ1E2fw
— New York City FC (@newyorkcityfc) February 13, 2025
In our 2025 Player Preview of Risa, we wondered if he'll rediscover his form this year. To go by his 30 minutes on the field today – and the free-kick goal he scored late in the game – it's looking pretty good.
Oh we definitely did 👀 https://t.co/mlI3ZkCUSt pic.twitter.com/38XpdkXqTN
— New York City FC (@newyorkcityfc) February 13, 2025
4. No Thiago Martins, again
Thiago Martins hasn't appeared in any of the five friendlies New York City have played to date. Can we go ahead and speculate that the Designated Player is sidelined with an injury?
The good news: Justin Haak was sharp in the defense when he came on in the second half. New York City are lucky to have a player like Haak, somebody who can (and probably will) step into the Starting XI on opening day.
John Baney
5. No Santi, again
Once again, there was no sign of Santiago Rodríguez today. We have yet to see him suit up after three games at Coachella.
Is that because he's on his way out?
The engine of New York City's attack is still being linked to Botofago in Brazil's Serie A, although a recent report claimed that the high transfer fee and other unspecified "unrealistic" demands are hindering the negotiations. As reported in the Hudson River Blue Transfer Tracker, "Botafogo is said by O Dia to be ready to pay over $11 million guaranteed to NYCFC to acquire the 25-year-old Uruguayan midfielder, with over $4 million more possibly unlocked through performance incentives."
New York City 1 – 3 St Louis City | Video Highlights
Starting XI
Mounsef Bakrar
Hannes Wolf
Julián Fernández
Agustín Ojeda
Peter Molinari†
Colin McCammy*
Drew Baiera
Tayvon Gray
Max Murray*
Prince Amponsah
Tomás Romero
Substitutes
Alonso Martínez
Birk Risa
Justin Haak
Nicholas Cavallo*
Jonathan Shore
Zidane Yañez
* MLS SuperDraft Selection
† NYCFC II
