NYCFC topples Orlando to earn first win of 2025

10 years to the day of the first competitive fixture in club history, New York City grabbed the first win of the Pascal Jansen era, toppling Orlando City 2-1 in the Bronx.

After two performances where the Boys in Blue looked lackluster both in attack and defense, Jansen's side put on a complete performance, operating with confidence and composure on both sides of the ball. With standout performances from Hannes Wolf and youngster Jonathan Shore, NYC paid homage to the club's first-ever match with a statement victory, marking the beginning of The Pascal Jansen Era in the Big Apple.

Jansen shakes up the lineup

After picking up just one point from the club's opening two games, new boss Pascal Jansen opted to shake things up across the pitch for the home opener, making numerous changes to his Starting XI.

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The originally-announced Starting XI featured a plethora of changes in defense, midfield, and attack, the most notable being young Argentine winger Agustín Ojeda getting his second start of the season over Hannes Wolf. Yet, just a few minutes later, the club released an update saying that Wolf was going to start the match, rather than Ojeda. This decision, albeit surprising at the time, was a masterstroke, with Wolf grabbing the match-winner to cap off one of his best performances in months. As it turns out, Ojeda was dropped from the Starting XI after turning up late to Yankee Stadium ahead of the match, a team-first decision from Pascal Jansen.

In defense, the home opener saw the full return of captain Thiago Martins, who was thrust into the XI to cover for Birk Risa, who missed out due to illness. Despite Martins possibly returning from injury earlier than some may have expected, the Brazilian lined up alongside defensive Swiss Army Knife Justin Haak, with Jansen opting to try something new at the back after two lackluster defensive performances to open the season. Haak, too, outside of his misfired redirect in the buildup to Orlando's equalizer, put in a strong shift as the NYC backline looked more confident and composed from start to finish compared to the previous two games (ignoring Kevin O'Toole's unnecessary second yellow card in the 86th minute).

But it was the addition to the midfield that stole the show, with 17-year-old midfielder Jonathan Shore picking up his first career start. The Homegrown talent put together an impressive display, serving as an instrumental cog at the center of the pitch. With two chances created and nine defensive actions, including six won ground duels, Shore was named New York City FC's Player of the Match, a worthy honor following the first of many complete performances from the club's next youth development success story, and in front of the great Andrea Pirlo no less.

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Experienced players step up

After failing to pick up more than one point across the opening two games of the season, fans of New York City FC were calling on the experienced players in the squad to step up, and for good reason, too. Managing just one open-play goal between both games, with the quality and depth at the club's disposal, was poor, to say the least. Players like Wolf, in particular, were singled out for not contributing, a trend that's carried over from the second half of the 2024 season. After getting a last-second opportunity to prove the doubters wrong due to Ojeda's poor time management, the Austrian managed to do exactly that.

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET STRIKES BACK 🐺 pic.twitter.com/ClOvps2yxj

— New York City FC (@newyorkcityfc) March 9, 2025

A threat going forward all afternoon, Wolf had one of his best showings in recent memory on Saturday, culminating with his extremely close-range header to regain the lead in the 71st minute, barely 30 seconds after Orlando grabbed their equalizer. The Austrian's three total shots were all on target, while he also created a further two chances as the Boys in Blue peppered Pedro Gallese's goal from all angles.

Maxi Moralez featured prominently for the Boys in Blue as well, making his third straight start since the departure of Santi Rodríguez to Botoafogo for a $15 million fee on February 22nd. Despite being 38 years old, Moralez continues to age like a fine wine, pulling the strings in midfield like no other midfielder in the squad can. The Argentine's impact was on full display Saturday, creating chance after chance for the Boys in Blue, including his soft yet accurate attempt on frame producing the perfect bounce right into the path of Alonso Martínez for the easiest goal he'll score all season.

Los goles corren por su DNA 🧬 pic.twitter.com/QqesIehVjb

— New York City FC (@newyorkcityfc) March 9, 2025

Though it won't count as an assist, Martínez's 59th-minute strike to break the deadlock simply would not have happened without Maxi Moralez, as was the case for the majority of NYCFC's attacking sequences on Saturday. It's clear just how great of an impact Moralez makes on the game when he's slotting in as the No. 10 for the Boys in Blue, with the squad moving forward with a more composed and clinical edge than without him. As the only true and trusted No. 10 in the squad, and with no replacements on the horizon, performances like this will only further justify the Argentine's inclusion in the Starting XI, regardless of injury and longevity concerns.

A long 10 years

It's still crazy to think that it's been a full 10 years since that infamous 1-1 draw to kick off New York City FC's first MLS season. The differences between the club and the league from then to now are staggering, to say the least, but that's to be expected as the beautiful game continues to grow into new markets across the United States.

With Mix Diskerud's famous curler marking the beginning of the first era of soccer in the Boogie Down Bronx, Saturday's win over Orlando City truly marks the beginning of a new era, the Pascal Jansen era. Despite being just seconds away from a win on opening day vs Inter Miami, Jansen grabs his first win as head coach in game three, all while putting out a creativity-balanced lineup bolstered by a combination of both experience and raw young talent.

Gone are the days, it seems, of New York City FC relying on Designated Players to lead this squad to greatness. Until a player of Santi Rodríguez's caliber is brought in to fill the void, if at all, Jansen will be relying on his crop of young and hungry wingers and forwards to work together to pick up the slack. It's evident that Jansen trusts some of the young guns already, with both Ojeda and Julián Fernández, who assisted on Wolf's winning goal, originally set to start opposite each other on Saturday before the lineup change. Considering how difficult it was for both wingers to see consistent playing time in 2024 under Nick Cushing, it's clear that both returned to the club in 2025 with a point to prove and have so far made quite the impression in the eyes of Jansen.

Saturday's victory was a much-needed breath of fresh air for everyone in and around New York City FC. After selling one of the club's greatest-ever players 90 minutes before the first game of the season to picking up just one point after two late defensive collapses, the Boys in Blue needed a positive change of pace to keep the fans on their side. With the dates aligning perfectly (as if this fixture wasn't planned for exactly this reason), it seemed almost destined that New York City FC would get a positive result from this contest.

And that's exactly how it played out; the fill-ins did their job on defense, and the attack finally looked truly threatening in front of goal. Now it's time for the Boys in Blue to ride this momentum up the table. With a possible signing or two, this squad has the talent to go far come the end of the season, but there is a LOT of soccer to be played before then. With a core as young and hungry as this, it's best to take this season one game at a time.