Youth Movement: NYCFC’s players are younger than you think

Fact: New York City FC have the second-youngest squad in MLS, with an average age of 23.1 years for the players signed to the senior team.

But when we looked into the numbers, we discovered that this NYCFC squad aren’t just young, they’re dramatically younger and less experienced than almost all of the teams they face — and they’re much, much greener than the New York City teams that found success in 2019, 2021, and 2022.

This season, only the New Jersey Red Bulls are younger, with an average age of 22.7 years. CF Montréal are the third-youngest, at 24.0 years. At the other end of the scale, the four oldest teams all top an average age of 27.0 years: LA Galaxy (27.1), Portland Timbers (27.2), Nashville SC (27.2), and DC United (27.3) might consider signing the AARP to sleeve sponsorships.

But those numbers can be misleading. NYCFC’s youthful roster officially includes midfielder Maxímo Carrizo, age 15, and defender Christian McFarlane, age 16, but both of them are developing their skills with NYCFC II in MLS NEXT Pro, not playing in MLS league games. Take away those players, and the team is older.

It made us wonder, exactly how old are the players who line up in the Starting XI on game days?

The answer: Much younger than you might think.

We calculated the average age of the Starting XI for every one of NYCFC’s MLS league games this season, both for New York City and their opponents. We also noted the number of players under the age of 22, which is the league’s official cutoff for a Young Player. You can see the full table at the end of the post.

Here are five observations:

1. NYCFC are younger 89% of the time

NYCFC had the younger squad in 25 out of the 28 games played so far this season. The only teams that out-youthed NYCFC were the New Jersey Red Bulls on May 13, Atlanta United on June 21, and CF Montréal on July 1.

Both the Red Bulls and Montréal make sense: They are the youngest squads in MLS, along with NYCFC. As for the Atlanta squad that faced NYCFC that day, they were missing so many first team starters that the club brought in Atlanta United 2 players to fill out the lineup card — one of whom, Nick Firmino, scored his first MLS goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time to steal a draw at home.

As for the other 25 games, NYCFC were younger, and almost always by a significant margin.

Throughout the season so far, New York City players were on average 2.3 years younger than their opponents. In some games, that gap was a full five years.

To think of it another way, NYCFC’s opponents on average have 25 more years of experience on the field.

That’s 25 more seasons played, or as many as 950 more games.

The Charlotte FC that drew NYCFC at Citi Field on July 5 might have joined MLS just last year, but the players who took the field that day were on average 4.3 years older, which works out to 47 more years of socerball knowhow.

NYCFC awarded just one penalty kick in MLS this year

2. NYCFC start more U22 players

The relative youth of this New York City team is even more apparent in the number of 22 and under players in the Starting XI. This year, NYCFC fielded more U22 players in 23 out of their 28 games, and the same number in the remaining five.

Not once did the other team have more U22 players in the Starting XI.

On average, NYCFC start 4.7 U22 players per game, while their opponents start about 1.9. In other words, close to 50% of the average New York City starting lineup is officially classified as a Young Player according to MLS.

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3. This squad just got younger

Not only was this the busiest summer transfer window in club history, but the players brought in are some of the youngest: Three of the six new signings are 22 and under. New York City now have eight U22 players on the active roster.

That includes striker Mounsef Bakrar, who turned 22 in January. He now spearheads an exceptionally young attack that features Julián Fernández (19), Andres Jasson (21), Matías Pellegrini (23), Santiago Rodríguez (23), Talles Magno (21), and Alonso Martínez (24).

The forwards who scored only once against the Vancouver Whitecaps in the frustrating 1-1 draw on September 2 had an average age of 22, and a collective 11 seasons playing first-division soccer. The Vancouver attack that did just enough to secure a point on short rest after enduring a brutal travel schedule had an average age of 27.3, and 22 combined seasons playing in the top flight.

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4. Saturday’s Starting XI might be the youngest yet

And it looks like the lineup is about to get younger: After the departure of 33-year-old Maxime Chanot, and the injury to 36-year-old Maxi Moralez, NYCFC have just one active first team player over the age of 30, the 33-year-old Alfredo Morales.

That means the NYCFC Starting XI for Saturday’s match against New Jersey could have an average age of 23.8, which would make it the youngest lineup this season. Should the 19-year-old Fernández start, that number will drop to 23.6.

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5. 2021: A mix of youth and experience

The fact is, the most successful NYCFC squads have had a mix of youth and experience.

The 2019 team that faced Toronto FC in the MLS Cup Playoffs had an average age of 26.5, and two U22 starters. (Taty Castellanos and Keaton Parks were so young and fresh back then.) The team that won the 2021 MLS Cup Finals had an average age of 26.8, and three U22 starters. Both of those lineups had their share of seasoned players over the age of 30.

The team that pulled apart Inter Miami in the MLS Cup Playoffs last year was even more seasoned, with an average age of 28.1. There were two U22 players on that team, and four over the age of 30.

That’s not what NYCFC look like this season.

While it’s too much to say that the club’s disappointing results are exclusively the result of the extreme youth of this squad, it’s safe to draw a connection. The games this team failed to close out, the mental lapses on the field, and the sometimes directionless play can all be attributed, in part, to a lack of experience.

That’s cold comfort for fans who are disappointed with NYCFC’s place on the table, and going to game after game only to watch a win dissolve into a draw.

But there is a silver lining: All of New York City’s players will be one year older next season.

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NYCFC Player Ages by Match