The Major League Soccer regular season is over and New York City FC will begin the MLS Cup Playoffs in less than a week. The Pigeons unfortunately finished the season in sixth place in the Eastern Conference after losing to CF Montréal. It was not an ideal end to the season, but the only thing now is to move forward.
When looking at the end of the season, finishing 3-1-1 is not bad. Plus, the Pigeons thankfully ended the winless streak in a fantastic fashion in the Hudson River Derby. There is news though to discuss off the pitch before the postseason begins. Here is the latest NYCFC news roundup.
NYCFC news roundup: NYCFC II and the MLS Cup Playoffs
NYCFC II is out of the MLS Next Pro Playoffs
The first team's playoff journey has yet to start, but sadly NYCFC II's run in the MLS Next Pro Playoffs has already come to an end. The Baby Pigeons fell to Philadelphia Union 2 to get knocked out in the first round.
They lost 1-0 due to a late goal in the second half. As a result, their first win in the playoffs will have to wait since this was their first trip to the postseason in the MLS Next Pro. Ideally, the team will continue to improve in 2025.
NYCFC knows their schedule against FC Cincinnati
NYCFC will begin the MLS Cup Playoffs in the Round One Best-of-3 series. The Bronx side will face FC Cincinnati at least twice home and away. If the teams win one game each, they will meet again at Cincinnati's stadium since they have home-field advantage.
The first match will take place at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati on Monday, October 25 at 6:45 PM. Then, the second fixture will take place at one of the available NYCFC stadiums on Saturday, November 2. The venue and time are to be determined. Finally, if necessary, the third battle will be back at TQL Stadium on Saturday, November 9 at 4:00 PM.
Citi Field should be available for NYCFC
As mentioned, the Pigeons know they will host the second game of the Best-of-3 series. The venue and time are currently unknown. However, the New York Mets are now out of the MLB Playoffs after losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The New York Yankees are still in it and are heading to the World Series.
Therefore, Citi Field should be available for the home fixture against Cincinnati. It would be crazy if they were scheduled to play at Red Bull Arena. Truthfully, fans should expect MLS and NYCFC to announce that the match will be in Queens.
If the Pigeons do move on to the Conference Semifinals, then they should expect to play that round away from home since they are seeded sixth. In other words, NYCFC has played their final game of season at Yankee Stadium.
Update: NYCFC will host their playoff game at Citi Field on Saturday, November 2, at 5:00 PM.