Top 5 NYCFC home matches of all time

4. NYCFC 2-0 Atlas F.C. September 14, 2022: Winning the first cup at home 

Following the MLS Cup title win in 2021, NYCFC was set to face off with the champions of Mexico at the time Atlas F.C. in the Campeones Cup at Yankee Stadium. Despite losing both Ronny Deila and Valentín Castellanos midseason, the team was still playing at its highest level, and it looked to add more hardware to the trophy collection.

With a crowd of 24,823 on a cool evening in the Bronx, NYCFC came out strong with two huge goals by both Alexander Callens and Maxi Moralez to put them up 2-0. From there, it was a battle of defense as Atlas were coming out strong with their shots.   

With Sean Johnson injured at the time, it was Luis Barraza’s chance to shine as he made it work to hold the clean sheet. It was a great moment in NYCFC’s history to hoist their first international title in front of the home crowd in what was a difficult time for the team after losing two valuable members of the team.   

3. NYCFC 2-0 New York Red Bulls September 17, 2022: Making a statement to rivals 

There is always tension when NYCFC and the New York Red Bulls face off, as it always is whether New York is “blue” or “red”. However, the blue team not only won an MLS Cup before the Red Bulls, but they are the only ones that play on New York dirt. There was also a lot on the line before the last derby match of 2022 as NYCFC had the opportunity to pull off the sweep of the Hudson River Derby with a win.   

It was also extra important to prove to the Red Bulls’ head coach wrong at the time, who said that this match was a “guaranteed win” for the Bulls. They proved that wrong very quickly after Callens got NYCFC a goal in just the first minute of the match, setting the stage for the rest of the derby. That shortly followed with a goal by Santiago Rodríguez for an early 2-0 lead before the 25th minute.  

This is all that NYCFC needed as they held the Red Bulls scoreless for a crucial win in the Hudson River Derby to complete the regular season sweep for the first time ever. It was also in front of a sellout crowd of 30,151 people on a beautiful sunny day in the Bronx for some derby football.