New York City FC II is an American professional soccer team based in New York City. It is the reserve team and minor league affiliate of New York City FC, and plays in MLS Next Pro, the third tier of the United States soccer league system.
 | |||
| Nickname(s) | Young Pigeons The Baby Blues | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Short name | NYCFC II | ||
| Founded | December 6, 2021 | ||
| Stadium | Belson Stadium Queens, New York City | ||
| Capacity | 2,168 | ||
| Owners | New York City FC (City Football Group) | ||
| Head coach | Matt Pilkington | ||
| League | MLS Next Pro | ||
| 2023 | 8th, Eastern Conference Playoffs: Did not qualify | ||
| Website | https://www.nycfc.com/nycfcii | ||
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History
editWhen NYCFC entered MLS in 2015, the league had no reserve competition. For their first few seasons NYCFC affiliated with Wilmington Hammerheads FC[1] and then with San Antonio FC[2] but these partnerships were little used and the club continued with no minor league affiliate for several seasons afterwards.
MLS Next Pro
editOn December 6, 2021, Major League Soccer announced the formation of a new league, MLS Next Pro, which would be a competitive development league for reserves and younger players. It would be placed in the third tier of the United States soccer league system below the USL Championship, which had previously hosted affiliated and reserve teams.[3] NYCFC was among the first teams to announce their participation in MLS Next Pro.[3] The name of the team—New York City FC II (abbreviated as "NYCFC II")—was announced in January 2022 alongside the signing of the first three homegrown players to stock the nascent team's roster.[4]
Players and staff
editRoster
edit- As of June 28, 2024[5]
- ^ New York City FC MLS roster player
- ^ New York City FC academy player
Technical Staff
edit| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Matt Pilkington |
| Assistant coach | Danny Cepero |
| Analyst | Marina Schachowskoj |
Records
editYear-by-year
edit| Season | MLS Next Pro | Playoffs | Top Scorer | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts | Conference | Overall | Player | Goals | |||
| 2022 | 24 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 49 | 35 | 37 | 5th, Eastern | 10th | Did not qualify |  John Denis |
14 | |
| 2023 | 28 | 12 | 4 | 12 | 60 | 55 | 41 | 8th, Eastern | 16th | Did not qualify | MD Myers |
19 | |
Head coaches record
edit- As of September 24, 2023
| Name | Nationality | From | To | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Pilkington[6] |  England
|
February 9, 2022 | present | 52 | 21 | 10 | 21 | 109 | 90 | 40.38 |
Stadium
editOn February 24, 2022, it was announced that NYCFC II would play its home matches at Belson Stadium on the campus of St. John's University.[7]
On July 15, 2024, NYCFC II announced that would play a portion of its schedule at Icahn Stadium on on Randalls Island in Manhattan.[8] The club made a $3 million donation to fund upgrades to bring the pitch up to professional soccer standards.
References
edit- ^ "NYCFC Announce Affiliation with Wilmington Hammerheads". nycfc.com. January 16, 2015. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
- ^ "NYCFC Announce Affiliation with San Antonio FC". nycfc.com. February 9, 2017. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
- ^ a b Straus, Brian (December 6, 2021). "MLS Next Pro Adds Another Element to U.S. Soccer's Ever-Evolving Lower Club Tier". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
- ^ "New York City Football Club Sign Three Players to Homegrown Contracts". nycfc.com. January 19, 2022. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
- ^ NYCFC II -Roster
- ^ "New York City Football Club Name Matt Pilkington and Danny Cepero Head Coach and Assistant Coach for NYCFC II". nycfc.com. February 9, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
- ^ "New York City FC Announces Venue & Schedule for NYCFC II, Expands Partnership with St. John's University". NYCFC.com. New York City FC. February 24, 2022. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
- ^ O'Brien, Shane (July 15, 2024). "Randall's Island to host professional soccer, NYCFC reserves after state-of-the-art field installed at Icahn Stadium". amNY.com. Retrieved July 16, 2024.