| Club: | New York City FC |
| Season: | 2015 |
| Manager: | Jason Kreis |
| Chairman: | Ferran Soriano |
| Stadium: | Yankee Stadium The Bronx, New York |
| League: | Major League Soccer |
| League Result: | Conference 8th |
| Cup1: | MLS Cup Playoffs |
| Cup1 Result: | Did not qualify |
| Cup2: | U.S. Open Cup |
| Cup2 Result: | Fourth round |
| League Topscorer: | David Villa (18) |
| Highest Attendance: | 48,047 |
| Lowest Attendance: | 20,461 |
| Average Attendance: | 29,016 |
| Largest Win: | 2 goals: 6 times |
| Largest Loss: | 4 goals: LA 5–1 NYC (August 23) |
| Nextseason: | 2016 |
| American: | true |
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The 2015 New York City FC season was the club's first season of existence, their first season in the top tier of American soccer, and their first season in Major League Soccer. New York City FC played their home games at Yankee Stadium in the New York City borough of The Bronx.
MLS commissioner Don Garber announced the league's intent to award a second team in the New York area in 2010, with the new team originally aimed to begin operations by 2013.[1] Initially, the league held talks with New York Mets owner Fred Wilpon about a second NY club and with owners of the rebooted New York Cosmos.[2] The Wilpons' interest in MLS reportedly faded following the family's losses in the Madoff investment scandal,[3] while the Cosmos began playing in the second-tier North American Soccer League in 2013.[4]
Garber had previously cultivated an interest in acquiring investment from a major European soccer team to be owners of a future franchise, and in December 2008, he announced a bid for a Miami expansion team led by FC Barcelona that was to begin play in 2010,[5] though the bid eventually fell through[6] (Garber also briefly discussed Barcelona investing in a New York franchise before moving the focus to Miami).
But when Ferran Soriano, Barcelona's vice president at the time of the Miami bid, was appointed Manchester City CEO in August 2012, Garber reached out to him about a New York City team.[7] In December 2012, unnamed sources told the media that Manchester City were close to being announced as the new owners of the 20th team of MLS, and the brand name "New York City Football Club" was trademarked, although the club quickly denied the report.[8] However, Garber announced in March 2013 that he was almost ready to unveil the new expansion team,[9]
New York City Football Club, LLC was registered with the New York State Department on May 7, 2013,[10] and on May 21 the team was officially announced as the 20th Major League Soccer franchise.[11]
The team announced an English-language radio deal with WFAN on October 3, 2013.[12]
N.B. The friendly against St Mirren deemed the club's first ever match according to the club itself.[13]
| Team | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Dynamo | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 6 | |
| New York City FC | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 4 | |
| Charleston Battery | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 4 | |
| Orlando City SC | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | -2 | 2 |
See main article: 2015 Major League Soccer season.
New York City FC entered the 2015 U.S. Open Cup with all other Major League Soccer teams in the fourth round.[14]
| Squad No. | Name | Nationality | Position(s) | Since | Date of Birth (Age) | Signed from | Games Played | Goals Scored | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | |||||||||
| 12 | Josh Saunders |  | GK | 2014 | October 5, 2015 |  Real Salt Lake | 33 | 0 | |
| 18 | Ryan Meara | | GK | 2014 | October 5, 2015 | New York Red Bulls | 1 | 0 | |
| 25 | Eirik Johansen |  | GK | 2015 | October 5, 2015 | Manchester City | 1 | 0 | |
| Defenders | |||||||||
| 2 | Jason Hernandez | | CB | 2014 | October 5, 2015 | San Jose Earthquakes | 27 | 0 | |
| 3 | Kwame Watson-Siriboe | | RB / CB | 2014 | October 5, 2015 | Real Salt Lake | 12 | 1 | |
| 5 | Jeb Brovsky | | RB | 2014 | October 5, 2015 |  Montreal Impact | 16 | 0 | |
| 17 | Chris Wingert | | LB | 2014 | October 5, 2015 | Real Salt Lake | 28 | 0 | |
| 24 | Shay Facey | CB / RB | 2015 | October 5, 2015 | 24 | 0 | |||
| 69 | Angeliño |  | LB | 2015 | October 5, 2015 | 14 | 0 | ||
| 51 | Andoni Iraola | | RB | 2015 | October 5, 2015 | Athletic Bilbao | 9 | 0 | |
| 27 | R. J. Allen | | RB | 2015 | October 5, 2015 |  Skive | 15 | 0 | |
| Midfielders | |||||||||
| 4 | Andrew Jacobson | | AM | 2014 | October 5, 2015 | Stabæk | 34 | 1 | |
| 8 | Frank Lampard | CM | 2015 | October 5, 2015 | Manchester City | 10 | 3 | ||
| 10 | Mix Diskerud | | CM | 2015 | October 5, 2015 | Rosenborg | 28 | 3 | |
| 11 | Ned Grabavoy | | LM | 2014 | October 5, 2015 | Real Salt Lake | 27 | 2 | |
| 21 | Andrea Pirlo |  | CM | 2015 | October 5, 2015 | Juventus | 13 | 0 | |
| 15 | Tommy McNamara | | AM | 2014 | October 5, 2015 | Chivas USA | 19 | 5 | |
| 16 | Connor Brandt | | CM | 2015 | October 5, 2015 | Tucson | 1 | 0 | |
| 20 | Mehdi Ballouchy |  | LM | 2014 | October 5, 2015 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 20 | 3 | |
| 26 | Sebastián Velásquez |  | AM | 2014 | October 5, 2015 | Real Salt Lake | 12 | 0 | |
| 30 | Javier Calle | | CM | 2015 | October 5, 2015 | 12 | 1 | ||
| 88 | Kwadwo Poku |  | AM | 2015 | October 5, 2015 | Atlanta Silverbacks | 28 | 6 | |
| Strikers | |||||||||
| 7 | David Villa (captain) | | CF | 2014 | October 5, 2015 | Atlético Madrid | 30 | 18 | |
| 14 | Patrick Mullins | | 2014 | October 5, 2015 | New England Revolution | 25 | 6 | ||
| 19 | Khiry Shelton | | CF | 2015 | October 5, 2015 | Lane United | 17 | 1 | |
| 99 | Tony Taylor | | CF | 2014 | October 5, 2015 |  Omonia | 2 | 0 | |
|}
| Week | Player | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | David Villa[15] | |
| 15 | David Villa[16] |
Awarded to the player who receives the most votes in a poll conducted each month on the NYCFC website
| Month | Player |
|---|---|
| March[28] | Josh Saunders |
| April[29] | Josh Saunders |
| May[30] | Mehdi Ballouchy |
| June[31] | Tommy McNamara |
| July[32] | David Villa |
| August[33] | Kwadwo Poku |
| September[34] | Frank Lampard |
| October[35] | Josh Saunders |
| No. | Pos. | Player | Loaned From | Start | End | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | GK | New York Red Bulls | December 11, 2014 | December 2015 | NYCFC.com | |
| 30 | MF | Independiente Medellín | February 6, 2015 | December 2015 | NYCFC.com | |
| 24 | DF | Manchester City | March 6, 2015 | January 1, 2016 | NYCFC.com | |
| 69 | DF | Manchester City | July 8, 2015 | January 1, 2016 | MLSsoccer.com | |
| No. | Pos. | Player | Loaned To | Start | End | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | FW | Melbourne City | June 3, 2014 | December 31, 2014 | BBC.co.uk | ||
| 5 | DF | Strømsgodset | June 13, 2014 | December 31, 2014 | EmpireOfSoccer.com | ||
| 12 | GK | San Antonio Scorpions | July 18, 2014 | December 31, 2014 | NYCFC.com | ||
| 4 | MF | Stabæk IF | July 29, 2014 | December 31, 2014 | NYCFC.com | ||
| 3 | DF | Carolina RailHawks | August 22, 2014 | December 31, 2014 | CarolinaRailhawks.com |
| Acquired | From | For | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Additional international roster slot – 2015 & 2016 | D.C. United | Allocation money | MLSsoccer.com | |
| Discovery rights for Kwadwo Poku | Seattle Sounders FC | Conditional 2017 MLS SuperDraft pick | NYCFC.com |