New York City FC: The best team no one is talking about

New York City FC have one of the most talented squads in MLS, could move top of the East if they win their games in hand, and have lost just three times all year. So why are they not mentioned as one of the best teams in the league?

When you are covering a league that possesses two conferences and 24 teams, it is natural that some go overlooked a little. It is not possible to properly analyse and report on every single club with immense detail — this, by the way, is why beat writers exist. Detail.

As a result, that means that every year, some stories and teams go under-represented in the national media. The big names will be written about and discussed, of course. Zlatan Ibrahimovic and the LA Galaxy are never going to be a sideshow. But the focus on these players and teams can take away from others.

In the 2019 season, for no team is that more true than New York City FC. You would be forgiven for forgetting that Dome Torrent’s side exist had it not been for their deplorable stadium situation and the many newspaper pages that are afforded to criticising them for not solving it. But after a stuttering start to the campaign, the Cityzens are really starting to motor.

New York City FC did not win a game until the 21st April, their seventh match of the season. At that point, there were tentative shouts for Torrent to lose his job, especially after a second-half slump saw what was a clear-cut MLS Cup contender fall pitifully to Atlanta United in the playoffs, rarely coming close to challenging the Eastern elite when, under Patrick Vieira, they had previously been seen as a member of such a special group. But since and including that 2-0 win over D.C. United, NYCFC have won eight of their last 13 matches, losing just two of them.

In fact, on the season, New York have lost just three games, to a flying Toronto FC at the start of the season, and then twice recently to the Portland Timbers and the New York Red Bulls, two of the very best teams in MLS.

New York City FC currently sit fifth in the Eastern Conference. That may not sound particularly impressive, but they actually have the second-highest points-per-game in the East, just 0.02 points behind leaders Philadelphia. And that is just the start.

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If NYCFC were to win their games-in-hand on every team above them, they would be atop the East. Now, it is obviously not sensible to expect them to win every one of their games in hand. But even if they were to win just three of their four games in hand on Philadelphia, they would to the top of the pile.

And this is all without considering the unquestioned talent of their squad. Maxi Moralez is currently the best creative player in MLS, he has 13 assists and six goals in just 17 appearances, which is remarkable, while new signing Heber has eight goals in 891 minutes of action and three other players all have six direct involvements or more.

Throw in the untapped potential of Jesus Medina, who, should he finally figure it out, could be one of the highest-scoring wide players in the league, and you have an attacking roster that rivals any across MLS. With Maxime Chanot, James Sands and Alex Ring anchoring the midfield and defence, this is a complete team with talent all the way through the squad.

You could make an argument that New York City FC are the best team in MLS outside of LAFC. And yet, you never hear that argument. Perhaps it is time everyone started paying attention.