New York City FC II

New York City FC II
NicknamesYoung Pigeons
The Baby Blues
Short nameNYCFC II
FoundedDecember 6, 2021 (2021-12-06)
StadiumBelson Stadium
Queens, New York City
Capacity2,168
OwnersNew York City FC
(City Football Group)
Head coachMatt Pilkington
LeagueMLS Next Pro
202512th, Eastern Conference
Playoffs: Did not qualify
Websitewww.nycfc.com/nycfcii

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.

History

When 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

On 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]

In August 2026, NYCFC President Brad Sims said he and the team were working with Hometown Soccer Holdings, a venture between MLS and a private equity group, to have the group take over the commercial side of the team.[5] It was later reported the team would be rebranding and relocating to Edison, New Jersey sometime in the near future.[6]

Players and staff

Roster

As of May 9, 2026[7]
No. Pos. Nation Player
2 DF  USA Nico Cavallo ([A])
15 DF  USA Kevin Pierre Jr. ([A])
23 DF  USA Max Murray ([A])
29 MF  USA Máximo Carrizo ([A])
30 GK  SLV Tomás Romero ([A])
31 GK  USA Mac Learned
32 MF  USA Jonathan Shore ([A])
38 DF  USA Drew Baiera ([A])
44 MF  USA Luka Sunjic
45 DF  USA Kamram Acito
46 MF  USA Gil de Souza
52 DF  JAM Kieran Smith
53 DF  BRA João Loiola (on loan from Fluminense FC)
57 MF  USA Joe Suchecki
58 DF  USA Eóin Martin
59 DF  USA Dylan Randazzo
68 FW  USA Henrik Hvatum
71 MF  USA Peter Molinari
75 MF  USA Drew Kerr
77 DF  USA Jonny Lopez ([B])
79 FW  GHA Caleb Danquah
80 GK  USA Brennan Klein
81 MF  ITA Sebastiano Musu
82 DF  SLV Adonis Campos
83 MF  USA Camilo Ponce
87 FW  ESP Arnau Farnós ([A])
88 FW  SLE Malachi Jones ([A])
90 GK  USA Dylan McDermott
91 MF  USA Uriel Zeitz
92 FW  USA Lucas De Pinho
93 MF  USA El Haji Samb
97 MF  USA David Duque ([B])
99 FW  JAM Seymour Reid ([A])
— MF  ESP Arnau Rabassa
  1. ^
    New York City FC MLS roster player
    2.
  2. ^
    New York City FC academy player
    3.

Technical Staff

Position Name
Head coach Matt Pilkington
Assistant coach Michael Dal Pra
Goalkeeper coach Santiago Restrepo
Analyst Gustavo Mahana
Athletic Trainer Camilo Hurtado-Cortes
Performance Coach Casey Colon

Records

Year-by-year

Season MLS Next Pro Playoffs Top Scorer
P W D L GF GA Pts Conference Overall Player Goals
2022 249694935375th, Eastern10thDid not qualifyUnited States John Denis14
2023 28124126055418th, Eastern16thDid not qualifyUnited States MD Myers19
2024 2811986058466th, Eastern11thConference QuarterfinalsUnited States Taylor Calheira14
2025 28961353613512th, Eastern24thDid not qualifyJamaica Seymour Reid13

Head coaches record

As of September 24, 2023
NameNationalityFromToPWDLGFGAWin%
Matt Pilkington[8]  England February 9, 2022 present 5221102110990040.38

Stadium

On 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.[9]

On July 15, 2024, NYCFC II announced that would play a portion of its schedule at Icahn Stadium on Randalls Island in Manhattan.[10] The club made a $3 million donation to fund upgrades to bring the pitch up to professional soccer standards.

References

  1. ↑ "NYCFC Announce Affiliation with Wilmington Hammerheads". nycfc.com. January 16, 2015. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  2. ↑ "NYCFC Announce Affiliation with San Antonio FC". nycfc.com. February 9, 2017. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  3. 1 2 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.
  4. ↑ "New York City Football Club Sign Three Players to Homegrown Contracts". nycfc.com. January 19, 2022. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  5. ↑ Leigh, Andrew (August 4, 2026). "Brad Sims: Our project is as compelling or more compelling than any in American soccer". New York Soccer Journal. Retrieved August 14, 2026.
  6. ↑ Battista, Michael (August 14, 2026). "Sources: NYCFC II moving to New Jersey's Middlesex County". New York Soccer Journal. Retrieved August 14, 2026.
  7. ↑ NYCFC II -Roster
  8. ↑ "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.
  9. ↑ "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.
  10. ↑ 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.
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