New York City FC opens the 2021 season as one of the favorites to win something, maybe many things. The Supporters’ Shield? The CONCACAF Champions League trophy? The MLS Cup—again? One of each? While placing those kinds of expectations on a club can become a curse, NYCFC fans always assume that this is the year their team will win silverware.
But let’s be frank: NYCFC underperformed for much of the 2021 season. The players almost always played dazzling football on the field, creating chances and pulling apart defenses, but they also had a knack for giving away possession at the wrong moment and letting the other team back into the game—just like in that first match against the New Jersey Red Bulls, or in that second match against the New Jersey Red Bulls, or in that third match against the New Jersey Red Bulls.