As the MLS approached its 20th season, plans to grow the league continued with the hopes of putting a second team in New York, to play in of New York's five boroughs. However, talks to put a team in Queens next to Citi Field fizzled when Owners of the New York Mets were involved in the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme.

New York's other baseball team, the Yankees, would pick up the slack and partner with Manchester City to create New York City Football Club. Initially, the team would play at Yankee Stadium, with plans to build a soccer-specific stadium down the road.

NYC FC coached by Jason Kreis made its debut on March 8th, facing fellow newcomer Orlando City at the Citrus Bowl. Things looked good early as Mix Diskerud scored in the 76th minute to give New York a 1-0 lead.

In injury time, Kaka would score, forcing NYC FC to settle for a 1-1 draw. A week later, New York City FC would make their home debut at chilly Yankee Stadium with 43,507 fans on hand at Yankee Stadium to see NYC stun the New England Revolution 2-0 on goals by David Villa and Patrick Mullins.

There wasn't much to cheer about after that as a 0-7-3 stretch stuffed NYCFC down the standings of the East. The team's stars such as Andrea Pirlo, David Villa, and Frank Lampard arrived in midseason, and by that point, it was too late for them to make a difference as NYCFC ended their first season with an eighth-place record of 10-17-7.