[34] On May 22, 2013, the club named former United States and Manchester City midfielder Claudio Reyna as its director of football operations, responsible for coaching staff and player recruitment ahead of the team's inaugural MLS season in 2015.

[40] On July 24, 2014, New York City announced at a live press conference in Brooklyn that ex-England international and Chelsea all-time top goal scorer Frank Lampard would be joining them as their second Designated Player.

[56] New York City qualified for the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, eventually losing to Toronto in a two-game series in the Eastern Conference semi-finals.

[57] The 2017 season saw similar success, with the club replacing the departing Lampard with Argentine midfielder Maximiliano Moralez as their new third Designated Player, while Alexander Ring joined from Kaiserslautern.

[63] The club then rounded out the roster with a trio of internationals, as striker Jo Inge Berget, central defender Cédric Hountondji, and speedster Ismael Tajouri-Shradi all joined the team.

[74] The club then underwent another period of transition in the off-season, with several players' options declined on November 29, including cult-hero Tommy McNamara, recent signings Ofori and Eloi, and first team regulars Maxime Chanot and Rodney Wallace.

[88] Despite these roster changes, the team again failed in the playoffs, falling to previous MLS Cup champions Toronto, despite the club finishing atop the regular season standings in Eastern Conference for the first time.

[97] New York City began the 2020 season with their debut in the CONCACAF Champions League, and advanced to the quarter finals after defeating Costa Rican outfit San Carlos 6–3 over two legs.

[98] After the season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, New York City returned to play in July in the MLS is Back Tournament, where they placed third in Group A, progressing to the quarter-finals before falling to eventual champions Portland Timbers 3–1.

[102][103] The club later completed several additions by June: they drafted Andres Jasson and Vuk Latinovich,[104][105] signed goalkeeper Cody Mizell,[106] re-signed Zelalem and brought Chris Gloster back to MLS,[107][108] signed eventual first-team regular Alfredo Morales,[109] and the Brazilian pair Thiago Andrade and Talles Magno;[110][111] they also loaned Uruguyan midfielder Santiago Rodríguez.

[113][114] After a start to the season that saw the club slightly struggle while playing multiple home games at Red Bull Arena in New Jersey, the team was sitting in fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings at the end of August after a 2–0 win over the eventual Supporters Shield winners New England Revolution.

As the pressure began to rise on the squad and manager, Ronny Deila, unlikely hero Guðmundur Þórarinsson broke the club's scoreless streak in the 90th minute of a 1–1 draw against Atlanta.

[116] New York City began the playoffs by beating Atlanta United FC 2–0 at Yankee Stadium,[117] followed by a dramatic win in penalties in Foxboro over Supporters Shield winners New England Revolution in the Eastern Conference semi-finals.

In the Eastern Conference finals, New York City defeated the Philadelphia Union in a comeback 2–1 win with a late goal in the 88th minute by Talles Magno.

Despite spending over $20 million on new players, including Jovan Mijatović and Agustín Ojeda, the club achieved a middling regular season result, finishing at 6th in the conference and 13th overall.

That victory set up an eastern conference semifinal clash with the Red Bulls in the first ever post-season edition of the Hudson River Derby, ending in a 0-2 defeat.

Three days after the season-ending loss, head coach Nick Cushing was fired, eventually replaced by Dutch-English manager Pascal Jansen, most recently of Ferencváros.

[130] Director of Football Operations Claudio Reyna said at the press conference announcing his appointment that he was "excited to again wear City's ‘Sky Blue’ as part of the expansion of the MLS".

[133] Although March 3 was originally set as the release date for the two proposed logos, the vote was pushed back as the Yankees vetoed one of the potential crests for infringing their own trademark.

[156] In 2019, Spanish-language radio station WEPN began to broadcast New York City games, with play-by-play from announcer Roberto Abramowitz and color commentary from Ariel Judas.

[162] However, due to opposition to building a stadium on park land as well as objections from the New York Mets, who play nearby, the site lost favor once the new team was announced.

[165] Club president Jon Patricof confirmed in September 2017 that the franchise "(has) multiple sites under active consideration – some involve public processes and some are private.

[171] In April 2018, new plans for the Harlem River Yards development in the south Bronx were revealed, for the land north of the Willis Avenue Bridge; the area would be anchored by the new stadium of 26,000 seats, which would be designed by Rafael Viñoly.

"[173] In 2020, they used Red Bull Arena for two matches of the 2020 CONCACAF Champions League due to both Yankee Stadium and Citi Field undergoing unavoidable winterization procedures at the time.

[175] The club hosted an additional eight home matches at Red Bull Arena for the 2021 MLS Season due to scheduling conflicts at Yankee Stadium.

[180] New York City's official supporter group, The Third Rail, began to form after the club's announcement in May 2013, when fans met through social media, and through member drives and viewing parties for 2014 FIFA World Cup matches.

[187][188][189] Although initially regarded as a manufactured rivalry with little of the traditional banter apparent between long-time local rivals,[190] the first meetings between the two clubs displayed an increasing level of animosity between the two sides.

[194][195][196] Though early fixtures between the two clubs were relatively routine, the rivalry began to develop after New York City eliminated the Union in the 2021 Eastern Conference Final after the latter lost several players for violating MLS's COVID-19 protocols.

Last updated: November 9, 2022Source: [201] The club's official reserve squad and minor-league affiliate is New York City FC II, who play in the third-tier MLS Next Pro league.

[211] After the Wilmington Hammerheads dropped to an amateur league following the 2016 season, New York City further announced another affiliation agreement, partnering with San Antonio on February 9, 2017.