Win the midfield, and you will win your freedom. Despite all the launch-and-squishers shouting in unison that they don’t need no stinkin’ midfield, New York City Football Club and its fellow possession-based teams are designed to exert their authority in the midfield. After all, if City Football Group is known for anything aside from its flagship club’s 114 guilty verdicts, it’s a permanent ethos to control the game with possession.
NYCFC once again prioritized central control in 2026, ranking seventh in possession and fourth in passes in the middle third. That midfield presence has fallen flat, however, creating only 0.17 passing goals added (g+) per game from the middle third, per American Soccer Analysis, the lowest in team history. The lack of valuable progression from the center of the pitch has trickled down into an attack that generated the fifth-worst non-penalty expected goals per game and dragged NYCFC out of the playoffs.
If you’ve watched any New York City soccer this season (which presumably you have if you’re reading this article), you’ve noticed something missing in the midfield. A lack of purpose, perhaps. An absence of aggression. It just feels off, but properly diagnosing what ails the midfield takes more than a feeling.
