New York City FC begin their 2022 MLS season on Sunday (5 pm ET | ESPN, ESPN Deportes) at the LA Galaxy in the unfamiliar spot of defending a trophy.
But that perch doesn’t bother goalkeeper Sean Johnson one bit, with his shootout heroics earning him MLS Cup MVP presented by Audi honors last December upon beating the Portland Timbers for the league title.
“This is territory that we haven't been in before, but last year we won the championship being in unfamiliar territory,” Johnson, club captain, said. “So I think those experiences we can lean on. But just maintaining what's valuable to us as a group and then moving forward with confidence, attacking every situation with humility, I think is going to get us where we need to be.”
NYCFC return most of their squad from 2021’s championship run, including striker Valentin Castellanos after widespread transfer interest hasn’t produced a move yet for the reigning Golden Boot presented by Audi winner. Their main departure is homegrown midfielder/defender James Sands on an 18-month loan to Scotland's Rangers FC.
Sunday’s road opener also marks manager Ronny Deila’s third year in charge of NYCFC, with the Norwegian noting they have further levels to reach despite carrying an 11-game unbeaten streak across all competitions.
“We're champions, it’s always hard to replicate that,” Deila said. “At the same time, we were 22\] points behind [New England last year, so it's a lot to improve and it's to chase the level they had during the season.”
As Deila highlighted, NYCFC finished well behind 2021 Supporters’ Shield winners New England in the Eastern Conference standings a season ago. But they found another gear in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs, going from the No. 4 seed to a first-ever trophy, seven years after the Bronx-base side joined MLS as an expansion club.
That’s created loftier goals for Deila’s team in 2022, with a Concacaf Champions League quarterfinal trip already booked after making quick work of Costa Rican side Santos de Guápiles in the Round of 16. Now, it’s about carrying the momentum forward against a star-studded Galaxy team that includes forwards Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez and Douglas Costa.
“The boys are coming back fit, they are hungry, they trained really well every day,” Deila said. “We haven't lost in a single game in the preseason and we won the two games now in Champions League. We just have to build on that, improving our performances and I think that we'll see how good the others are.”
