Pascal Jansen's top 3 moments during his time as NYCFC's head coach

Pascal Jansen's 2026 season with New York City FC might not have gone the way anyone would have liked it to. The 10-12-12 record was not good enough, and the year was full of frustration. Injuries impacted the team, but the Boys in Blue had a strong enough roster to make the playoffs and possibly finish the season in the middle of a postseason position, like fifth place.

The problem was that NYCFC made too many mistakes and dropped points. There were also matches they should have won, but failed to score or only scored once. Hence, the Boys in Blue failed at their task of making the postseason, and with the move to Etihad Park happening next summer, the club sacked Jansen right after the season ended.

However, while 2026 was poor, 2025 was a season full of hope and good times. When the head coach was signed in January 2025, there was hope that he would be better than Nick Cushing. At first, he was, so it was a shame this year went the way that it did.

Alas, that does not mean that there were not some good times under the head coach's leadership. So, here are three top moments of Pascal Jansen's time with NYCFC.

One obvious moment that fans will appreciate is that Jansen led the Queens team to the Eastern Conference Finals in the 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs. Yes, the match did not end the way fans would have liked, as Inter Miami CF demolished the Pigeons 5-1. However, making the Eastern Conference Finals was not expected by anyone, especially in the head coach's first year.

He led NYCFC to beat Charlotte FC in the Best-of-3 series, winning two of the three games on the road. The Pigeons also won their first two matches at Bank of America Stadium, so that was a magical run.

Then, the team defeated the Philadelphia Union away from home in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. They did this without Alonso Martínez, but team legend Maxi Moralez scored the lone goal to keep the postseason alive.

This run, which was a result of a stronger second half under Jansen, will be one that fans remember. Obviously, it would have been great if NYCFC made the finals, but it is still a top moment under the former head coach.

Red Bull New York might have gotten the better of the Boys in Blue in the 2026 regular season. But in 2025, the Bronx side had a Hudson River Derby sweep. NYCFC first won at home 2-0. It was not an easy win, but the Pigeons did well offensively during a period when they were struggling in the final third.

However, the big win against the red side came at Sports Illustrated Stadium. The match was one of the craziest derbies in the history of the usual crazy matchups. It was a back-and-forth battle that saw NYCFC and RBNY trade goals until Thiago Martins scored the winning goal. And of course, there was the usual fighting, controversial calls, and hatred on the pitch.

The fact that Jansen led the Pigeons to a Hudson River Derby sweep in his first year in charge was extremely impressive and one of the bright moments of his tenure. In addition, his record against the Red Bulls in all competitions is 3-1-1, which is not bad. Not bad at all.

If anyone had told NYCFC supporters that they would miss the postseason and end the year in 11th place after their hot start, then more than likely, they would have never believed that. That is because another fantastic moment under Jansen's leadership was the start to the 2026 campaign. The Pigeons began the year undefeated in their first four games with a 3-0-1 record.

That included the incredible 5-0 win against Orlando City SC. It felt like the Boys in Blue were going to be absolutely fine despite some injuries and being without a true striker. The magical start also made it feel like Jansen was going to lead NYCFC to glory.

Of course, that did not happen. Still, the start of the season was a great time for the former head coach, which makes it one of the top moments during his tenure. One can only wonder what would have happened to NYCFC if they could have maintained this level of play throughout 2026.