New York City FC — profile (around the 2020/21 period, coach: Ronny Deila)

New York City FC (often shortened to NYCFC or "NY City") is a Major League Soccer club based in New York City. The club is part of the City Football Group (same ownership family as Manchester City) and wears sky blue and white. The period around 2020/21 was a transitional one for the club on and off the pitch, and the arrival of Ronny Deila (a Norwegian coach with prior experience at clubs such as Strømsgodset and Celtic) marked a new managerial chapter heading into the club’s next phase.

• Founded / competition: Founded 2013, MLS club (joined MLS in 2015).
• Ownership: City Football Group (with local partners).
• Home venues (period): home matches were typically staged at venues in New York such as Yankee Stadium and Citi Field while the club worked toward a permanent soccer-specific stadium.
• Coach: Ronny Deila — Norwegian, known for a proactive, possession-oriented and high-energy style; he joined the club around the end of 2021 and brought experience from European club management.

Typical squad features (players around 2020–2021)

• Experienced defenders and ball-playing centre-backs (e.g., Alexander Callens, Maxime Chanot).
• Reliable goalkeeper presence (Sean Johnson was the club’s long-term starter through this era).
• Creative attacking midfielders/playmakers (Maxi Moralez was a key creative influence).
• Forwards/goal threats included players such as Heber and Valentin “Taty” Castellanos, who provided scoring options.
• Youth and local talents (James Sands among notable academy/young players breaking into the squad)

Tactical identity

• The team typically emphasized possession, building from the back, and using wide/fullback support to create overloads — common tendencies for clubs within the City Football Group’s coaching philosophy.
• Common formations used around this era included 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3, with a creative #10 or an advanced attacking presence and fullbacks supplying width.
• Under Ronny Deila the emphasis was on organized pressing, vertical transitions when opportunities appeared, and encouraging attacking midfield interplay.

Competitions

• Primary competition: MLS regular season and MLS Cup Playoffs.
• Depending on qualification, the club could also contest U.S. Open Cup or CONCACAF competitions in other seasons.

This summary captures New York City FC’s identity and characteristics around the 2020/21 era and the period when Ronny Deila took over managerial duties, setting the club’s tactical and personnel direction going forward.