NYCFC parts with Pascal Jansen after missing the playoffs

New York City FC parted ways with head coach Pascal Jansen on Sunday, November 8, after an 11th-place Eastern Conference finish left the club outside the MLS Cup Playoffs. Sporting director Todd Dunivant said the search for a replacement would begin immediately.

The decision ends a tenure that began in January 2025 and changed sharply across two seasons. Jansen’s first NYCFC team finished fifth in the East and reached the conference final. His second finished with 42 points, according to MLS, and missed the postseason.

The club described this as its third playoff absence. Its announcement did not identify a replacement or an interim head coach.

The next appointment begins with a different starting point

Dunivant tied the search to preparation for the 2027 Sprint Season and the opening of Etihad Park. That gives the appointment two connected demands: restore the team’s competitive level and establish a direction before a major change in the club’s home setting.

The first season remains part of Jansen’s record. Reaching a conference final showed what the team could accomplish under him; the following year’s six-place drop explains why the club is now seeking another approach. The announcement offers the decision and the search, but no detailed account of what changed inside the team.

For supporters, the next useful information is the identity of the new coach and the football plan that accompanies the hire. No candidate is named in the club’s statement.