MLS · first half goals
New York City First Half Goals
In 216 MLS matches, 73.1% of New York City’s first halves produced a goal, 15th of the 30 published clubs in the division. They scored before halftime in 50.9% of them and conceded in 42.6%.
What New York City’s first halves look like
The back line is a different proposition on the road: 50.5% of away matches bring an early goal against New York City, next to 34.3% at home. Home advantage arrives early for New York City: they open the scoring account before halftime in 57.1% of home matches and only 45.0% of away ones, 12.1pp between them.
Most of the early scoring in New York City’s matches is their own doing. They find the net before the break in 50.9% of matches and let one in during 42.6%, 8.3pp apart. Three-goal first halves stay scarce, 9.7% of New York City’s matches against 15.3% for the division as a whole.
An early goal in New York City’s matches tends to be the only one: a second follows just 48% of the time, where the division manages 52%. New York City guard the first half better than they attack it: 4th of 30 in the division for early goals conceded, 8th for scoring them.
Every figure on this page rests on 216 completed New York City matches over 6 seasons (2021 to 2026). That is enough to separate a clear tendency from noise, and not enough to split it much further by venue or opponent.
New York City first-half profile
| A goal before halftime (over 0.5) | 73.1% |
|---|---|
| Two or more (over 1.5) | 35.2% |
| Three or more (over 2.5) | 9.7% |
| Average first-half goals in their matches | 1.23 |
| Matches in which they scored before halftime | 50.9% |
| Matches in which they conceded before halftime | 42.6% |
| First-half goals scored per match | 0.70 |
| First-half goals conceded per match | 0.53 |
| Matches counted | 216 |
| Seasons covered | 6 (2021 to 2026) |
The over rows count goals by either side; the scored and conceded rows split that between them.
Home and away
| Venue | Over 0.5 | Over 1.5 | Scored | Conceded | Avg goals | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 72.4% | 38.1% | 57.1% | 34.3% | 1.25 | 105 |
| Away | 73.9% | 32.4% | 45.0% | 50.5% | 1.21 | 111 |
New York City score before halftime 57.1% of the time at home against 45.0% away, a gap of 12.1pp. Each row rests only on the matches played at that venue, so read them as two separate samples rather than one split in half.
New York City against MLS
| Line | New York City | MLS | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Over 0.5 | 73.1% | 73.6% | −0.5pp |
| Over 1.5 | 35.2% | 38.4% | −3.2pp |
| Over 2.5 | 9.7% | 15.3% | −5.6pp |
Counted from 216 matches · 6 seasons · 2021 to 2026.
How to read these numbers
- These are historical rates over pooled seasons, not a forecast. A club that has changed manager, division or squad reads as the average of every version of itself on record.
- The opponent matters as much as the club. A high-scoring side against a defense that rarely concedes early is a different fixture from the same side against one that does.
For the model’s estimate of an actual upcoming fixture rather than this club’s history, see first half goals predictions and how the model works.
Research today’s first-half goals
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First Half Score is a research and information tool. Predictions and historical hit rates are provided for informational purposes only and are not financial, investment, or betting advice. Outcomes are uncertain and no figure guarantees a result. Intended for users 18+.