With 2,582 MLS minutes logged this season, few New York City FC players saw more of the field than Hannes Wolf in 2024. The ranking is as follows:
1. Matt Freese: 2,982 mins
2. Santi Rodriguez: 2,799 mins
3. Thiago Martins: 2,789 mins
4. Hannes Wolf: 2,582 mins
No matter the opponent, no matter the situation, Hannes Wolf was a lock at right wing in his debut season with the club. Impressively, he appeared in all 34 regular season matches for the Pigeons, and started 32 of those. Nick Cushing absolutely loved this guy.
Wolf was a signing that stuck out from the recent pack of NYCFC acquisitions. Mainly, he wasn’t a teenager. Arriving to New York at 24 years old, he already carried the experience of five European clubs in his pocket, among them the notable names of Borussia Mönchengladbach, Swansea City, and (gasp) RB Leipzig. And, unlike other big attacking purchases like Augustín Ojeda, Julián Fernández, and Jovan Mijatovič, Hannes came with no price tag. Arriving on a free from ‘Gladbach, the only thing NYCFC had to pay for the Austrian’s services were his sizable wages. The $1.5 million Wolf received in guaranteed compensation was the second-highest on the team, ahead of Designated Players Santiago Rodríguez and Talles Magno.
This takes us to how City Football Group were able to land the catch in the first place: His injury history. Not too long ago, Wolf was considered to be a real prospect in the German game and for the Austria national team, moving twice for $10 million-plus by the time he was just 21 years of age. But, a broken leg, a shoulder injury, and a meniscus tear saw his development derailed. Instead of Bundesliga glory, Wolf had to turn stateside for his next opportunity — on an MLS TAM deal no less.
But thankfully, Hannes remained injury-free all season long in his new city. This is not just a huge accomplishment for Wolf, but also for David Lee and company, who may feel the biggest hurdle in their gamble on the once-hobbled player has already paid off. Hannes suiting up consistently is great news for all parties. But, while he played a ton of soccer this year, we didn’t always see Hannes at his best.
Early on this season, he justified the starting minutes Cushing afforded him. Before League’s Cup, the winger had contributed a balanced five goals and five assists, and was among the best creators in an attacking side finally finding their feet after a collectively slow start. But after League’s Cup? I really found myself wondering why we were letting Julán Fernández rot on the bench.
Wolf managed zero goals and one assist after the start of League’s Cup, meaning he contributed just a single goal involvement in the 21 matches between July 20th and the end of NYCFC’s season on November 23rd. I don’t care how solid your defensive actions are, that’s simply not good enough output when you’ve got guys like Fernández and Ojeda watching from the sidelines — and you’re shipping Talles Magno out on loan in search of more minutes. Wolf looked indecisive, less threatening, and generally short on the confidence that made him effective early on this season. Pair this with the unrelenting minutes on his legs, and he seemed a shell of the player he was midsummer come playoff time.
Personally, I think you can chalk a lot of this up to poor rotation from the manager. Given his injury history, and given the dropoff in performances, I’m not sure why Cushing stuck with his player so vehemently. I think rotating Julián in particular off that right flank could’ve given Hannes some much-needed rest, while allowing the younger forward to develop his own game, pushing Wolf on in the process. That’s what great teams do — allow players to push each other. Instead, we saw Wolf struggle to regain his form uncontested week over week.
This makes the story of Wolf in 2024 a difficult one to grade. It all depends on where you were setting the bar coming in. From the “we just signed some 24-year-old with an extensive injury history that I’ve never heard of on a free transfer” perspective, I’m not sure you could’ve asked for more in a debut season. His 32 starts, 11 goal involvements, and ZERO injuries are great metrics if those were your expectations coming in.
But, if you consider his once wunderkind status, the fact that he’s the second-highest-paid player on the team, and that we all saw how good he could be in the first half of the year, I don't think it's unfair to have wanted more from Hannes this season. Ultimately, he might be falling victim to the high bar he set for himself with his early season play.
For that reason, I’m giving Hannes Wolf an even B on the year. He overperformed my own expectations of his ability to stay healthy and contribute significant minutes to his side. But, whether it be from over-use or just a poor run of form, those minutes failed to translate to much-needed output come the biggest games of our season. Hopefully, the new manager can bring us a more consistent Hannes Wolf in 2025.
