David Lee, the Sporting Director of New York City FC, held press availabilities this week and expounded on numerous topics relating to his team.
A big chunk of his comments to the media can be found in this post, a lightly edited transcript of a midseason press conference the soccer executive held with Hudson River Blue and other media outlets.
There was much to digest from those thousands of words uttered by New York City’s top soccer decision-maker, so this is an attempt to run through some of the highlights. Join me as we read between some of the more notable lines from Lee and analyze, maybe over-analyze, what they mean.
Hudson River Blue Staff
1. Quiet transfer window coming
If you were hoping New York City would add an impact player this summer to help their 2024 push, prepare for a letdown.
The team that recently added three new attackers—Jovan Mijatović, Agustín Ojeda, and Hannes Wolf—for $14 million in transfer fees, plus another $2.5 million in new guaranteed 2024 salary dollars, looks to be standing pat during the MLS Secondary Transfer Window, which opens on July 18.
Lee said his NYCFC currently lacks the flexibility—in senior roster spots, and in international player slots—to add to what’s already in place, saying there would have to be outgoing to sign any new players during this summer window.
It should not come as a surprise. New York City has been uniquely busy in its transfer dealings since the end of the 2022 season, laying out fees to bring in young international talent, trading allocation money to pick up MLS players, and making sizable salary commitments to loan in or outright sign other new faces.
Any lingering concerns about depth options at fullback, in the midfield, or anywhere else on the roster, will have to wait until an outgoing transfer for a current member of the New York City team materializes.
2. The defense is next
While Lee poured a healthy amount of cold water on the prospect of a busy summer transfer window, he did say the back line would likely be an area of emphasis for reinforcement.
The New York City defense has been a strength this season, allowing just 27 goals in 22 games, tied for the seventh-fewest conceded in MLS so far this season. Yet depth isn’t abundant, and it’s especially noticeable at a time like this when minor injury issues linger around Kevin O’Toole, Birk Risa, Tayvon Gray, and Christian McFarlane.
Lee didn’t have any real concerns over those players and their health, but Nick Cushing has previously spoken of a need to manage Kevin O’Toole’s workload—the left-back is in the midst of his first full season as a starter in MLS, and his only natural back-up is McFarlane, who is just 17-years-old and has made one brief MLS appearance to date. The injury issues led to central midfielder and occasional defender Justin Haak filling in as a left-back, and while Haak held his own, that's not an ideal solution should a fullback need arise.
3. More McFarlane?
David Lee had lots of praise for Christian McFarlane, and specifically said "If we want to convince some of our highest potential young players from our Academy to sign, like Christian absolutely is, then we have to show him that there's an opportunity to earn minutes."
That opportunity at the MLS level seems to be there for McFarlane over the rest of this season, aided by the fact that Kevin O'Toole has been mentioned as a player whose workload needs to be managed, multiple times, by head coach Nick Cushing.
The Sporting Director did not address the report from The Athletic back in March that said McFarlane would be leaving New York City to join Manchester City after he turns 18 next January, but did say, "If you continually block a young player's pathway, it makes it really hard for them to get into the team and show how good they are."
The path now does seem to be opening up for NYCFC to get a look, however brief it might be, at the 17-year-old Homegrown with the First Team. Cushing has even mentioned McFarlane as an option as he looks to fill the void created by the long-term absence of Malachi Jones following his recent leg surgery.
So Lee's praise and outspokenness on ensuring that McFarlane has a clear pathway is further evidence that we should expect to see more of the England international between now and the end of the season.
4. Talles is very available — on NYCFC’s terms
Talk of a Talles Magno transfer has once again intensified. David Lee confirmed he’s recently spoken with Talles and his agents, and said that “...if there's a situation that exists in the market that makes sense for both Talles, but importantly us [NYCFC] as well, then we'll explore that.”
Lee sounded in no rush to agree to a transfer, despite multiple teams said to have an interest in the player’s native Brazil. Lee instead said it was still early in the transfer window in Europe and that there had been no formal offers, while reiterating the team’s happiness with Talles and his training and involvement with the squad.
He’s still under contract at a significant salary through December 2026, and it’s not been long since the team paid a sizable transfer fee to acquire him. Reports out of Brazil have NYCFC still seeking an eight-figure fee to sell him, and Lee’s comments struck the tone of a wait-and-see approach to a Talles Magno transfer, even if that means he continues to ride the bench while outside of Nick Cushing’s plans.
5. Hannes Wolf: Basically a DP
While one Designated Player has been missing for NYCFC this season, David Lee found a new one without having to use an actual DP spot.
Lee called Hannes Wolf "one of our most important acquisitions in the offseason" while praising his positional versatility and his contributions to the new way New York City sought to play in 2024, with more pressing and more chances created in transition.
The money quote from Lee on Wolf was, fittingly, about money, with Lee pointing out "...it is unusual to get a player who's moved for $20 million in transfer fees at the age of 24, that wants to come to MLS on a non-Designated Player contract."
Wolf has provided chance creation on a comparable level with the team's Designated Player attacking midfielder, Santiago Rodríguez, and has helped improve an attack that struggled badly in 2023. His $1.4 million base salary and non-DP status have so far looked like shrewd pieces of business from Lee and the NYCFC front office.
