The Hudson River Blue Roundtable is back — we missed you, too. Today, a fully-fit squad consisting of John Baney Andrew Leigh, Matthew Mangam, Noah Kassell-Yung, Mark Radigan, Oliver Strand, and Takashi Williams look at the 2024 MLS Expansion Draft, and consider which 12 players New York City FC should put on their protected list to keep away from the growing roster of San Diego FC — and which 10 players they should leave exposed.
New York City will officially announce their protected list tomorrow, Tuesday, December 10; the 2024 Expansion Draft will take place on Wednesday, December 11.
UPDATE: Major League Soccer released the club's unprotected lists on Tuesday, December 10, at noon ET.
Hudson River Blue | Protected List (by Contributor)
| John Baney | Andrew Leigh | Matthew Mangam | Noah Kassell-Yung | Mark Radigan | Oliver Strand | Takashi Williams | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Julián Fernández | Julián Fernández | Julián Fernández | Julián Fernández | Julián Fernández | Julián Fernández | Mounsef Bakrar |
| 2. | Matt Freese | Matt Freese | Matt Freese | Matt Freese | Matt Freese | Matt Freese | Julián Fernández |
| 3. | Mitja Ilenič | Mitja Ilenič | Mitja Ilenič | Mitja Ilenič | Mitja Ilenič | Mitja Ilenič | Matt Freese |
| 4. | Malachi Jones | Malachi Jones | Malachi Jones | Malachi Jones | Malachi Jones | Malachi Jones | Mitjia Ilenič |
| 5. | Alonso Martínez | Alonso Martínez | Alonso Martínez | Alonso Martínez | Alonso Martínez | Alonso Martínez | Malachi Jones |
| 6. | Kevin O'Toole | Jovan Mijatović | Jovan Mijatović | Jovan Mijatović | Jovan Mijatović | Jovan Mijatović | Alonso Martínez |
| 7. | Augustín Ojeda | Agustín Ojeda | Kevin O'Toole | Agustín Ojeda | Kevin O'Toole | Agustín Ojeda | Keaton Parks |
| 8. | Keaton Parks | Kevin O'Toole | Keaton Parks | Keaton Parks | Agustín Ojeda | Kevin O'Toole | Kevin O'Toole |
| 9. | Andrés Perea | Keaton Parks | Andrés Perea | Andrés Perea | Keaton Parks | Keaton Parks | Andrés Perea |
| 10. | Santiago Rodríguez | Birk Risa | Birk Risa | Santiago Rodriguez | Birk Risa | Andrés Perea | Santiago Rodríguez |
| 11. | Thiago Martins | Santiago Rodríguez | Santiago Rodríguez | Thiago Martins | Santiago Rodríguez | Santiago Rodríguez | Thiago Martins |
| 12. | Hannes Wolf | Hannes Wolf | Thiago Martins | Hannes Wolf | Thiago Martins | Thiago Martins | Hannes Wolf |
Consensus picks for who is on protected list
Oliver Strand: First of all, eight players are automatically protected because they are Homegrowns under the age of 26. They are Andrew Baiera, Maximo Carrizo, Tayvon Gray, Justin Haak, Christian McFarlane, Alex Rando, James Sands, and Jonathan Shore. They're safe.
Now, let’s discuss the consensus we reached regarding who the club should protect. All seven of us agree that seven players should be on that list. They are (in alphabetical order) Julián Fernández, Matt Freese, Mitja Ilenič, Malachi Jones, Alonso Martínez, Keaton Parks, and Santiago Rodríguez.
Why are these players a lock?
Andrew Leigh: All those guys are young-to-prime-aged, and are either some of the team’s most important contributors or some of the most promising prospects on the roster. Given that the rules of the Expansion Draft are such that NYCFC doesn’t have to protect any of its Homegrown signings (Homegrowns under the age of 25 aren’t eligible for selection by San Diego), these feel like the most obvious players to protect.
John Baney: Most of these consensus picks are just too important for NYCFC to lose. Guys like Freese, Santi, Alonso, and Keaton were the backbone of the squad this season. Under no circumstances can you let them walk for $50k in GAM and an unceremonious goodbye.
The last three names, Julián, Mitja, and Malachi are all ones for the future at the ages of 20, 19, and 21 respectively. Even if they had varying levels of contribution this season, the consensus is that they have a high upside. You could leave them unprotected and hope they don’t get snapped up by San Diego, but why take the risk? These are kids that NYCFC will either be leaning on for years to come or will be looking to flip for big profits. I’d be surprised if any of them are left unprotected.
Matthew Mangam: It’s obvious — these players were impressive this season. Other than Julián, who barely played towards the tail end of the season, the rest of the players were very important to NYCFC’s success. Malachi Jones was outstanding too, it’s unfortunate that he suffered such a harsh injury so early into his first career season.
Mark Radigan: The players we all agreed to protect were either mainstays in the NYCFC Starting XI or had immense potential either on the pitch or in the transfer market. As for Julián Fernández, the jury is still out on how big of an impact the Argentine can have on the Boys in Blue, especially considering the difficulty he had getting into the Starting XI under Nick Cushing. We’ll have to wait and see who’s brought in to lead the team next season, and if Fernández can make a good first impression.
