It’s been 23 days since New York City FC fell to New York Red Bulls in the Eastern Conference Semifinal on November 23rd — a night I fear we’ll remember forever. It marked a sour end to a season that can best be described as confusing for NYCFC fans.
Confusing in that, at times, NYCFC felt like a really good side. They had impressive win streaks, statement victories, offensive explosions, and a big playoff upset. There was plenty to celebrate. But, head coaches don’t get sacked after successful seasons, do they?
Nick Cushing was relieved of his duties following the Red Bull defeat, marking the end of a streaky season that saw NYCFC land in 6th Place in the Eastern Conference, the third-lowest finish in club history. Outside of inconsistent performances across the team, there was speculation that a failure to develop expensive young talent in attack like Julián Fernández ($5M), Agustín Ojeda ($5.5M), and Jovan Mijatović ($8.6M) didn’t help his cause.
Now, NYCFC are back in the market for a Head Coach for the first time in what feels like ages, and the direction they’ll choose is still unclear. But, whoever finds themselves at the helm of the ship next season will have an interesting set of circumstances in front of them roster-wise.
Youth movement
NYCFC have a young roster that, in my opinion, is deceivingly deep. Outside of keystones Thiago Martins, James Sands, Tayvon Gray, Keaton Parks, and Santi Rodríguez, the squad has a smattering of promising young players who are talented, but not yet the final version of themselves.
This is especially true in attack, where the likes of the aforementioned Fernández, Ojeda, and Mijatović are joined by guys like Malachi Jones and Hannes Wolf, who create an attacking core of five players aged 25 or younger vying for the same few open slots in the front line. The same is true in defense, with Mitja Ilenič and Justin Haak emerging this season as real contenders for starting fullback and center-back minutes respectively.
That’s a lot of names and a lot of talented ones at that. But again, this side finished in 6th Place in the East last year. You can chalk it up to coaching all you’d like, but ultimately I think it’s clear that this group of players are not yet MLS Cup contenders, and that’s what NYCFC should be shooting for every single season.
So, as NYCFC approach the primary transfer window this offseason, they should be looking for signings that can get them to that “contender” category sooner rather than later. But, when you have such a high floor in your team with no obvious weak points, where do you look to improve? That’s when you bring in an X factor. For me, I think that might just come in the form of a classic MLS move: Sign an aging attacking superstar.
The Goldilocks zone
It was a strategy this club was founded on, but one they moved away from over the years in search of the next Miguel Almirón. Ultimately, they found one with Taty Castellanos: The club that started as retirement home – and is now a daycare center – found the Goldilocks zone in 2021 and won an MLS Cup. That roster had youth in the likes of Castellanos, James Sands, Jesús Medina, Talles Magno, and then-emergency starter Tayvon Gray, but it also had experience in the likes of Sean Johnson, Maxi Moralez, Maxime Chanot, and Alex Callens. It was a balanced side.
Just as NYCFC were too old to compete in 2015, they’re too young to compete now. So, why not bring someone in with both the experience necessary to lead this young group of attackers, and with the talent needed to fire this team into a new era of success?
That’s of course easier said than done, but I don’t think it’s outside the realm of possibility either. Despite City Football Group’s significant financial backing, NYCFC were just the 18th-biggest spenders in MLS last season, suggesting there could be room in the budget. Pepper in the fact that they’re counting down the days to their new stadium opening, and it’s easy to see why CFG could be looking to make a statement signing to capture the attention of one of the largest soccer markets in the country.
And, given that NYCFC have talent across the attack, I don’t think they’d have to be picky positionally with this move. They could sign a winger and allow Alonso Martínez to keep bagging goals today with one eye on Jovan for tomorrow. Or, they could sign a No 9 and shift Martínez back out wide where he originally played. Maybe they go for a No 10 and let Santi make the left wing his home. There are no wrong answers — as long as you’re bringing in a difference-maker somewhere, there’ll be enough talent to cover and develop everywhere else.
Geezer shopping list
That said, here’s a handful of names that meet the criteria. As a disclaimer, none of these experienced attacking difference makers are currently linked with a move to NYCFC, they’re just names that I think could be realistic options and serve as an idea of the caliber of player I think the club should target:
| Player | Age | Position | Current Club | Why It’s Possible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Grealish | 29 | LW / CAM | Manchester City | Already in the CFG network. Role has diminished since the 22/23 season, loves New York |
| Antoine Griezmann | 33 | CAM / ST | Atlético de Madrid | Already reported interest in LAFC move, visits NYC on vacation, reportedly looking to leave Atléti after this season |
| Raheem Sterling | 30 | LW / RW | Chelsea (on loan at Arsenal) | Hardly used at Arsenal and clearly not wanted at Chelsea, still only 30-years-old and may be looking for a new challenge outside of England |
| Kevin De Bruyne | 33 | CAM | Manchester City | Reportedly won’t be renewing his contract which ends after this season, lready rumors linking him to NYCFC and San Diego FC |
| Paulo Dybala | 31 | CAM/RW/ST | AS Roma | Contract set to expire at the end of this season, reported interest from Saudi Arabia, Roma in a difficult phase cycling through many head coaches |
| Roberto Firmino | 33 | ST/CAM | Al-Ahli | Reported discontent with move to Saudi Arabia, contract expiry 2026 |
| Karim Benzema | 36 | ST | Al-Ittihad | Reported discontent with move to Saudi Arabia, contract expiry 2026 |
Any of these players above, or any player of that echelon, walks into this NYCFC side and instantly makes it better. The only real question would be how to make it work from an MLS roster rules perspective, as that is admittedly a bit difficult. NYCFC are currently utilizing all three Designated Player slots between Thiago Martins, Santi Rodriguez, and Talles Magno.
However, there are workarounds to this roadblock. One opportunity that comes to mind is with Talles Magno, who despite taking up one of the DP slots, is still on loan at Corinthians and showing no signs of returning soon. Working out a permanent deal for him somewhere would open up a slot, and potentially give NYCFC a bit more cash to work with.
There are also avenues to be explored with TAM, GAM, and whatever magic pixie dust Inter Miami used to get half of the city of Barcelona on their books. Hey, I’m not a GM, but that should serve as a massive example that there are ways to make it work even without selling a DP.
However NYCFC would approach such a move, I think it’d be invaluable to both the on-field production in the here and now, and the development of the young guns NYCFC have already invested in by giving them a figure to learn from.
Besides, who doesn’t love a big name?
