Minutes after receiving his first yellow card in Saturday's 2-2 draw with Inter Miami, New York City FC center-back Strahinja Tanasijević lunged to intercept a pass and caught Luis Suárez in what could have easily been a second yellow and a sending-off. Tanasijević is a naturally rash player – he earned six yellow cards in 16 games last year, fourth-most on the team despite making the 17th-most appearances – and a halftime subbing off seemed inevitable.
But instead of bringing in a like-for-like substitution, head Coach Pascal Jansen had 17-year-old midfielder Jonny Shore warming up on the sidelines. Jansen would shift Justin Haak from midfield to center-back, and bring in Shore to run the midfield with Keaton Parks.
It’s fair to say not many would have picked Shore to be new head coach Pascal Jansen’s first substitute in Major League Soccer.
The introduction of Shore put a spotlight on the academy’s most recent product to ascend to the First Team. He's the ninth homegrown in club history to make his MLS debut, and the fourth to do it at the age of 17 (after James Sands in 2017, Justin Haak in 2019, and Christian McFarlane in 2025).
Andrew Leigh
Shore’s appearance clocked at around 56 minutes, and it easily goes to the top of the list of notable academy debuts. He battled in a midfield that featured Sergio Busquets, and defended an attack spearheaded by Lionel Messi and Suaárez for nearly an hour. He played an excellent half alongside Parks, completing 19 of 20 passes, contributing two tackles, and taking a long-range shot that sailed over the bar and established his presence on the pitch.
The only blemish in his play was a foul on a triple-teamed Messi. Shore unnecessarily kicked the No 10's shins, allowing a free kick in prime Messi range — which luckily didn't cause any damage.
What is most impressive about Shore's debut was that it was a choice. Andrés Perea was available on the bench and went on to replace Maxi Moralez later in the second half. If Jansen wanted a veteran on the field, he could have selected Pera. Instead, he chose Shore.
Andrew Leigh
Eyes now turn to Jansen, who made a strong statement about playing the team's youth on Matchday 1. Not only did he bring on Shore, he also gave 20025 MLS SuperDraft pick Nico Cavallo his debut.
Initially, it was expected that Short would spend another year developing at NYCFC II in MLS NEXT Pro, but it now seems that the teenager could play an important role in the First Team — especially if reinforcements are late to arrive. As it currently stands he seems to be the primary bench option for holding midfielder. Considering his composure and quality of his play, it shouldn’t be a surprise if we see him feature again this coming Saturday in Los Angeles.
Matthew Mangam
