The 2024 preseason officially began this week, and New York City FC are expected to be busy in the soccerball marketplace now that the primary transfer window opened today.
NYCFC set a new club record by bringing in 13 players last year, but even those additions didn’t replenish a severely depleted squad. Four of those 13 have either left the team or are expected to leave by December 31, and the New York City front office need to make some key signings if the club are to be competitive in 2024.
Here at Hudson River Blue, we identified five positions that New York City need to fill.
1. Striker
The most obvious hole in NYCFC’s lineup last year remains an issue despite the club signing Mounsef Bakrar in July.
Bakrar brought some much-needed striker energy to the team, and his positional intelligence allowed the rest of the attack to become more dangerous. But the 22-year-old sometimes struggled with the pace and physicality of MLS, and scored just three goals in 770 minutes over 10 appearances.
That’s not terrible, and it’s better than the one goal Taty Castellanos scored in 446 minutes during his first season with the club. But the question remains: Will Bakrar follow the path blazed by Castellanos and bulk up in the offseason, work on his speed, and emerge as a top-level striker? Or will the club sign a goal-scorer who can find the back of the net on opening day and score the 15 to 20 goals New York City need from a marquee striker?
NYCFC Regular Season Stats
Year | Place | W | D | L | PTS | GF | GA | GD |
2023 | 11 | 9 | 14 | 11 | 41 | 35 | 39 | -4 |
2022 | 3 | 16 | 7 | 11 | 55 | 57 | 41 | +16 |
2021 | 4 | 14 | 9 | 11 | 51 | 56 | 36 | +20 |
2020 * | 5 | 12 | 3 | 8 | 39 | 37 | 25 | +12 |
2019 | 1 | 18 | 10 | 6 | 64 | 63 | 42 | +21 |
2018 | 3 | 16 | 8 | 10 | 56 | 59 | 45 | +14 |
2017 | 2 | 16 | 9 | 9 | 57 | 56 | 43 | +13 |
2016 | 2 | 15 | 9 | 10 | 54 | 62 | 57 | +5 |
2015 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 17 | 37 | 49 | 58 | -9 |
Avg ** | 14.3 | 9.2 | 10.6 | 51.9 | 54.6 | 45 | +9.5 |
