Welcome to the latest edition of the Hudson River Blue Roundtable, in which Noah Kassell-Yung, Andrew Leigh, and Anthony McKenna issue their final grades for the 2022 New York City FC season, updating the Midterm Report Card that came out in July.
1. Defense and Goalkeeping
Andrew Leigh: Statistically it was another solid season, though there were some drastic swings in quality throughout. The month of August was a collective flop for this group, with self-inflicted errors regularly costing goals and points in the standings. Depth and health were recurring problems throughout 2022, with too many non-defenders asked to fill in along the back line to cover for absentees. A switch to a three-at-the-back system improved goal prevention in the season’s latter stages, but this unit was a bit too error-prone to help push the team back to MLS Cup.
Midterm Grade: B
Final Grade: B
Anthony McKenna: NYCFC conceded the seventh least amount of goals last season, tied with the Red Bulls at 41. The club’s 14 clean sheets were second-best only to the Philadelphia Union. By the numbers, NYCFC’s defense was above average to elite, however, the numbers hide the poor run of form that saw only one clean sheet in nine between August 6 and September 10. Individually, Alexander Callens had his best season and should’ve undoubtedly been Best XI and potentially defender of the year. His work on both sides of the ball, in multiple different systems, was crucial to the team’s success. He was the team’s most important player this season and without him, the defense and team would not have been as successful.
Midterm Grade: A-
Final Grade: A-
Noah Kassell-Yung: The highs were incredibly high for this group and the lows were incredibly low. At times, this was a defense and keeper that were close to setting the record for clean sheets. At other times, the defense couldn’t stop giving away chances and handing away games. However, the good largely outweighed the bad. The resurgence of the wing backs providing attack with the change to the three in the back helps too. As with real school grades though, a bad streak does keep you out of that A+ territory.
Midterm Grade: A-
Final Grade: A
2. Midfield
AM: NYCFC’s midfield had multiple different looks this year. Significant injuries to Keaton Parks and Alfredo Morales meant that Justin Haak, Nicolas Acevedo, and Maxi Moralez played minutes in the holding midfield positions. When fully healthy, the midfield was lethal, one of the best in the league. Parks in particular continued to improve and alongside Callens was one of the best players this season. Maxi’s production through the regular season dipped, however, when Santiago Rodriguez stepped into the 10, he flourished.
Midterm Grade: B+
Final Grade: A-
NKY: The midfield was banged up for much of the second half of the season which should’ve hurt this team more than it did. Keaton Parks is a key cog in pretty much everything NYCFC does, and his not being fully fit even after coming back from leg surgery should’ve been a killer blow. Nicolas Acevedo and Maxi Moralez really stepped up and saved the midfield in the second half of the season. There were times when the midfield was sloppy, but overall it was a solid year from the likes of Alfredo Morales, Parks, Acevedo, and Maxi.
Midterm Grade: A
Final Grade: A-
AL: Injuries and a lack of new signings left the midfield decimated at times. The theoretical first-choice midfield of Alfredo Morales, Keaton Parks, and Maxi Moralez only started together four times. Nicolás Acevedo was the glue that held things together throughout the season, regularly slotting in for one of that aforementioned trio and doing the less-heralded dirty work to keep the midfield functioning. When he was healthy and available, Maxi Moralez remained NYCFC’s X-factor, a creative force who could still change a game with one pass, despite showing obvious signs of slowing down.
Midterm Grade: B+
Final Grade: B+
3. Attack
NKY: It was a tale of two seasons for the attack, with Taty and without Taty. With Taty, it was essentially his show and if he wasn’t going then the attack wasn’t going. Once he left, Talles Magno failed at filling his shoes at striker and goals became hard to come by. Gabriel Pereira really shined all season long and was the best and most consistent attacker. Santi Rodriguez was in and out of form all year, but his hot streak during the playoffs means more than anything he did in the regular season to me — it was too much of a mixed bag.
Midterm Grade: A+
Final Grade: B
AL: Exactly, a tale of two half-seasons. When Taty was still around and linking up with Talles Magno and company, it was a lethal, free-flowing attack that seemed as good as any plying its trade in MLS. Post-Taty, Talles Magno struggled to adjust to life as a lone striker, recording just three goals and three assists in 15 matches after the 2021 Golden Boot winner left for Girona.Heber largely failed to recapture his prolific 2019 form despite a late-season scoring streak. Santiago Rodriguez and Gabriel Pereira were consistent bright spots throughout, with Pereira in particular the team’s best 2022 newcomer. A new striker to fill the void left by Taty is still desperately needed.
Midterm Grade: A
Final Grade: B
AM: The attack had two completely different stories throughout the season. In the first half, Taty and Talles Magno were lethal together. Since Castellanos’s departure, Tales Magno only managed three goals and two assists. The attack in general was more cohesive and dangerous with Castellanos than without which is no surprise. It’s no surprise that Héber and Talles Magno struggled to replicate Taty’s production.
Midterm Grade: B+
Final Grade: B
4. Bench
AM: NYCFC’s depth was tested this year. Multiple injuries exposed the lack of depth compared to previous years the roster had. Players such as Vuk Latinovich, Chris Gloster, Andres Jasson, and Gedion Zelalem got their fair share of minutes replacing injured starters. There wasn’t the same attacking spark off the bench this season that Ismael Tajouri-Shradi and Talles Magno brought last year. Thiago had a couple of moments but overall didn’t take a step up this year. Gabi Pereira was a spark, however, he solidified himself as a starter so I’m not counting his production toward the bench.
Midterm Grade: C
Final Grade: B-
NKY: I never really felt like there was a reliable substitute to go to throughout the season. There was always talent on the bench due to the NYCFC’s depth, but it never led to much. There were options that were good to have in case of injuries, but it didn’t feel like substitutes made a huge impact on the game. Gabriel Pereira worked his way from the bench to the starting XI, but was far more effective once he became an every-game starter.
Midterm Grade: B+
Final Grade: C-
AL: I bump this final grade up one notch from the midterm one solely because of Kevin O’Toole, who progressed from a rarely-used bench option to a regular starter on the left after Nick Cushing switched to a 3-4-3 formation. Other non-O’Toole bench players failed to seize their opportunities, as Justin Haak played lots of minutes under Cushing but with largely unimpressive results. Thiago’s form fell off a cliff during the summer months, so while he remains a promising young winger, his value as an impact sub was basically nil by the end of the season. Other regular bench guys like Chris Gloster, Andres Jasson, Gedion Zelalem, and Vuk Latinovich got chances at different points of the season yet did little to nothing with them.
Midterm Grade: C+
Final Grade: B-
5. Coach
AL: My midterm F was entirely based on NYCFC getting dumped at midseason by another manager. I thought Ronny Deila’s departure would doom any hopes for a successful rest of the season, but I’m happy to have been wrong about life under Nick Cushing. There were some dark periods with Cushing at the helm (see: August in its entirety), but he figured out the right formula for success and helped the club find stability in what was a tumultuous year full of major changes. Cushing still made some questionable decisions but he far exceeded my expectations by winning Campeones Cup and leading the team back to the Conference Final in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
Midterm Grade: F
Final Grade: C+
NKY: It feels like it was so long ago that Ronny Deila managed NYCFC, but he did ace the start of the season. Nick Cushing took a lot of heat for the team’s putrid run in the middle of the season, including one win in ten games, which he deserved, but he also did a lot to turn the team around and get them into the East Final. I’m still not completely sold on Cushing, but his performance this season was a lot of bad with a sharp rise right near the end.
Midterm Grade: Ronny Deila A+, Nick Cushing C
Final Grade: B
AM: Whether or not Nick Cushing gets the permanent head coach position is one of the biggest questions entering the offseason. It’s fair to say that there are a large variety of opinions on his long-term hiring. The team looked bad under him, and even though he eventually figured his system and personnel to match that system out, the team should’ve been competing for the Supporters’ Shield. That being said, NYCFC looked really really good in the playoffs so it’s difficult to be too harsh on his work.
Midterm Grade: B-
Final Grade: B
6. Front Office
NKY: Three of the four players brought in this season by the front office wound up starting every playoff game so good job on that part. However, the biggest issue for this team for the second half of the season was not having an answer at striker. The front office is solely at fault for that in my opinion. It was known for some time that Taty would leave, giving the front office plenty of time to find a replacement for him. This never happened and the team just had to move forward without a productive striker. Good job on the preseason signings and draft pick, but not addressing the main issue with the team that we saw coming is a major bust.
Midterm Grade: B
Final Grade: D+
AL: Sporting director David Lee did not do enough to improve NYCFC for the 2022 season. It’s possible signing Thiago Martins as a Designated Player was an overpay, though Martins did have plenty of solid stretches during the season. The squad was crying out for a new signing either at striker or in the midfield before the summer transfer window closed, yet the only addition ended up being winger Matías Pellegrini, who made six brief and largely forgettable appearances after being claimed on waivers. Gabriel Pereira looks like a find but tons of questions are hanging over the roster as the season ends. Some kudos should go to the front office for successfully getting the first-round playoff match with Inter Miami moved back to NYC and away from Red Bull Arena, but the club’s terrible stadium situation arguably reached a new low point in 2022.
Midterm Grade: C-
Final Grade: C-
AM: Not bringing in a new striker and midfielder when Castellanos left and Parks was out for a significant amount of time was a mistake and capped the potential of the team. This may have been the final year of the Maxi, Tinnerholm, Johnson, Callens, and Chanot core as age and contracts may see many of these players leave. It feels wasteful that the front office didn’t invest and give the team the best shot at winning, especially since they knew Taty was going to leave for a while.
Midterm Grade: C-
Final Grade: C-
7. Overall
AM: I’m left with a satisfied feeling. Obviously, the loss to Philly hurts but deep runs in CCL and the playoffs were exciting. Doing the double over the Red Bulls and winning the Campeones Cup at home were big highlights and even though the team faltered midway through the season, the success at the end is promising for next season.
Midterm Grade: B+
Final Grade: A-
NKY: At the end of the day, NYCFC collected another trophy this season, made it back to the Eastern Conference Final, made a run to the CCL Semifinals, and swept New Jersey Red Bulls in MLS play. There were a plethora of hurdles thrown at them throughout the year, from club cornerstone departures, to injuries, to the never-ending stadium adventure and they still achieved all of that. Obviously, the goal was to go back-to-back and I think this team could have, but it was still an incredibly successful season. Winning a silverware does get you some leeway in my book.
Midterm Grade: A-
Final Grade: A
AL: NYCFC impressively suffered no MLS Cup hangover despite grinding through a season that saw them play the most matches in the league while also facing two massive midseason upheavals with the departures of their manager and best player. Making the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions League, finishing third in the East, returning to the Conference Final, and winning the one-off Campeones Cup were all impressive feats. Coming up short in the Champions League, Open Cup, and MLS Cup playoffs were disappointing setbacks in the quest for more trophies, but in the end, 2022 was a better season than I expected given all that went on in the club.
Midterm Grade: B
Final Grade: B+
