{"id":32574,"date":"2021-04-13T08:00:03","date_gmt":"2021-04-13T12:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/?p=32574"},"modified":"2021-04-12T16:46:21","modified_gmt":"2021-04-12T20:46:21","slug":"nycfc-2021-season-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/2021\/04\/13\/nycfc-2021-season-preview\/","title":{"rendered":"2021 NYCFC Season Preview"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>PREVIEW<\/strong> &#8211; \u201cTo stand still today is to go backwards\u2026 and quickly.\u201d That\u2019s a quote from British business mogul Richard Branson, a poignantly accurate statement about life and the way we live it. It\u2019s also punishingly accurate for MLS clubs today. In a league where every team is getting better with more lenient roster rules, a club standing still in a rapidly changing league is a sign that the club is going backwards. Let&#8217;s take a look at everything that&#8217;s gone on this winter with an NYCFC season preview.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>2021 NYCFC Season Preview<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fans and supporters alike are fearing a similar fate for NYCFC. A once-promising club with an endless ceiling, The Pigeons have retracted to a questionable front office, <a href=\"https:\/\/theathletic.com\/2213536\/2020\/11\/23\/david-villa-nycfc-alleged-harassment\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">toxic club environment<\/a>, and underwhelming on-pitch success resulting in no silverware from six roller coaster ceilings. Now in year seven, patience wears thin as City look to compete in a tantalizing eastern conference.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>NYCFC\u2019s Offseason<\/b><\/h3>\n<h4>Departures:<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Alexander Ring (CM; Austin FC; $1.25 Million)<\/li>\n<li>Ronald Matarrita (LB; FC Cincinnati; $600k)<\/li>\n<li>Gary Mackay-Stevens (LM; Hearts; Free)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Three starters leave the club with three bizarrely different legacies. Gary Mackay-Stevens came into the Big Apple as an exciting depth piece in a buzzing attack. However, with injuries and Mitrita\u2019s departure, Mackay-Stevens was thrust into the spotlight. The results were dire, with the Scot&#8217;s inability to finish and lack of quality in the box on full display in what\u2019s a season to regret.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ronald Matarrita\u2019s tenure was more questionable. A decisive two-way fullback, Matarrita was constantly in a shadow. Whether it be opposite Anton Tinnerholm, or in front of an ever-changing left side of the attack, Matarrita was never given the environment to thrive.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alex Ring, on the other hand, will go down as one of the club\u2019s first legends. Arriving just as David Villa was declining, Ring gave the club an identity when it needed one the most. A stalwart centrally befitting the captain\u2019s armband, Ring was the constant at a time when the club was starting to become the opposite. Highlighting such a fact was 2019 when a midfield led by Ring carried <em>The Pigeons<\/em> to a first-place finish in the east and its first-ever CONCACAF Champions League berth.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>Arrivals:<\/b><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thiago Andrade (LW; FC Bahia; $1.8 Million)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Malte Amundson (LB; Vejle BK; $1.44 Million)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alfredo Morales (CM; Fortuna Dusseldorf; $100k)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chris Gloster (LB; PSV; Free)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Andres Jasson (LW; Yale; MLS Homegrown Deal)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Highlighting the arrivals is former USMNT midfielder <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/2021\/04\/07\/mls-real-salt-lake-signs-bobby-wood-nycfc-brings-in-alfredo-morales\/\" target=\"_self\">Alfredo Morales<\/a>. Morales will play his first-ever club match on American soil after spending his entire career in Germany, most recently for Bundesliga 2. side Fortuna Dusseldorf. Morales made 62 appearances across three seasons for the German side and enters a crowded midfield room.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With Matarrita departed, two left-back signings were made in the form of Malte Amundsen and Chris Gloster. Amundsen brings a young yet decorative career to the locker room, including a Norwegian Super cup and multiple youth appearances for Denmark. Gloster also brings youth experience via the stars and stripes, most notably as a starter in the USYNT\u2019s 3-2 win over France in the 2019 U-20 World Cup.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Brazilian winger Thiago Andrade is the latest to join the Citizens. The 4th most expensive signing in the club&#8217;s history, Andrade brings with it a project, with the winger not making a senior appearance for any club in his career.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Then there is Andres Jasson, NYCFC\u2019s undrafted homegrown that\u2019s creating lots of buzz in training camp. Jasson\u2019s been on the scoresheet of multiple preseason matches, including a match-winner vs. DC United. What to make out of the former Yale winger is unknown, but he\u2019s checked all of the boxes to warrant Ronny Deila\u2019s attention thus far.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>The Club Captain Debate:<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The biggest question mark this season is who wears the captain&#8217;s armbad. A seemingly uncontroversial take given to David Villa and Alex Ring in the past. But with both careers in the big apple behind them, the debate rages on about who leads the team in 2021.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many in the NYCFC circle predict that honor will go to goalkeeper Sean Johnson or No. 10 Maxi Moralez. But my third party pick will go to James Sands. At just 20-years-old, Sands solidifies himself as City\u2019s anchor in midfield and a newfound leader in what\u2019s a tumultuous roster. Sands has proven himself as a leader already with an endless ceiling. Having him befit the captain is a deserving step in his young career.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Who Starts at Left-Wing?<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The other debate in the XI is who plays on the left side of the attack. That role was given to Mackay-Stevens, the only natural left midfielder and one that really didn\u2019t deserve a starter role for an MLS playoff team.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This year has two natural candidates, Andres Jasson and Thiago Andrade. With both lacking any senior-level experience, however, it seems difficult to give them a starting role this season. Then there&#8217;s other new signing Chris Gloster, but I expect him to start in his natural fullback position then risk a career stalemate up top. That means my pick is natural right winger Ismael Tajouri-Shradi. In a tumultuous season that can feature up to three matches in a week, having experience and match sharpness will be key to success. The Libyan international checks those boxes off.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Red Bull Arena:<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As with any NYCFC conversation nowadays, a note on their home ground must be in the discussion. This is no old news considering the club is in year seven without even a stadium plan. This alone can turn fans off with supporting the club, let alone the other dramas plaguing the team at the moment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What\u2019s hitting newfound frustrations is the record number of matches being played at Red Bull Arena. Once an embarrassing asterisk on the calendar, <em>The Blues<\/em> playing in their rivals place has become the new norm. For the first time, City will be playing more matches at Red Bull Arena (eight home, two away;) then Yankee Stadium (nine home.)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This caused a mass exodus of season ticket members, and rightfully so. If NYCFC are to become a giant in MLS, having a place they call home is key. It\u2019s one thing to play home games on a baseball field, it&#8217;s another to play on your rivals ground.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The key to continued success is stability, and NYCFC has none of it.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Last Word: 2021 Season Prediction<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With all the controversy and mismanagement aside, NYCFC still has a very competent product on the pitch. From a top tier keeper to a youthful but experienced midfield, and one of the best chance creators in the league at the 10, <em>The Pigeons<\/em> are still a club that you don\u2019t wanna play in the season. While everyone predicts a drop-off from them, the experience and quality on the pitch alone will be enough for a playoff berth. But with minimal improvements, don\u2019t expect the club to go far in the postseason without more transfers in the summer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a id=\"ktcCh3wUTdl7CH0Uz7cXog\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1287273919\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'ktcCh3wUTdl7CH0Uz7cXog',sig:'vmhgh99eq3ljL9e0Lb1ji2cLpqzPMRLDLD7OSLq1wVc=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'1287273919',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>PREVIEW &#8211; \u201cTo stand still today is to go backwards\u2026 and quickly.\u201d That\u2019s a quote from British business mogul Richard Branson, a poignantly accurate statement about life and the way we live it. It\u2019s also punishingly accurate for MLS clubs today. In a league where every team is getting better with more lenient roster rules, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3470,"featured_media":32589,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,119,4],"tags":[852,3167,974,4210,934],"class_list":["post-32574","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-mls","category-nycfc","tag-alexander-ring","tag-alfredo-morales","tag-maxi-moralez","tag-mls-season-preview","tag-sean-johnson"],"modified_by":"Matt Pollard","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32574","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3470"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32574"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32574\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32589"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32574"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32574"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32574"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}