With our baseball stadium nightmare almost over, @chriscampbell.theoutfield.nyc answers your Etihad Park stadium questions and talks:
🧱 Were you actually promised a brick?
🚢 Expanding ferry access to Willets Point
🗿Maxi Moralez statue location
Read it here:
www.theoutfield.nyc/p/and-the-le...
❤️
They say MLS can’t compete with Europe’s elite but Miami has Inter’s name, Barcelona’s players, Real Madrid’s politics, PSG’s history and Man United’s dude in all those ads
A familiar voice is back on NYCFC broadcasts for the first time since 2022 for the home opener, with Ian Joy on the Apple TV call
Spoke to Ian about returning to NYCFC commentary, the state of the current squad, and watching James Sands play at his former FC St. Pauli club
This is an absolute must read for NYCFC fans. Brad Simms gets into pretty much everything with an unusual level of transparency for CFG's standards
www.hudsonriverblue.com/brad-sims-ny...
Thiago Martin’s DP status is the main story here
Per @tombogert.bsky.social’s reporting at the time, Martin’s DP contract was to be bought down to accommodate Moussa Sylla … a transfer that ultimately fell through
Now, not only is Martins listed as a DP, he’s listed as ineligible to be bought down
The NYCFC Club Roster Profile is out and it’s got some interesting twists, with all 3 Designated Player spots filled, some notable TAM Players and non-TAM Players, and more
Takeaways from the roster situation at season’s start ⤵️
Awesome read
Tried to dive into how NYCFC operates when Nico Fernández Mercau, very much not a striker, lines up at striker
Heat maps, dribbling maps, some comps to the player he’s replacing: All in here as I attempt to make sense of the team’s striker-free approach to start this season
Just incredible what happens when you make things cheaper / more accessible isn’t it?
Get the lamination machine ready: Three Pundits pick New York City FC to be a Top 4 team in 2026 — and another seven pick the club to miss the playoffs entirely
More here ⬇️
That sporting KC depth chart doesn’t exactly make me miss David Lee too much here in NYC …
Pascal Jansen defines success for #NYCFC in 2026 as “improving on last season”, and suggested that the failed signing of Moussa Sylla doesn’t change that goal
Some clarity on Talles Magno from Pascal Jansen:
Fitness was a concern for Talles upon his return to NYCFC, and he had a minor issue with his calf after the Austin game. His calf slowed his ability to ramp his fitness up to match level
He’s back in training now but “needs time”
Following MLS is harder than it should be, so I made an automated daily newsletter that rounds up high-quality coverage from around the league.
I'll tell you all about it tomorrow but you can sign up in advance here: tally.so/r/eq6DQx
Hell. Yeah.
What our writers think of @newyorkcityfc.com heading into the 2026 season: Strengths, weaknesses, players we’re excited to watch, vibes, it’s all covered
Roundtable ft. @thepigeonsnycfc.bsky.social, @andrewkleigh.bsky.social, @matthewmangam.bsky.social, @markradigan.bsky.social, @raf.bsky.social ⬇️
Pascal Jansen behavior
Pascal Jansen just does really cool stuff
For each corner they defended so far in their Coachella match vs San Jose, they’ve been pushing 4 or 5 bodies up to midfield so the attacking team can’t flood the box
Chelsea notably tried this earlier this year to counter Arsenal’s set piece dominance
According to Pascal Jansen, Talles Magno won’t return to team training for 1-2 more weeks & the team isn’t close to signing a new striker in the wake of the failed Moussa Sylla transfer
More updates from Jansen here on Kai Trewin, Aiden O’Neill, Jonny Shore, and Nico playing as a “No 9.5”
Had a great time hopping on @soccerwisehq.bsky.social with @empiregass.bsky.social to chat NYCFC ahead of the 2026 season
The work Soccerwise and @kickbacksoccer.bsky.social are doing for soccer media in this country is truly vital, so to play even a small part in their coverage is a huge honor ✌️
2026 NYCFC season preview with @hudsonriverblue.com 🎧
John (@thepigeonsnycfc.bsky.social) of @hrbpod.bsky.social joins @empiregass.bsky.social to talk all things NYCFC and see where the season can take them.
📺: youtu.be/cNznUWureV4
🎙️ In today's pre-season press conference,
Pascal Jansen says more regular starters will be in the final match Sunday
Also:
-Aiden O'Neill has been a full practice participant for the last two days
-Johnny Shore is also very close
-Talles Magno is still building conditioning
🎙️ Pascal Jansen on time crunch regarding a potential new striker signing:
"I dont think its realistic to see the number 9 we're looking for to be on the pitch" against LA Galaxy
however "the search continues... we're still looking for the right number 9 to support this team"
Awesome stuff from Glenn here
It’s very interesting to see see Talles describe ~himself~ as a striker, saying he’d prefer the 9 over LW if he had to pick one position to focus on this season
The narrative has long been “Lee/Cushing ~made~ him a striker” back in his difficult season there in ‘23
Turns out the Cristian Espinoza fiasco was only the second biggest fumble of the MLS offseason
Massive signing for @kickbacksoccer.bsky.social , massive fumble for @mls.bsky.social
I don't know who's in charge of MLS media but I do know that I wouldn't hire them to run a lemonade stand. I don't think I've ever seen an organization with less of an idea of what they have that is valuable and isn't. It's more than penny pinching, it's incompetence.
MLS Announces Plan To Replace Matt Doyle With AI Chatbot Of Simon Borg That Will Cover Polymarket Parlays
www.thenutmegnews.com/current/2026...
Cutting the best writer and analyst from their website not long after they did the same to their long-running fantasy game: why does MLS so badly want to kill its own website, and what will they think of next in their endless quest to piss off and alienate the most engaged of their fans?
