After winning their first-ever trophy last year, lifting MLS Cup just two and a half months ago on a rainy day in Portland, New York City FC's 2022 season is back underway and off to a good start.
NYCFC breezed past Costa Rican side Santos de Guápiles 6-0 over two legs in the Concacaf Champions League Round of 16, as they gear up for their MLS opening match on Sunday against the LA Galaxy (5 pm ET | ESPN, ESPN Deportes).
Much of the Cup-winning core remains, surprisingly including reigning Golden Boot presented by Audi winner Taty Castellanos, who was widely expected to leave in a lucrative transfer to Europe that never materialized. NYCFC sent homegrown defensive midfielder James Sands on loan to Scotland's Rangers, while Jesus Medina left to Russia's CSKA Moscow after his contract option was declined and Ismael Tajouri-Shradi was selected in the Expansion Draft by Charlotte FC, then traded to LAFC.
Still, that leaves much of the group intact, with natural progressions expected from Talles Magno and Thiago Andrade to make up for the losses. NYCFC also added Brazilian center back Thiago Martins from Japanese club Yokohama F. Marinos (also owned by City Football Group) as a Designated Player as their key external addition. They're not done in the market, though.
“We have a lot of belief in our roster plus adding Thiago, who we think is an important signing for us," sporting director David Lee told media on a panel hosted by ESPN's Taylor Twellman. "When you have success, you have to make some changes because it adds some freshness. We’re also not finished. There’s probably another couple of players we want to add to our group before the end of the transfer window.”
MLS's Primary Transfer Window closes later this spring.
With NYCFC coming off a league title, as well as Manchester City and other clubs under the City Football Group umbrella, it's not a bad time across the organization on the pitch.
“There’s no magic secret behind the success," City Football Group CEO Ferran Soriano said. "First there’s an approach. We have a view of how the game should be played, we call it beautiful football. … Then it’s about hard work. We know we will lose more than win – this is the nature of the sport – but we work hard with the talent that we have. ... We try to stay humble.”
Lee and those at NYCFC have said it before, but it was once again reiterated how crucial the CFG scouting network is to the club's success.
Thiago was a Brazilian center back acquired from a Japanese club (also owned by CFG), a market seldom explored by MLS clubs. In the past, they have signed Alexandru Mitrita from Romania, while forays to South America have returned the likes of Castellanos, Magno, Santi Rodriguez, Andrade and many others in recent years.
“The reality is, our scouting network is one of the most fundamental parts of what we do," Lee said. "Every transfer window, we’re in the market to sign and sell players. We’re very fortunate that we get access to people who have fantastic local knowledge. I think it was a hallmark of the team who won last year, and frankly, over the past six to seven years. We’ve gone to unconventional places or signed unconventional players because of the knowledge we have from the scouting department. They’re so crucial to everything we do.”
Off the field, NYCFC's search for a permanent home continues. Club CEO Brad Sims didn't have any specific updates outside of the usual search and pressures that come with it, both externally and internally. NYCFC played the "home" leg of their Round of 16 CCL series at LAFC's Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles, with their season-opening game coming at the Galaxy on Sunday.
“It’s going to be another really great year for us," Sims said. "Sometimes we have to remind ourselves that it’s only our eighth year. We won our championship in our seventh year. We’re still building momentum, we’re still building our fan base. This championship is a real accelerator for us. Winning is the most important thing to our club. … The core fans that have been with us the whole time are the lifeblood of our club.”
As the club and league continues to mature, many have grandiose ambitions and hopes for what the future holds. Particularly with the 2026 World Cup four and a half years away, momentum continues to increase around MLS.
“We want MLS to be one of the top leagues in the world of soccer, and this is possible," Ferran said. "Sometimes we forget facts that are real today. For us, City Football Group, the US is the bigger market than UK. There are more Americans watching soccer than in the UK. Of course there are more choices, but the market is huge. The World Cup is going to have a magnifying effect, just like 1994.”
