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New York City FC 2022 Season Preview

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Armchair Analyst's Breakdown

  • Strength: They were the best in the league at creating chances via possession, via pressing and via set pieces. There’s a reason they won MLS Cup!
  • Weakness: Only one guy (Taty Castellanos) consistently finished those chances, and he’s now likely to be sold this summer.

Key Departures

  • James Sands: James Sands joined Scottish side Rangers on an 18-month loan with a purchase option, completing the cycle for the club’s first-ever homegrown signing. Sands made 65 appearances for NYCFC and developed into a no-doubt-about-it MLS starter, a key player of their MLS Cup-winning team who made his USMNT debut. He's a great development success story.
  • Jesus Medina: Jesus Medina leaves NYCFC a champion, signing with Russia’s CSKA Moscow as a free agent after his contract option was declined this offseason. It was a rollercoaster four years for Medina in MLS. The Paraguayan DP attacker was an immediate success during his first year, but took a step back the last couple of seasons, before being key to their MLS Cup-winning group in 2021.
  • Ismael Tajouri-Shradi: Another winger leaving NYCFC, Ismael Tajouri-Shradi was selected in the Expansion Draft by Charlotte FC and traded to LAFC. Tajouri-Shradi had 26 goals and nine assists in 84 appearances (49 starts) with NYCFC.

Key Acquisitions

  • Thiago Martins: A DP center back, Thiago Martins signed from Japanese first-division side Yokohama F. Marinos this month. Yokohama is part of the City Football Group umbrella as well. He provides a much-needed defensive reinforcement with James Sands heading to Rangers and the depth chart seeming thin behind Alexander Callens and Maxime Chanot.
  • That’s it for major arrivals. Truth be told, they did their work for 2022 last year, with Thiago Andrade and Talles Magno arriving without clear roles. Magno, in particular, should have a big jump in 2022 after Jesus Medina and Ismael Tajouri-Shradi both departed.
  • Full roster

Projected Starting XI

NYCFC - projected XI 2022

Predictions

  • Charles Boehm: 1st in East
  • Tom Bogert: 3rd in East
  • Matt Doyle: 2nd in East
  • David Gass: 1st in East
  • Sam Jones: 3rd in East
  • Joe Lowery: 1st in East
  • Greg Seltzer: 3rd in East
  • Andrew Wiebe: 1st in East