2023 Roster and Transfer Discussion Thread

[mgarbowski]

How did we get caught unprepared on a renewal visa for Pereira? There was never any question he was coming back. I get that new visa timelines can be unpredictable. He had a work visa for the same employer last year. Which intern screwed this up?

Related: it appears that unless we sign a bunch of Americans soon we’re starting the season with pretty much the current group of players, because even if we sign multiple non-residents tomorrow, I don’t see how we get them visas in time if we couldn’t get one for Gaby by now.

 

[mgarbowski]

Updating a table I made last summer, here is a simple list of players who left or arrived (or both) since the summer of 2021.

Departures	Incoming	Kids, Academy, NYCFC II, Draftees, Walk-Ons, Randos, and One Literal Rando
Acevedo Callens Castellanos Héber Ibeagha Johnson Latinovich Medina Moralez Rocha Rodriguez Sands Shradi Thorarinsson Tinnerholm Zelalem	Cufré Freese Haak Ilenič Martins O'Toole Pellegrini Pereira Rodriguez	Alfaro Benalcazar Carrizo Denis Haxhari Jiminez Johnston Klapija McFarlane Myers Owusu Rando Rodrigues Segal Shore Turnbull Yagudayev

Most of Column III was sourced from this page with the preseason roster. Rodrigues is in italics on that page and I don't know why, but I carried it over here.
I kept the starting point of summer 2021 because I think that was the high point of squad depth. If you reduce the time period to moves made after MLS Cup 2021, I think the only change is to drop Ibeagha as a departure and Santi as an arrival.
Santi Rodriguez both arrived and left in the time frame covered by the list.
IMO both Haak and O'Toole made the leap from Column 3 to Column 2 in the time frame covered by the list. I don't know if anyone else is primed to do so soon.
Of the departures, I think only Latinovich and Zelalem were fully in the category of de minimis contributors.
Excluding those 2, and pending more jumps from Column III or other acquisitions, we have by my count a six five player deficit of players we expect to contribute meaningfully in 2023.

If I missed anyone please chime in.

ETA: Updated with Cufré.

ETA 2/10: Alfaro belongs in Column 2

 

[Shwafta]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1621539819120693250

New York City Football Club Acquires Defender Braian Cufré on Loan from RCD Mallorca | New York City FC

Leer en Español New York City Football Club can today announce that it has acquired defender Braian Cufré on loan from LaLiga side RCD Mallorca through the end of the 2023 season, pending receipt of his ITC and P1 visa. The Club also has an option to permanently acquire the

www.nycfc.com

official!

 

[mgarbowski]

Braian continuing the Vieira too many vowels model, and the NYCFC tradition of names that will be misspelt regularly.
Hell, the forums have >10 pages of search results for both KRIES and KREIS, and he was only here one year. Plus there is 7 pages for Ronnie (Ronny is preferred). I was very much among the Ronnie-prone.

Let me be the first to say, "Welcome Brian."

 

[Shwafta]

Braian continuing the Vieira too many vowels model, and the NYCFC tradition of names that will be misspelt regularly.
Hell, the forums have >10 pages of search results for both KRIES and KREIS, and he was only here one year. Plus there is 7 pages for Ronnie (Ronny is preferred). I was very much among the Ronnie-prone.

Let me be the first to say, "Welcome Brian."

I'm very happy Bryan joined

 

[moogoo]

Braian continuing the Vieira too many vowels model, and the NYCFC tradition of names that will be misspelt regularly.
Hell, the forums have >10 pages of search results for both KRIES and KREIS, and he was only here one year. Plus there is 7 pages for Ronnie (Ronny is preferred). I was very much among the Ronnie-prone.

Let me be the first to say, "Welcome Brian."

I was thinking "welcome brain"

 

[mgarbowski]

I was thinking "welcome brain"

We should definitely sign someone else with that name because Two Braians are better than one.

 

[Kjbert]

1 year loan so sometime this summer probably and all signs are pointing to girona taking the option to purchase. hopefully the numbers are already agreed upon and they just need to trigger it. i don't recall the details of the loan

Great. Excited for the GAM and to see us get a Taty replacement. Hopefully it helps us compete in 2024

 

[joe]

Top 5 NYCFC mis-spellings
Stiven Mendoza
Eirik Johansen
Patrick Vieira
Jefferson Mena
Mix Diskerud

 

[mgarbowski]

Top 5 NYCFC mis-spellings
Stiven Mendoza
Eirik Johansen
Patrick Vieira
Jefferson Mena
Mix Diskerud

I'm disappointed I left out Stiven Mendoza and Eirik Johansen, especially with Eirik in the too-many-vowels club.
But how else would one spell Jefferson Mena?

 

[LionNYC]

Top 5 NYCFC mis-spellings
Stiven Mendoza
Eirik Johansen
Patrick Vieira
Jefferson Mena
Mix Diskerud

I'd also like to throw in...

Saad Abdul-Salaam
Eloi Amagat

 

[Shwafta]

Top 5 NYCFC mis-spellings
Stiven Mendoza
Eirik Johansen
Patrick Vieira
Jefferson Mena
Mix Diskerud

Top 3 mispronounced

1. David Villa
2. Alex Callens
3. Taty Castellanos
4. Any other double l's I'm missing?

 

[mgarbowski]

Top 3 mispronounced

1. David Villa
2. Alex Callens
3. Taty Castellanos
4. Any other double l's I'm missing?

Nothing to add, but Callens was my favorite because everyone's instinct was to latinize it but it's just like "Collins."

 

[SoupInNYC]

Top 3 mispronounced

1. David Villa
2. Alex Callens
3. Taty Castellanos
4. Any other double l's I'm missing?

Side note from this. My wife accidentally called Sean Johnson, "John Seanson" and then we joked about it all the time and so much so that I occasionally referred to him as "John Seanson" on accident when not attempting to joke about it.

I'm just so thankful that I never called him that during a press conference.

 

[Gotham Gator]

Top 3 mispronounced

1. David Villa
2. Alex Callens
3. Taty Castellanos
4. Any other double l's I'm missing?

Never forget Air Bear

 

[Shwafta]

Nothing to add, but Clalens was my favorite because everyone's instinct was to latinize it but it's just like "Collins."

I'm pretty sure it _is_ "Cayens" when pronounced though?

Side note from this. My wife accidentally called Sean Johnson, "John Seanson" and then we joked about it all the time and so much so that I occasionally referred to him as "John Seanson" on accident when not attempting to joke about it.

I'm just so thankful that I never called him that during a press conference.

oh, my friend and I called him that from the day he signed LOL

 

[twsj91]

Top 3 mispronounced

1. David Villa
2. Alex Callens
3. Taty Castellanos
4. Any other double l's I'm missing?

Saw the Pigeons play in Toronto a few years back. The TFC stadium announcer pronounced Ben Sweat’s name as “Ben Sweet”. Has been a running joke with my friend group for a few years to pronounce it wrong on purpose. Have had multiple people at the stadium who over hear “correct” us on the pronunciation not realizing it’s an inside joke

 

[joe]

I'm disappointed I left out Stiven Mendoza and Eirik Johansen, especially with Eirik in the too-many-vowels club.
But how else would one spell Jefferson Mena?

I remember it coming up other places in writing as well

 

[Shwafta]

View attachment 12526


I remember it coming up other places in writing as well

Is the point here that he's actually Yeferson, not Jefferson?

 

[mgarbowski]

I'm pretty sure it _is_ "Cayens" when pronounced though?

It has always sounded like "Collins" to me when Tollesson says it.
Right at the beginning here. I hear "Collins."

AFAIK Tolleson made a practice to ask the players how to pronounce their names. I could not possibly find it now, but I think I remember him explaining when Callens first arrived that it's "Collins."