2025 Roster and Transfer Discussion Thread

[mgarbowski]

It's not that all (or most) of the seasons are considered a success over that stretch, it's the fact that we haven't had an absolute catastrophic season(s) like so many other clubs have had.
That's hard to do, even for the big spending clubs.
I'm not going around bantering with other MLS club supporters bragging about "8 out of 10 conference semis b!tches" and I don't consider that the barometer of a successful season. I do respect the organization for the consistent competitiveness though. Other than 2015, have we ever not been alive for the playoffs on decision day?

Consistent quality is hard! Dump on RB all you want but that playoff streak was an accomplishment. Maybe I'm more sympathetic to them because I'm a Vikings fan. For decades the Vikings have been occasionally dominant, most often very good to excellent, and rarely terrible. But they never won a Super Bowl. Most fans of both teams would trade a few more bad seasons for just 1 championship. But maintaining that quality long term, which NYCFC has also done, is very admirable in its own right. It's just nobody cares without at least that single piece of hardware. Over 50 years the Vikings have been much better run than say, the Chicago Bears. It's not even close. But 1985 happened and that colors everything. As a fan of NYCFC I'm quite grateful 2021 happened while also being routinely good. I just don't like that lately the level of pretty good has declined.

Also, it's not just we've regressed but the bar for season excellence has gone up. Here is a list of how many teams reached 60 points from 2015-2025:
2, 1, 1, 3, 2, [2020], 3, 3, 2, 4, 6

The 56 points NYCFC earned in 2018 when 3 teams were at 60 or higher was more impressive than getting 56 points in 2025 when six teams had 60 or higher. I don't know if the number of 60+ point teams in 2024-25 is a trend or a blip. But for now, 60 is the new 55. That has to be the target.

Also, 2023 was a bad season. I'm never going to make the bar for a decent regular season so low that ending tied for 20th most points in the league is sufficient just because we weren't mathematically excluded before decision day. But one bad year in a decade is damn good.

 

[gbservis]

Consistent quality is hard! Dump on RB all you want but that playoff streak was an accomplishment. Maybe I'm more sympathetic to them because I'm a Vikings fan. For decades the Vikings have been occasionally dominant, most often very good to excellent, and rarely terrible. But they never won a Super Bowl. Most fans of both teams would trade a few more bad seasons for just 1 championship. But maintaining that quality long term, which NYCFC has also done, is very admirable in its own right. It's just nobody cares without at least that single piece of hardware. Over 50 years the Vikings have been much better run than say, the Chicago Bears. It's not even close. But 1985 happened and that colors everything. As a fan of NYCFC I'm quite grateful 2021 happened while also being routinely good. I just don't like that lately the level of pretty good has declined.

Also, it's not just we've regressed but the bar for season excellence has gone up. Here is a list of how many teams reached 60 points from 2015-2025:
2, 1, 1, 3, 2, [2020], 3, 3, 2, 4, 6

The 56 points NYCFC earned in 2018 when 3 teams were at 60 or higher was more impressive than getting 56 points in 2025 when six teams had 60 or higher. I don't know if the number of 60+ point teams in 2024-25 is a trend or a blip. But for now, 60 is the new 55. That has to be the target.

Also, 2023 was a bad season. I'm never going to make the bar for a decent regular season so low that ending tied for 20th most points in the league is sufficient just because we weren't mathematically excluded before decision day. But one bad year in a decade is damn good.

As far as results-based success, I’m in alignment with what you’ve laid out. But for me, the other half of the equation of calling the team successful is roster construction.

• Did the team maximize the roster mechanisms available to put the club in the best possible position to win?
• Are we using all of our U22 and DP spots and are those players being selected primarily for NYCFC’s success, rather than to serve broader CFG objectives (i.e., not another Jovan situation)?
• Is the roster truly complete, with adequate depth at all positions for most of the season?

I realize it’s a slightly unusual factor to include when defining success, but I think it’s important. Since the Cup win, our roster has never felt fully “all in.” Each season, it’s hovered somewhere between 70% and 90% of its full potential. I can’t give the club full credit for consistent playoff appearances when they’ve consistently left so much potential on the table.

To me, a season where the club goes all in on the roster but suffers bad luck with injuries and crashes out early is more successful than a deep playoff run with a half-baked, flawed roster that was never a genuine contender for the Shield or the Cup outside of an insane set of luck.

 

[FootyLovin]

a deep playoff run with a half-baked, flawed roster that was never a genuine contender for the Shield or the Cup outside of an insane set of luck.

You mean like this year.

Come onnnnn, insane set of luck.

 

[gbservis]

You mean like this year.

Come onnnnn, insane set of luck.

Yeah, Our core starters are solid but we have zero depth. A deep playoff run this year with zero capable attacking subs and now zero midfield depth would be miraculous. Just comparing to 2021 off the bench in attack alone we had:

Heber
ITS
Magno
Thiago

 

[ZYanksRule]

Yeah, Our core starters are solid but we have zero depth. A deep playoff run this year with zero capable attacking subs and now zero midfield depth would be miraculous. Just comparing to 2021 off the bench in attack alone we had:

Heber
ITS
Magno
Thiago

To be fair, a lot of that is due to the failure of Ojeda and Fernandez. If those two guys were more playable, we'd have the depth we're asking for. I still go back to Doyle thinking Ojeda was going to be the breakout player of the year in MLS. His struggles have just killed us.

 

[gbservis]

To be fair, a lot of that is due to the failure of Ojeda and Fernandez. If those two guys were more playable, we'd have the depth we're asking for. I still go back to Doyle thinking Ojeda was going to be the breakout player of the year in MLS. His struggles have just killed us.

“To be fair” makes it sound like the club had a solid plan that just didn’t work out. This was never a solid plan. The team used all its U22 slots on 18-year-olds with minimal experience, then spent 1.5 years watching Ojeda and Fernández give every indication they weren’t anywhere near MLS level and still did nothing to address it in either transfer window this season. I have no idea what Doyle based his prediction on. Ojeda showed nothing in his first season to suggest a breakout was coming, and even Doyle himself had conceded as much before the second window closed.

It’s less “a plan that failed” and more like a guy betting his rent money on lottery tickets. Sure, technically, he had a plan, but it was a plan everyone could see was doomed from the start.

 

[EganSoccerWords]

The u22 strategy also doesn't make sense if you don't use all the slots. These are risky bets so you want to be rolling with as many dice as possible.

 

[moogoo]

ojeda hasn't really had a chance to show himself since the playoffs started. in the few games he played at the end of the season, he performed pretty well. yeah, he missed a PK and that probably soured fan perception of him. he's not getting more minutes because he's not a left winger and nico has been playing on the right.

he definitely has not improved as much as we had hoped, but he was showing some potential in the last few games of the season. i wouldn't be upset if the club transferred him out though. Fernandez on the other hand, he needs to go.

 

[ZYanksRule]

“To be fair” makes it sound like the club had a solid plan that just didn’t work out. This was never a solid plan. The team used all its U22 slots on 18-year-olds with minimal experience, then spent 1.5 years watching Ojeda and Fernández give every indication they weren’t anywhere near MLS level and still did nothing to address it in either transfer window this season. I have no idea what Doyle based his prediction on. Ojeda showed nothing in his first season to suggest a breakout was coming, and even Doyle himself had conceded as much before the second window closed.

It’s less “a plan that failed” and more like a guy betting his rent money on lottery tickets. Sure, technically, he had a plan, but it was a plan everyone could see was doomed from the start.

We can argue with the merits of the plan -- I agree with you that it wasn't good enough, but to say "everyone" could see it would fail is a little hyperbolic. I also believe they have 1 or 2 U22 spots open and a DP spot open, so they could absolutely have done better with the roster. They had a plan, the plan didn't work, and despite that we still have a damn good roster. Not yet one of the best rosters in MLS, but it has the potential to be next season with a few more key additions.

 

[413Blue]

If Taty didn't develop as incredibly as he did, we wouldn't have won a Cup. The probability of turning a young prospect into Taty is incredibly low. If just one of our many recent busts became a Taty, this roster is completely different.

 

[EganSoccerWords]

We can argue with the merits of the plan -- I agree with you that it wasn't good enough, but to say "everyone" could see it would fail is a little hyperbolic. I also believe they have 1 or 2 U22 spots open and a DP spot open, so they could absolutely have done better with the roster. They had a plan, the plan didn't work, and despite that we still have a damn good roster. Not yet one of the best rosters in MLS, but it has the potential to be next season with a few more key additions.

I think a lot of the frustration was how long it took to turn over the 2021 roster. We have had a piece meal squad ever since Taty left and still do. 2026 is gonna be 5 years post cup run.

 

[ZYanksRule]

I think a lot of the frustration was how long it took to turn over the 2021 roster. We have had a piece meal squad ever since Taty left and still do. 2026 is gonna be 5 years post cup run.

I think the squad was piecemeal at the start of this season, but I don't think it is anymore. We could still add a few more pieces for depth, but we have a pretty good squad now. It's not perfect, but we're pretty good now.

We have some underperforming players, but there is depth all over. Even with Fernandez and Ojeda underperforming, look at the starters we still have on the front-line. O'Neill, Perea, and Parks are all out for our next game and we are still putting out decent options in midfield. We have a good backup for Gray, two good backup CBs, and one of the best goalies in the league. This roster is not half-baked anymore.

 

[FootyLovin]

I think the squad was piecemeal at the start of this season, but I don't think it is anymore. We could still add a few more pieces for depth, but we have a pretty good squad now. It's not perfect, but we're pretty good now.

We have some underperforming players, but there is depth all over. Even with Fernandez and Ojeda underperforming, look at the starters we still have on the front-line. O'Neill, Perea, and Parks are all out for our next game and we are still putting out decent options in midfield. We have a good backup for Gray, two good backup CBs, and one of the best goalies in the league. This roster is not half-baked anymore.

If we are making the case, then add that you have Seymour up and coming and Gustavo a backup to KOT that creates strategic flexibility for the shape of the squad when he plays that role.

Of course, case against will always start and end with despite all that, imagine how much better our team could be with a DP3.

 

[BC19]

I think the squad was piecemeal at the start of this season, but I don't think it is anymore. We could still add a few more pieces for depth, but we have a pretty good squad now. It's not perfect, but we're pretty good now.

We have some underperforming players, but there is depth all over. Even with Fernandez and Ojeda underperforming, look at the starters we still have on the front-line. O'Neill, Perea, and Parks are all out for our next game and we are still putting out decent options in midfield. We have a good backup for Gray, two good backup CBs, and one of the best goalies in the league. This roster is not half-baked anymore.

It’s improved from the start of the season but still incomplete. There are 6 premium spend roster spots for an MLS team. We are not filling all of them. That’s incomplete and half ass.

 

[FootyLovin]

It’s improved from the start of the season but still incomplete. There are 6 premium spend roster spots for an MLS team. We are not filling all of them. That’s incomplete and half ass.

I would add to that that the issue is that it is consistently incomplete. A team misses one of those spots for 1/2 a season, fine. But my measure of CFG taking this team seriously is that these should be 100% filled at least 75% of the time. When is the last time we were 100% full on those spots? And how often have we been 100%?

Did some digging, and here is the DP list.

2015 H1	Villa
2015 H2	Villa	Pirlo	Lampard
2016 H1	Villa	Pirlo	Lampard
2016 H2	Villa	Pirlo	Lampard
2017 H1	Villa	Pirlo	Maxi
2017 H2	Villa	Pirlo	Maxi
2018 H1	Villa	Maxi	Medina
2018 H2	Villa	Maxi	Medina
2019 H1	Maxi	Medina	Mitrita
2019 H2	Maxi	Medina	Mitrita
2020 H1	Maxi	Medina	Mitrita
2020 H2	Maxi	Medina	Mitrita
2021 H1	Maxi	Medina
2021 H2	Maxi	Medina	Magno
2022 H1	Maxi	Magno	Martins
2022 H2	Maxi	Magno	Martins
2023 H1	Magno	Martins	Santi
2023 H2	Magno	Martins	Santi
2024 H1	Magno	Martins	Santi
2024 H2	Martins	Santi
2025 H1	Martins
2025 H2	Martins	Nico

That's 17 out of 22 (77%) all time. Last 5 years is 6 out of 10 (60%).

Recent years are especially tough to swallow because (a) we have 3 straight 1/2 years not full. One of those halves we carried only 1 DP. And all of this feels even worse because even though he wasn't a DP, the loss of Taty made all of this that much harder.


ETA: Please let me know if I have missed anyone who was signed as a U22. I think Magno was shifted over to U22 maybe? I don't know. Let me know if I'm wrong about any of this.

 

[ZYanksRule]

I do think the abrupt nature of Santi's departure on the morning of the season opener put a giant wrench into their plans. I think we forget that wasn't expected, came about quickly, and took the team by surprise. They did fill his spot quickly by doing it one window later and while we should be filling our DP/U-22 slots, my point is that the roster is good. It would be even better if we had those slots filled, but to call this roster piecemeal is a little insulting to the guys on the field who have us 3 wins away from a championship.

The roster isn't perfect and could be a lot better, but it's not bad.

 

[gbservis]

I think the squad was piecemeal at the start of this season, but I don't think it is anymore. We could still add a few more pieces for depth, but we have a pretty good squad now. It's not perfect, but we're pretty good now.

We have some underperforming players, but there is depth all over. Even with Fernandez and Ojeda underperforming, look at the starters we still have on the front-line. O'Neill, Perea, and Parks are all out for our next game and we are still putting out decent options in midfield. We have a good backup for Gray, two good backup CBs, and one of the best goalies in the league. This roster is not half-baked anymore.

What is your definition of pretty good for an attacker? Using ASA's G+A per 96 data for the regular season plus all the games played in the playoffs this is how our attackers currently rank in G+A per 96 for all MLS players with a minimum of 500 minutes played (also not to take anything from his recent heroics but I bet not many people would have guessed which Fernandez on the squad has better G+A/96 numbers):




Coupling that with FootyLovin point about DPs, 15 of the top 30 G+A per 96 players in the league this season are DPs so other teams are using their DP slots effectively on impact attackers. The last time NYCFC had a DP in the top 30 for G+A per 96 was 2020 with Mitiri. So not only do we leave our DP spots unused frequently, we rarely get top attacking firepower out of them, even when we do use them.



Looking at all the seasons in the history of the club 13 of the top 15 G+A per 96 player seasons happened pre 2021. That's just not good enough.

 

[ZYanksRule]

What is your definition of pretty good for an attacker? Using ASA's G+A per 96 data for the regular season plus all the games played in the playoffs this is how our attackers currently rank in G+A per 96 for all MLS players with a minimum of 500 minutes played (also not to take anything from his recent heroics but I bet not many people would have guessed which Fernandez on the squad has better G+A/96 numbers):

Alonso is one of the best strikers in MLS. Hannes Wolf is streaky, but had 11 goals and 7 assists. That's a damn good season for a winger. Maxi had 11 assists. Nico is looking dynamic and will only improve next year.

We have a lot of good players in the attack, despite two of our highest-priced players not developing as the team had hoped.

 

[FootyLovin]

Looking at all the seasons in the history of the club 13 of the top 15 G+A per 96 player seasons happened pre 2021. That's just not good enough.

Love your analysis. Small quibble, but I think this is 11 out of 15.

 

[FootyLovin]

Can't help but notice so many teams absent from this list - NY, NJ, TOR, ATL, NE, MTL, DC to name a few. Then the embarrassments of riches - LAFC with 4, SEA with 3, PHI with 3. Then the midseason DP additions that are tearing it up - Son, Muller.

For me, this is what makes this team construction (not the team, the construction) feel so disappointing. It's been a year and a half since we've used all of our DP slots. We just don't know what our team could look like if we used them all. It's not just what a Son could do. You can't always assume you'll hit the top of the list. But imagine adding a Mukhtar to this team. How much higher would the G+A be for Hannes, Alonso and Nico if you had a Mukhtar equivalent in our 10 slot instead of (love the guy, but) 38-year-old Maxi whose G+A per 96 is lower than our backup right back?