2025 Roster and Transfer Discussion Thread
- Thread starter LionNYC
- Start date
*grumble grumble*. This team doesn’t know how to find a natural competent striker since we won the cup. They knew Taty was gone after that and convinced him to stay for the international tournament. They knew Sands wanted to leave, they knew McFarland had a deal to leave. They can’t figure out loans with a requirement to buy to free up roster spaces as they are holding Magno spot if he returns. But they will sure as heck know what they want to charge fans for the 2026 season by mid April, the 8th or 9th game, of 2025 to the penny.
ezbeezy214
Registered
He certainly had his time. Think he could do a job for a couple of years.
So we give up a midfielder who is now starting in the Bundesliga for a guy who can't get off the bench in League One.
I mean, it's better than nothing.
I mean, it's better than nothing.
Bringing this over from the outfield thread—I often wonder if our U22 struggles stem from the global soccer community underestimating the quality of MLS.
On the CFG side, scouts and decision-makers may be sending us players who simply aren’t ready for the level of competition. On the player side, guys like Jovan and Fernández might arrive expecting to walk into a starting role and dominate, only to struggle, get frustrated, and lose confidence when reality doesn’t match their expectations.
Teams with domestically based decision-makers seem to be in a better position because they have a better grasp of the league’s rapid growth in quality. Even within NYCFC, if we go by the player selection split proposed by FootyLovin —where Lee tends to pick SuperDraft players and lower-cost signings like Martínez and Wolf, while CFG selects the multimillion-dollar DPs and U22 signings—we see a very different set of results.
That disconnect may be a major factor in our struggles. It’s also why I still believe Lee bears some responsibility for signings he doesn’t personally choose. As NYCFC’s leader, it’s his job to advocate for the club within CFG and ensure the broader organization understands the true quality of MLS.
On the CFG side, scouts and decision-makers may be sending us players who simply aren’t ready for the level of competition. On the player side, guys like Jovan and Fernández might arrive expecting to walk into a starting role and dominate, only to struggle, get frustrated, and lose confidence when reality doesn’t match their expectations.
Teams with domestically based decision-makers seem to be in a better position because they have a better grasp of the league’s rapid growth in quality. Even within NYCFC, if we go by the player selection split proposed by FootyLovin —where Lee tends to pick SuperDraft players and lower-cost signings like Martínez and Wolf, while CFG selects the multimillion-dollar DPs and U22 signings—we see a very different set of results.
That disconnect may be a major factor in our struggles. It’s also why I still believe Lee bears some responsibility for signings he doesn’t personally choose. As NYCFC’s leader, it’s his job to advocate for the club within CFG and ensure the broader organization understands the true quality of MLS.
Agreed. We just learned that Talles Magno was surprised by MLS and found it better, faster and more physical than he expected. He even suggests it's easier to play in Brazil because he is given space, and the players are slow.
Granted he's a player not an exec, and was quite young, but he had advisors. He's not saying "I was told MLS would be tough but I didn't believe it." He says he just didn't know. The physicality mistake is especially baffling. The one thing that knowledgable MLS detractors usually agree on is the league tries to make up in speed, effort, and contact what it lacks in style, skill and finesse. That's been the consensus for years, but maybe not so much outside the US?
I don't know how this mistake keeps happening.
Or, I know, because confirmation bias is my favorite bias, and non-US soccer people people don't want to think that the US club soccer is as good or better than all but a handful of other countries, especially in terms of league depth. Hell, too many US
Finally, when Talles included physicality among the things that surprised and challenged him, I wondered if that was the reason for his seeming unwillingness to give it a go at the 9 position. Taty and Bakrar both play a pretty physical style at striker. I loved the plays where Taty stiff-armed a defender. I'm thinking Nick told Talles - "Get in there right up front, and make some space for yourself with those long arms of yours," but Talles wanted no part of it. He just wants to find an open space over on the side, have time to dance, and curl an uncontested shot.
ZYanksRule
Registered
Putting it here because there was some wondering whether Evander would be a fit for us.
Evander to Cincinnati for $12 million + add-ons.
bsky.app
Evander to Cincinnati for $12 million + add-ons.
Tom Bogert (@tombogert.bsky.social)
🇧🇷🟠 BREAKING: FC Cincinnati are finalizing a blockbuster deal to sign star midfielder Evander from the Portland Timbers, per sources. Timbers will receive $12m + add-ons. https://www.givemesport.com/fc-cincinnati-agree-transfer-evander-portland-timbers-sources/
bsky.app
Putting it here because there was some wondering whether Evander would be a fit for us.
Evander to Cincinnati for $12 million + add-ons.
Tom Bogert (@tombogert.bsky.social)
🇧🇷🟠 BREAKING: FC Cincinnati are finalizing a blockbuster deal to sign star midfielder Evander from the Portland Timbers, per sources. Timbers will receive $12m + add-ons. https://www.givemesport.com/fc-cincinnati-agree-transfer-evander-portland-timbers-sources/
makes sense. rumor is lucho going to dallas.
but hey, we got time. we're gonna sign some amazing teenager who's gonna light things up!
and we still have santi who the club seems to feel is maxi's replacement
I don't think Magno was a mistake. I think how we handled him was a mistake.
He came in for the second half of 2021, got acclimated, started scoring at the end of the year, including that game winning playoff goal against Philly. Next season, 7 goals and 10 assists. Then they moved him to striker, and the easiest place to find him was on the side of a milk carton.
He came in for the second half of 2021, got acclimated, started scoring at the end of the year, including that game winning playoff goal against Philly. Next season, 7 goals and 10 assists. Then they moved him to striker, and the easiest place to find him was on the side of a milk carton.
Putting it here because there was some wondering whether Evander would be a fit for us.
Evander to Cincinnati for $12 million + add-ons.
Tom Bogert (@tombogert.bsky.social)
🇧🇷🟠 BREAKING: FC Cincinnati are finalizing a blockbuster deal to sign star midfielder Evander from the Portland Timbers, per sources. Timbers will receive $12m + add-ons. https://www.givemesport.com/fc-cincinnati-agree-transfer-evander-portland-timbers-sources/
Wow, on top of $15.3M for Denky. That's two players for Cinicinatti in one offseason with fees that are multiple millions more than NYCFC has ever spent on a player.
The NYCFC fan experience, all the "oil money" slander from other fanbases without the actual oil money spending.
It’s pretty…crude
RunningWise
Registered
you're probably right. if the club gets paid, then i don't blame them.
but this needs to translate into a big DP signing this summer.
This roster minus Santi is capable of being very very bad through 20-25 games. And if Maxi gets a knock, ooof.
I agree. but maybe, just maybe, it forces someone to step up and become that guy. chances are very very slim though, of course.
This is my anxiety. Without him out there I can't see us being competitive. And he's.... he's 37 and coming off an ACL. The FO better have Succession Plans A, B, and C already in place, otherwise that's flat out negligence.
Maxi will be 38 years young in about two weeks.
