2025 Roster and Transfer Discussion Thread

[Gotham Gator]

1. I don't think Jovan is a DP. He was U-22. We should have 2 DP spots open, provided that one is a Young DP.
2. You guys who don't want Gio Reyna are out of your ever-loving minds. I'd take him in a heartbeat. Not only is he a great player, it's a position of need. Plus, he'd excite the fan base beyond measure. Win-win-win.

 

[moogoo]

1. I don't think Jovan is a DP. He was U-22. We should have 2 DP spots open, provided that one is a Young DP.
2. You guys who don't want Gio Reyna are out of your ever-loving minds. I'd take him in a heartbeat. Not only is he a great player, it's a position of need. Plus, he'd excite the fan base beyond measure. Win-win-win.

1. right. jovan is u22. with santi gone, that is one DP spot. magno is another DP spot, but since his loan ends in the summer, doubtful Lee will do anything with it for fear of being stuck with a problem to solve if Magno doesn't get purchased at the end of his loan. Martins should be the final DP spot. So, with santi leaving all but official, we'd have one DP spot to fill and start the season with 0 DPs on the field.

 

[gbservis]

1. right. jovan is u22. with santi gone, that is one DP spot. magno is another DP spot, but since his loan ends in the summer, doubtful Lee will do anything with it for fear of being stuck with a problem to solve if Magno doesn't get purchased at the end of his loan. Martins should be the final DP spot. So, with santi leaving all but official, we'd have one DP spot to fill and start the season with 0 DPs on the field.

I wonder how many transfer windows the team has historically taken to replace a DP. I've been meaning to go look at this and just haven't gotten the chance but if my memory is correct I don't know if we have ever replaced a DP in the same window in which they have departed.

 

[mgarbowski]

I wonder how many transfer windows the team has historically taken to replace a DP. I've been meaning to go look at this and just haven't gotten the chance but if my memory is correct I don't know if we have ever replaced a DP in the same window in which they have departed.

Maxi, Medina and Mitrita all signed before the next season started after Lampard Pirlo and Villa left.
I’d have to check beyond that.

 

[Gotham Gator]

Given that Sands could be ready to play again by June, it will be interesting to see how his loan plays out.

St. Pauli have an option for an additional year after their season is over in late May. It looked like they would exercise prior to the injury. Will they do that now?

Maybe Sands comes back and plays a bit for us in the summer and then goes back on loan. Maybe St. Pauli cuts ties, but that seems a bit harsh.

 

[gbservis]

Maxi, Medina and Mitrita all signed before the next season started after Lampard Pirlo and Villa left.
I’d have to check beyond that.

 

[moogoo]

no chance. not with Lee. unless there's some superstar out there who wants to come to NYC and really wants to make it work, we aren't filling our DP spots until 2026 at the earliest (my prediction)

 

[FootyLovin]

no chance. not with Lee. unless there's some superstar out there who wants to come to NYC and really wants to make it work, we aren't filling our DP spots until 2026 at the earliest (my prediction)

I suspect they want a good result this year and a great result in 26 (World Cup) and 27 (new stadium).

They don't get that if they aren't signing major pieces before summer 2026. I'd be surprised if we replace a DP this window. I'd be equally surprised if we don't replace one this summer. Don't forget, they are already trying to sell their high priced new stadium suites.

Beyond that, anyone know when the Martins and Magno contracts end?

 

[mgarbowski]

David Lee has altered the deal. Pray he does not alter it again. Things no longer flow so smoothly.

Also, I think people might misremember how we always complained about moves being slow and coming late in the offseason. We always did, but most big moves still came before the first game. I think Heber was the first big signing to come in the winter window but after the season started. The summer window was generally for defense (Chanot), future fodder (Taty in 2018) and gap fillers (Amagat). Lee both pushed winter signings later (Pereira and Ledezma in March) and also started leaving gaping needs left unplugged in the winter window to get addressed in summer: Bakrar, Martinez, Fernandez, Perea.

 

[LionNYC]

I think one thing we are missing in terms of depth options behind maxi is maximo, didn't have a chance to see him in preseason but I have a sneaking suspicion that this will be the year he starts getting first team minutes, I would still like us to sign a DP 10 but he shouldn't be counted out.

He wasn't even at preseason since he was with the US U17s

 

[LionNYC]

1. I don't think Jovan is a DP. He was U-22. We should have 2 DP spots open, provided that one is a Young DP.
2. You guys who don't want Gio Reyna are out of your ever-loving minds. I'd take him in a heartbeat. Not only is he a great player, it's a position of need. Plus, he'd excite the fan base beyond measure. Win-win-win.

It's not like Claudio would be driving Gio to training and hanging around the facility in Orangeburg. But what dirt does Claudio have on David Lee that would force his hand to force Pascal to start him every game?

 

[BxLio91]

It's not happening because of the way Gio/Claudio left. Has the club ever posted or even shouted him out since he left? Gio would probably look at it as a step down especially since we're not even a "sexy" team like LAFC or Miami.

 

[ZYanksRule]

no chance. not with Lee. unless there's some superstar out there who wants to come to NYC and really wants to make it work, we aren't filling our DP spots until 2026 at the earliest (my prediction)

I don't agree at all with that. I believe we're going to sign a DP this season. We might not sign the right DP, but we're going to find someone. Maybe it waits to the summer if we want someone from Europe, but we'll find a guy. We've never gone a full season with only 1 DP, there's no reason to expect we would do so now.

I think we're all conflating their failed recent signings with not making moves. They've been making moves, they just haven't made good moves lately on those high-leverage pieces. Medina, Mitrita, Talles, Jovan, even Thiago to some extent ... our history of signing DPs isn't positive, but we've always used that roster mechanism. Maybe we do the 2 DPs/4 U-22s path, but we've always maxed out those roster mechanisms and there's no reason to believe we won't this year.

 

[gbservis]

I don't agree at all with that. I believe we're going to sign a DP this season. We might not sign the right DP, but we're going to find someone. Maybe it waits to the summer if we want someone from Europe, but we'll find a guy. We've never gone a full season with only 1 DP, there's no reason to expect we would do so now.

I think we're all conflating their failed recent signings with not making moves. They've been making moves, they just haven't made good moves lately on those high-leverage pieces. Medina, Mitrita, Talles, Jovan, even Thiago to some extent ... our history of signing DPs isn't positive, but we've always used that roster mechanism. Maybe we do the 2 DPs/4 U-22s path, but we've always maxed out those roster mechanisms and there's no reason to believe we won't this year.

I get your point and I know this is annoying semantics but I don't think wasting a DP slot on a CB that makes barely over the DP threshold is maxing out those spots. We have filled them but we've rarely used DP spots to max potential. Lee saves the big $ for difference-makers like Jovan.

 

[JayH]

2. You guys who don't want Gio Reyna are out of your ever-loving minds. I'd take him in a heartbeat. Not only is he a great player, it's a position of need. Plus, he'd excite the fan base beyond measure. Win-win-win.

I would take him as a DP in a nanosecond.

 

[ZYanksRule]

I get your point and I know this is annoying semantics but I don't think wasting a DP slot on a CB that makes barely over the DP threshold is maxing out those spots. We have filled them but we've rarely used DP spots to max potential. Lee saves the big $ for difference-makers like Jovan.

Very fair. My point is that we always fill those spots, we just don't always fill them with the right players.

I would take him as a DP in a nanosecond.

First of all, I would think he will have opportunities in Europe, and that he's not coming back to MLS at the age of 22. But if he were available, my only concern with Gio is his injury profile. If he can stay on the pitch, he's a no-doubt DP in a position of need for us.

 

[SoupInNYC]

Very fair. My point is that we always fill those spots, we just don't always fill them with the right players.


First of all, I would think he will have opportunities in Europe, and that he's not coming back to MLS at the age of 22. But if he were available, my only concern with Gio is his injury profile. If he can stay on the pitch, he's a no-doubt DP in a position of need for us.

I think, even at his current age, there could be a chance to come to MLS on a 1-1.5 year deal.

He needs minutes in advance of the World Cup, and coming to MLS should guarantee that.

 

[mgarbowski]

Preface: multiple posts anticipated my points but I'm posting anyway.

2. You guys who don't want Gio Reyna are out of your ever-loving minds. I'd take him in a heartbeat. Not only is he a great player, it's a position of need. Plus, he'd excite the fan base beyond measure. Win-win-win.

I did not previously weigh in, but I do have concerns that I cannot wave away: (1) injuries, and (2) If he comes and blows the doors off he will want to leave and soon. It could be just a half-season rental from summer to end of year. If he starts 2026 with us and continues to shine he almost definitely finishes 2026 elsewhere.
I'm tired of the churn. We can't guarantee anyone will want to stay, but Gio would definitely go back to Europe given a chance, and nobody could blame him. If he doesn't draw offers and go it is because he disappointed.
I was recently looking for a post from a ways back and landed on a page from summer of 2023. The discussion point was people unhappy with the Pereira sale, what with him being a lonely bright spot in a terrible season. The counter was: situations where you get offered substantially more than a player is worth come rarely and even if inconvenient you have to take them. Less than 2 years later it's happening again with Santi. If Reyna performs as he and we hope he would, it will happen again within another 1.5 years from now. If I thought Gio put us into cup winning range this year, I'd consider grabbing him this summer. But I think we're too far away from that. A strong first 15-20 games could change my mind, maybe.

ETA: to SoupInNYC's point about Gio getting minutes in MLS pre-World Cup, he's right of course. But if he does well he's definitely gone after the WC.

PPS/EETA: the churn would bother me less if Lee had a better record of moving quickly and competently filling holes.

 

[JayH]

Very fair. My point is that we always fill those spots, we just don't always fill them with the right players.


First of all, I would think he will have opportunities in Europe, and that he's not coming back to MLS at the age of 22. But if he were available, my only concern with Gio is his injury profile. If he can stay on the pitch, he's a no-doubt DP in a position of need for us.

Some of it for me is just getting some fun and excitement out of this. I haven’t been excited for a signing for a while either because we don’t sign anyone at all or we sign some unproven, unheard of player. I try my best with YouTube highlight hype videos but that’s all we can do. Gio has warts and I would have concerns about his fragility and attitude, but signing a US kid, with tons of talent, in a position of need, with my kids already having a collection of his jerseys, would feel different. I certainly can construct a better DP signing but it’s been a rough stretch, so this would be welcome. Of course it’s not happening.

 

[FootyLovin]

If he starts 2026 with us and continues to shine he almost definitely finishes 2026 elsewhere.

I wonder if this is a conversation at all in the club in general. This isn't just a Gio issue. If they want the next DP to be with the club when the stadium opens, then they probably don't want a player on a national team. Because your point probably goes for anyone who shows well at WC26.