I'd rather role the dice with Reid.
2026 Roster and Transfer Discussion Thread
- Thread starter LionNYC
- Start date
Exactly. No reason to experiment with Julian at the 9 when we have an actual 9 with potential. At this point we're just forcing Julian into the lineup to justify his fee. I think this is his last year, so if he doesn't show up again, hopefully we can ship him out.
I worry that Ried is going to get the Maximo and McFarlane bubble wrap treatment. I don't like the Nico false 9 setup, so admittedly, I'm grasping at straws for alternatives. I agree with you and 413Blue, that we should just start Reid, but this team has some history of underutilizing young high-potential prospects.
I guess they can stick Fernandez at the 9 in preseason to see how he handles the job, but my first knee jerk reaction is giving me round peg/square hole Magno vibes.
Speaking of which, I still would like to see the club get him back on the roster somehow. I'm interested in seeing what an older more prepared Magno under a different system can produce. He's not going to make up the 17-18 goals we're losing with Martinez out, but I think he would score more than Fernandez and Ojeda combined.
That's not really setting the bar high, but desperation is a stinky cologne and all that other stuff.
Speaking of which, I still would like to see the club get him back on the roster somehow. I'm interested in seeing what an older more prepared Magno under a different system can produce. He's not going to make up the 17-18 goals we're losing with Martinez out, but I think he would score more than Fernandez and Ojeda combined.
That's not really setting the bar high, but desperation is a stinky cologne and all that other stuff.
Alex Da Silva
Registered
I think this may not be the case for reid just because he is a striker. The best way to inflate the value of a striker is to have him score goals (see the fee we paid for jovan for example). Compare that to defenders (mcfarlane and scally). Maximo is think is just behind our talisman and will hopefully see more minutes this year
Ojeda and Julian are so bad that they've got us all missing Magno.
I worry that Magno and Wolf are redundant. Neither has much pace, and both want to either link up with others or dribble past people. A Maxi, Wolf, Nico, Magno attack might be the slowest attack in the history of the league.
There are rumors on Reddit that we are loaning Magno back to his current team again, but I doubt they are paying his full wages, so that means our roster spot remains tied up. I'd assume it's the same issue with Jovan; there is no way his current club, given his performance, is paying his full $650K salary. We desperately need attackers; either call these guys back and see what they can do under Pascal, or if they don't want to come back, sell them at a loss and move on.
I am not missing Magno, but I would agree he'd be more productive than Ojeda or Julian if he got consistent playing time and I would be curious how he performed under jansen. He was a force in 2018 until the #9 disaster. Having a strong #9 threat definitely helps his case though and that's what we currently do not have with Martinez out. If he gets loaned back then whatever.
I have not seen anything with regards to Jones being available to fully participate in preseason and play again. If he's back, then we will have some pace there if (big IF), he's anywhere near his budding potential before his injury (let's hope so).
And even if Ojeda is not a goal producer, he is at least a pace threat that gives us an outlet when we're under pressure. While he may not score all on his own like Martinez, he may offer a transition threat to at least give opposition defenders something to think about.
In a rare defense of Ojeda and Fernandez, it's possible they would have produced at a similar level to Magno if they got to play next to Taty as well. The guy was a one-man wrecking crew that the entire defense had to track at all times. How much of Magno's production was Magno and how much was Taty?
i agree. magno can't do it on his own. at least he hasn't shown that he can. he's a side kick to the superhero and taty was that. martinez is that in his own way.
Ojeda and Fernandez have had their chance playing with martinez have not shown they can produce.
ezbeezy214
Registered
I’ve been missing Magno since he moved to striker for us. However, I don’t think we are being quite fair to Ojeda lump in with Fernandez. Yes we should look to improve and look for a winger to be our most dynamic player but he did improve massively and can fill a hole in spots. Hypothetical Magno return would have him behind striker and Nico stays on wing. Hes not blistering but his quickness and skill allows him to get by people, and combine in tight spaces.
Last edited:
I thought about this. Dunivant might know soccer and the general ins and outs of being a GM, but has no experience with the many MLS idiosyncrasies. I decided/hoped we have an in-house person fully versed in that who has been assisting Lee since Lee became SD and is doing the same for Dunivant. We knew Lee did that for Reyna but never heard of anyone helping Lee. But there probably was - even though Lee knew it it makes sense to have someone focused on just that aspect.
OTOH, I might be wishcasting.
and... we got a new keeper. just what we needed! he signs from the IIs
www.newyorkcityfc.com
New York City FC Signs Goalkeeper Mac Learned to a First Team Contract | New York City FC
New York City FC today announced that it has signed Goalkeeper Mac Learned to a First Team contract for the 2026 season, with options for June 2027 and the 2027–2028 and 2028–2029 seasons. Learned becomes the sixth player to sign a First Team contract from MLS NEXT Pro affiliate New
www.newyorkcityfc.com
ZYanksRule
Registered
In a vacuum, sure this is fine. But man, we have so many guys signed for the bottom of our roster and we only get 30 roster spots.
We have a total of 33 players signed. Take away players out on loan and we're at 30. I think some of the homegrowns are technically off roster and don't count towards the 30-player max but we just have too many guys at the bottom of the roster who aren't expected to see any playing time, and at some point it's going to impact how many impact players we can bring in.
We have a total of 33 players signed. Take away players out on loan and we're at 30. I think some of the homegrowns are technically off roster and don't count towards the 30-player max but we just have too many guys at the bottom of the roster who aren't expected to see any playing time, and at some point it's going to impact how many impact players we can bring in.
