2026 Roster and Transfer Discussion Thread

[gbservis]

We have taken some big swings though. We have spent a lot of money on players - the scouting didn't work out and the players we spent big on were generally not experienced enough to make a big impact on our team, but the team did spend a lot of money.

If Jovan wants to be here and if Ojeda or Fernandez are what we hoped they would be, we are having a very different conversation about this roster build. The team has spent over $30 million in transfer fees on Fernandez-Mercau, Jovan, Ojeda, and Fernandez.

Nico and Jovan are tied for the largest incoming transfers in team history, Agu is the 5th highest, and Julian is 7th highest.

The team is spending money, they're just not spending it correctly. Hopefully the summer transfers we had this season are the start of a new strategy.

Jovan, Ojeda, and Fernandez weren't signed for NYCFC's success. No one can reasonably look at those guys and call that investing in the club. After the second-worst season in club history, CFG, reportedly over the objections of Lee, used 3 NYCFC premium roster spots to stash the equivalent of lottery tickets on our roster in the form of 18-year-olds, each with less than 20 games of experience. That's not spending money, that's using NYCFC as a farm team, with some terrible scouting to make it worse.

It's okay they went super cheap on the Martin's DP spot because they were generous enough to send us 3 ultra raw, super expensive, useless 18-year-olds!

 

[ZYanksRule]

Jovan, Ojeda, and Fernandez weren't signed for NYCFC's success. No one can reasonably look at those guys and call that investing in the club. After the second-worst season in club history, CFG, reportedly over the objections of Lee, used 3 NYCFC premium roster spots to stash the equivalent of lottery tickets on our roster in the form of 18-year-olds, each with less than 20 games of experience. That's not spending money, that's using NYCFC as a farm team, with some terrible scouting to make it worse.

It's okay they went super cheap on the Martin's DP spot because they were generous enough to send us 3 ultra raw, super expensive, useless 18-year-olds!

I don't think it's that simple though. I agree with you that they signed those guys hoping they'd develop here so they could be sold on at profit, but they expected those players to succeed here. I believe MLS has been improving at a faster clip than CFG realizes, and they have misjudged the quality of players needed to succeed in this rapidly improving league.

Yes those players were developmental projects, but CFG had no concept they would fail here. Yes those players were signed to improve CFG coffers, but if those players hit they improve our team while also being beneficial for CFG. $30 million is still $30 million. They spent on the wrong players, but I just don't ascribe to the theory they spent that money without thinking it would benefit our roster and our success.

 

[KevinJRogers]

Hopefully the summer transfers we had this season are the start of a new strategy.

And hopefully the Dunivant hiring is a sign of good things to come, too.

 

[ZYanksRule]

And hopefully the Dunivant hiring is a sign of good things to come, too.

Yeah I have no idea what to make of that. Hopefully the team does a press conference with him where we learn a little more.

 

[KevinJRogers]

Yeah I have no idea what to make of that. Hopefully the team does a press conference with him where we learn a little more.

Seriously. If we get the usual corporate pablum, I'm going to start from a place of disappointment and skepticism. Which would suck.

But if Dunivant speaks freely and it's clear we have a true sportsman on our hands rather than some pencil pusher, count me in for dancing in the streets.

I suspect we do. From what I saw of him at Sacramento Republic, the dude really, really likes to win.

 

[Gene]

Anyone interested in the Draft? Looks like we have 4 picks in the 1st 3 Rounds.

2026 MLS Mock Draft - DraftUtopia.com

Draft Utopia's 2026 MLS Mock Draft provides you with a comprehensive mock draft for the upcoming 2026 MLS Draft.

draftutopia.com

27.

New York City F.C.: Diego Hernandez, M, Furman

New York City F.C. ran a 5-4-1 formation with five defenders, four midfielders, and 1 forward. New York City F.C. is the only team that has came close to making a dent in my MLS Playoff Bracket so far which is what this intial MLS Mock Draft will be based on.

New York City F.C. has Alonso Martinez playing the 9 at striker. Alonso Martinez had 17 goals in 2025.

New York City F.C. has Nicolas Fernandez at the 11 at left winger. Maxi Moralez plays the 10 at attacking midfielder and is a UFA as Maxi Moralez led New York City F.C. in assists this year. Aiden O'Neill plays the 8 at central midfielder, and Hannes Wolf plays the 7 at right winger.

New York City F.C. has Kevin O'Toole at the 2 at left back. Raul Gustavo plays the 4 at sweeper, Justin Haak is a UFA and he plays the 6 at defensive midfielder even though a third center back is recommended when you run a formation like a 5-4-1 versus a defensive midfieder, Thiago plays the 5 at center back, and Tayvon Gray plays the 3 at right back.

Matt Freese plays the 1 at goalie. The homegrown goalie had 96 saves and 8 shutouts in 2025.

New York can draft the best player available. I am giving New York a midfielder for depth that will not require an International roster slot. The player I gave them at 11 is Furman midfielder Diego Hernandez.

The 5-9 150 lb Diego Hernandez can play the 6 at defensive midfielder, the 8 at central midfielder, and the 10 at attacking midfielder. Diego Hernandez has 10 goals, 9 assists, 29 points, and has helped Furman record 10 shutouts as a junior as Furman defeated UNC Greensboro in the 2025 So Con Conference Championship game with Diego Hernandez playing good defense in that contest as Furman defeated Portland in the Elite 8 of the 2025 College Cup and will face Washington in the Final 4 of the 2025 College Cup in 2025.

57.

New York City F.C.: Jaylen Yearwood, D, North Florida

Historically speaking a wing back is a better scheme fit for a defense like a 5-4-1. One of the best wing backs in college soccer that could be available in the second round is North Florida wing back Jaylen Yearwood.

The 6-0 165 lb Jaylen Yearwood has the versatility to play the 2 at left back, the 3 at right back, the 4 at sweeper, the 5 at center back, the 6 at defensive midfielder, the 7 at right winger, the 8 at central midfielder, the 10 at attacking midfielder, and the 11 at left winger. Jaylen Yearwood had 1 goal, 6 assists, 8 points, helped North Florida record 9 shutouts, and helped North Florida win the 2025 Altantic Sun Conference Tournament to get to the 2025 College Cup as a senior in 2025.

Jaylen Yearwood talks about always working hard and never settling for anything in life. He mentions how you constantly have to keep improving if you want to achieve goals in life. Not only is this soccer player versatile enough to play anywhere outside of striker, he's got a fantastic attitude as well as a top notch outlook on life. He also had a 3.76 GPA in High School and managed to improve that once he got to North Florida. Some players have red flags and red lights with attitudes. This young man has a green flag or a green light for character which is a positive as far as I'm concerned. I got Jaylen Yearwood in the second round, but if North Florida upsets North Carolina in the 2025 College Cup, this is a man who could possibly get first round consideration. North Florida led North Carolina, but lost to North Carolina in penalty kicks.

71.

New York City F.C.: Elias Khodri, F, New Hampshire

New York City F.C. gets a striker for depth in the third round. Elias Khodri can play the 11 at left winger and the 9 at striker.

The 6-1 179 lb Elias Khodri started out at Northeastern Junior College with 8 goals, 6 assists, and 22 points in 2023. Elias Khodri had 9 goals, 1 assist, and 19 points at Gardner-Webb in 2024. /

87.

New York City F.C.: Sadam Masereka, F, Maryland

New York City F.C. drafts a forward for depth in the third round. Sadam Maserka can play the 7 at right winger, the 9 at striker, or the 11 at left winger. He also was one of Maryland's leaders in generating goals this season.

The 5-9 150 lb Sadam Maserka had 9 goals, 5 assists, and 23 points in 2025. Maryland made the Elite 8 before they lost to Washington. Sadam Masereka also got an invite to the 2025 MLS College Showcase, so he's probably done enough to be drafted this year.

 

[ALBNYfan]

NO!!!

Source: Justin Haak, NYCFC talks break down amid teeming free-agent market – amNewYork

Talks between NYCFC and burgeoning American Justin Haak have broken down, and it is unlikely that he will return to his long-time club, a source with

www.amny.com

 

[LionNYC]

Fire Todd Dunviant already before he's even officially on!

 

[KevinJRogers]

NO!!!

Source: Justin Haak, NYCFC talks break down amid teeming free-agent market – amNewYork

Talks between NYCFC and burgeoning American Justin Haak have broken down, and it is unlikely that he will return to his long-time club, a source with

www.amny.com

This could be a little posturing. But I have little doubt, a couple teams in the Bundesliga would love to have him. Augsburg especially looks like a candidate.

And we all know half of MLS would take him in a heartbeat. If we come light, he's gone.

 

[mgarbowski]

Yes those players were developmental projects, but CFG had no concept they would fail here. Yes those players were signed to improve CFG coffers, but if those players hit they improve our team while also being beneficial for CFG. $30 million is still $30 million. They spent on the wrong players, but I just don't ascribe to the theory they spent that money without thinking it would benefit our roster and our success.

The problem is that they went all in on a high risk high reward approach, with the risk shared by the sporting and financial sides, and the reward largely financial. Jovan, Ojeda, and Fernandez were 18, 19 and 19 when signed. It's a U-22 program, not U-20. You go that young to maximize sell on profits, not to help the team, especially a team coming off its second worst season ever. Viewed charitably, I still believe they vastly overestimated their ability to identify hidden talents that would flourish in MLS. In reality, I do not believe any team in MLS has a proven track record of signing and developing young foreign talent consistently, with a > 50-60% hit rate. I don't even think the success rate signing 23-28 year olds is particularly solid league wide, even though those players on the whole do better than teenagers. Put another way, I think CFG believed (believes?) it has a Moneyball-type edge in identifying soccer production it simply never had, at least not to the degree they think they have. In their minds, they weren't putting CFG money ahead of NYCFC success. They believed it was a high probability win-win.

 

[mgarbowski]

Regarding Haak, I'm going to defend the front office, at least conditionally. I think there's a common view that if he leaves then the FO failed, especially if he stays in MLS. That might be so, but I need to find out how much he ends up getting paid before I have an opinion on that. This is very much still a capped league, especially for domestic players. He might end up overpaid, or not. But I can't judge that now. In that respect, I also believe the following:

• if we preemptively offered him a raise this year that is substantially higher than what he has been paid but below his eventual free agent value, Haak would be no more likely to accept less to stay with NYCFC than he is now. because why should he?
• If we offered him actual fair market value pre-2025 as if he were already a FA, there's no way to know if he would have accepted. Once you offer him $x00k most players start to think "I'm probably worth even more."

We will probably never know, but I still believe the most likely reason he has not been signed is that he was determined to test his value both in MLS and internationally.* Even if the club offered him a raise and extension, and my guess is they did, I think he wanted to full control over any move, even at the cost of playing for less in 2025. This is mostly because I see him as someone who has come to fully believe in himself and wants to get all he can out of it. I think he decided to go high risk high reward, and it's likely to pay off for him. I'm not at all confident we could have signed him for any amount that would not have been a severe over-payment under the salary cap.

* Most players who have done this in almost every sport come out ahead. Absent injury or a mysterious performance fall-off, they almost always benefit from a bidding situation. Players also generally benefit from not extending before they have to - especially in capped leagues - because the cap almost always goes up, so you leave money on the table when you fix your value prematurely.

 

[KevinJRogers]

I think CFG believed (believes?) it has a Moneyball-type edge in identifying soccer production it simply never had.

I agree with this. It's actually one of the reasons why I've always wondered how much influence CFG really has and how much our roster construction decisions were David Lee.

His background is in analytics, after all. It profiles just as much as him leveraging the CFG scouting department and rooting around in the dirty data to find truffles as it does the Mothership parking talent on our team sheet.

So, I've never been able to come down on one side or the other.

I agree on the hit rate too, but that's to be expected. Any professional gambler will tell you, if they hit on 53 percent of their bets, they're having a very big year. And every signing is a gamble. (So much of analytics is designed around gambling too, for what it's worth.) The number of locks you get on the open market — say, Nico, who was clearly going to be a dude — is pretty limited. Most players are a guess, numbers or no numbers.

 

[KevinJRogers]

Regarding Haak, I'm going to defend the front office, at least conditionally. I think there's a common view that if he leaves then the FO failed, especially if he stays in MLS. That might be so, but I need to find out how much he ends up getting paid before I have an opinion on that. This is very much still a capped league, especially for domestic players. He might end up overpaid, or not. But I can't judge that now. In that respect, I also believe the following:

• if we preemptively offered him a raise this year that is substantially higher than what he has been paid but below his eventual free agent value, Haak would be no more likely to accept less to stay with NYCFC than he is now. because why should he?
• If we offered him actual fair market value pre-2025 as if he were already a FA, there's no way to know if he would have accepted. Once you offer him $x00k most players start to think "I'm probably worth even more."

We will probably never know, but I still believe the most likely reason he has not been signed is that he was determined to test his value both in MLS and internationally.* Even if the club offered him a raise and extension, and my guess is they did, I think he wanted to full control over any move, even at the cost of playing for less in 2025. This is mostly because I see him as someone who has come to fully believe in himself and wants to get all he can out of it. I think he decided to go high risk high reward, and it's likely to pay off for him. I'm not at all confident we could have signed him for any amount that would not have been a severe over-payment under the salary cap.

* Most players who have done this in almost every sport come out ahead. Absent injury or a mysterious performance fall-off, they almost always benefit from a bidding situation. Players also generally benefit from not extending before they have to - especially in capped leagues - because the cap almost always goes up, so you leave money on the table when you fix your value prematurely.

Agreed again.

 

[mgarbowski]

I agree with this.

Responding because while you were posting this I added a clause to the sentence of mine which you quoted to clarify that I do think CFG has some edge in talent evaluation and recognition. It's just not as much as they think it is.

 

[KevinJRogers]

Responding because while you were posting this I added a clause to the sentence of mine which you quoted to clarify that I do think CFG has some edge in talent evaluation and recognition. It's just not as much as they think it is.

I think you're right about that, too. And it wouldn't be the first time success has bred arrogance.

 

[gbservis]

Regarding Haak, I'm going to defend the front office, at least conditionally. I think there's a common view that if he leaves then the FO failed, especially if he stays in MLS. That might be so, but I need to find out how much he ends up getting paid before I have an opinion on that. This is very much still a capped league, especially for domestic players. He might end up overpaid, or not. But I can't judge that now. In that respect, I also believe the following:

• if we preemptively offered him a raise this year that is substantially higher than what he has been paid but below his eventual free agent value, Haak would be no more likely to accept less to stay with NYCFC than he is now. because why should he?
• If we offered him actual fair market value pre-2025 as if he were already a FA, there's no way to know if he would have accepted. Once you offer him $x00k most players start to think "I'm probably worth even more."

We will probably never know, but I still believe the most likely reason he has not been signed is that he was determined to test his value both in MLS and internationally.* Even if the club offered him a raise and extension, and my guess is they did, I think he wanted to full control over any move, even at the cost of playing for less in 2025. This is mostly because I see him as someone who has come to fully believe in himself and wants to get all he can out of it. I think he decided to go high risk high reward, and it's likely to pay off for him. I'm not at all confident we could have signed him for any amount that would not have been a severe over-payment under the salary cap.

* Most players who have done this in almost every sport come out ahead. Absent injury or a mysterious performance fall-off, they almost always benefit from a bidding situation. Players also generally benefit from not extending before they have to - especially in capped leagues - because the cap almost always goes up, so you leave money on the table when you fix your value prematurely.

Raul makes $812,960. Risa made $908,250. I'd say that's a good barometer for a starting nycfc CB and I think you can argue that Haak is better than both, doesn't take an international spot and has a higher sell on upside due to his age. If they let him walk for less than $900k, I'm calling it a failure.

 

[moogoo]

NO!!!

Source: Justin Haak, NYCFC talks break down amid teeming free-agent market – amNewYork

Talks between NYCFC and burgeoning American Justin Haak have broken down, and it is unlikely that he will return to his long-time club, a source with

www.amny.com

meanwhile miami signing a defender from the EPL still in his prime.

front office has no excuse not to make big moves and make stuff happen unless they are basically admitting they are being hamstrung by CFG instead of aided. to not make this team an automatic contender on paper in 2026 would be an absolute waste. i don't care that the new SD hasn't started yet. jansen should already have a list of players to look at and things should already be in the works.

 

[gbservis]

meanwhile miami signing a defender from the EPL still in his prime.

front office has no excuse not to make big moves and make stuff happen unless they are basically admitting they are being hamstrung by CFG instead of aided. to not make this team an automatic contender on paper in 2026 would be an absolute waste. i don't care that the new SD hasn't started yet. jansen should already have a list of players to look at and things should already be in the works.

Brad Sims is too busy trying to spin that signing a guy from the Spanish second division was some sort of major accomplishment to notice other teams signing in prime EPL players.

 

[mgarbowski]

Raul makes $812,960. Risa made $908,250. I'd say that's a good barometer for a starting nycfc CB and I think you can argue that Haak is better than both, doesn't take an international spot and has a higher sell on upside due to his age. If they let him walk for less than $900k, I'm calling it a failure.

That's the range where I am. I do wonder if someone will offer him $1m+, or if he gets Europe offers.

 

[BC19]

I too envy other teams front offices and them getting to participate in the offseason but Reguillon hasn’t for played for Spurs in months and has been a free agent since June.