Nick Cushing Named Interim HC (Jul '22) / HC (Nov '22) / Fired (Nov ‘24)

[ZYanksRule]

One more aspect of this: If David Lee had a problem with Nick Cushing's usage, I would think they talked about it. Sporting Directors and head coaches usually have a pretty close working relationship, so it would seem to make sense they discussed these issues. Which makes it all the more strange that Nick would potentially have continued to refuse to do what David wanted.

 

[Revfugee]

A shorter version of my previous post: we didn’t see enough of Julian and Ojeda to know how good they are. They sure look more AAA than single A to me. Certainly each has scored at least one banger at a key moment. Also nobody seems to want to acknowledge MacFarlane. Maybe CFG wanted him bubble wrapped but why even carry him if he never sees any action? He was one of our best players when on. Then Poof! Is that on Lee or Cushing? Or CFG? I suppose Nick can answer that now. That’s what I want to know…

I agree that Tigres showed our ceiling and it was high. We seldom got close to that level and IMHO that is on the manager first and foremost.

 

[KevinJRogers]

The weirder thing for me is that after Malachi went down and Hannes Wolf stopped producing, Julian and Ojeda still got no time in the rotation. Ojeda especially looked good earlier in the season with the time he got.

I was wondering about this myself. Trapito essentially disappeared, and after he had stopped retreating and back passing in the face of pressure and started taking people on more. I would have thought he'd get the starts at left wing after Malachi got hurt (until then, I was cool with them rotating). But poof.

I would have thought Julian and Hannes would have similarly been in rotation on the right side. I get having Wolfie carry the majority of minutes, but using Fernandez only in garbage time or as a late desperation sub seems a waste for his physical talent. Maybe it's because of whatever was going on in his headspace, but I thought that he had shown noticeable, if not significant, improvement late in the year.

But, as I said during the season, Nick knows his squad far better than I ever could. I'm not going to second guess him now. That wouldn't be fair. And it's not like they didn't get a chance at all. Ojeda got 11 starts and Fernandez got six. I'm just legitimately curious as to why their trajectory took the shape it did over the course of the campaign.

 

[EganSoccerWords]

they had 4-5 games together in 23 at the end of the season. it just never gelled and maybe never had enough time to gel. who knows.

Talles started the last four games of the season and we went 2-1-1. Was some of the best looking football we played all season.

 

[Gotham Gator]

Some articles (speculative) about our next head coach.

Let's try to guess the next NYCFC head coach

Who will fill that New York City FC coaching vacancy? We made five totally plausible, semi-educated guesses.

www.hudsonriverblue.com

OFFSIDE REMARKS: It's time to come home; Savarese would be a perfect fit as NYCFC head coach - Front Row Soccer

So, New York City FC is looking for a new coach in the wake of the Nick Cushing firing earlier today.

www.frontrowsoccer.com

 

[EganSoccerWords]

Medhi Ballouchy will get some internal consideration. He was ready to take the interim tag if Cushing got fired in 2023.

 

[gbservis]

Medhi Ballouchy will get some internal consideration. He was ready to take the interim tag if Cushing got fired in 2023.

Cushing appeared to consult with Medhi often during the games so he clearly valued his insight. That said it's hard to imagine the club deciding to dump Cushing as they didn't like the results but then turning to one of his top assistants to turn things around.

I do think it's highly likely that the next coach is a CFG insider. Everyone keeps floating Gio, but I can't imagine any of the big names taking the job without assurances that CFG is willing to enhance the roster. No CFG outsider will tow the company line if CFG continues to focus the majority of the spending on multi-year development projects like Jovan, Ojeda, and Fernandez. Big-name coaches have reputations to protect and are going to want to win now.

 

[Shwafta]

Going from Assistant coach to another Assistant coach as head coach would be wild. I'd prefer if we got someone else. I'd be happy with Savarese

 

[moogoo]

i wouldn't be surprised if the II squad coach gets promoted since his job was mainly to develop young talent and that is essentially our roster now.

 

[ZYanksRule]

Going from Assistant coach to another Assistant coach as head coach would be wild. I'd prefer if we got someone else. I'd be happy with Savarese

Yeah, I like the idea of Savarese but I get the feeling it will be someone we've never heard of before.

 

[EganSoccerWords]

Cushing appeared to consult with Medhi often during the games so he clearly valued his insight. That said it's hard to imagine the club deciding to dump Cushing as they didn't like the results but then turning to one of his top assistants to turn things around.

I do think it's highly likely that the next coach is a CFG insider. Everyone keeps floating Gio, but I can't imagine any of the big names taking the job without assurances that CFG is willing to enhance the roster. No CFG outsider will tow the company line if CFG continues to focus the majority of the spending on multi-year development projects like Jovan, Ojeda, and Fernandez. Big-name coaches have reputations to protect and are going to want to win now.

Well he's not Cushing's guy, NYCFC had him here for every manager outside of Kreis who he played for.

 

[KevinJRogers]

Yeah, I like the idea of Savarese but I get the feeling it will be someone we've never heard of before.

Vicens is intriguing if it's not Savarese.

At this point though, I'm just hoping we get it right. I was shocked Nick got the axe at this point in our trajectory. I thought he'd get another full year to carry the project through. If it turned out he couldn't, that would have been it for him, and we still would have had another full year before our park opens.

With him going now, two-thirds of the way through the transition, we must assume the next coach is the one who is going to get us into and through 2027, and with the core David Lee has constructed. So, this is a huge hire.

 

[ZYanksRule]

Vicens is intriguing if it's not Savarese.

At this point though, I'm just hoping we get it right. I was shocked Nick got the axe at this point in our trajectory. I thought he'd get another full year to carry the project through. If it turned out he couldn't, that would have been it for him, and we still would have had another full year before our park opens.

With him going now, two-thirds of the way through the transition, we must assume the next coach is the one who is going to get us into and through 2027, and with the core David Lee has constructed. So, this is a huge hire.

On the other end, firing him now indicates this organization wants to win in 2025 and believes it has the pieces in place. I don't think our roster is as good as LAFC, LA Galaxy, Columbus, Cincy, or Miami, and I'm not sure any coach is getting us a trophy in 2025, but hopefully the next coach will drag more production out of the young guys.

 

[gbservis]

On the other end, firing him now indicates this organization wants to win in 2025 and believes it has the pieces in place. I don't think our roster is as good as LAFC, LA Galaxy, Columbus, Cincy, or Miami, and I'm not sure any coach is getting us a trophy in 2025, but hopefully the next coach will drag more production out of the young guys.

I don't think we are far from being back in that upper echelon. We will be a very dangerous team if we can keep most of our core intact, sign an experienced difference maker for the attack with the Magno DP spot, and get a reasonable leap from 1-2 of any of the young guys (Jones, Ojeda, Fernandez, or Bakrar).

Bonus points if they can ship Jovan back to Europe as he clearly never wanted to be here in the first place.

 

[ZYanksRule]

I don't think we are far from being back in that upper echelon. We will be a very dangerous team if we can keep most of our core intact, sign an experienced difference maker for the attack with the Magno DP spot, and get a reasonable leap from 1-2 of any of the young guys (Jones, Ojeda, Fernandez, or Bakrar).

Bonus points if they can ship Jovan back to Europe as he clearly never wanted to be here in the first place.

We do have a chance to get some good players in this winter. If Jovan and Julian leave, plus we sign a new DP to replace Magno, that's three potential impact players. With the right signings, we can dream on this team.

 

[KevinJRogers]

(H)opefully the next coach will drag more production out of the young guys.

I'm convinced it had everything to do with exactly that issue. Personally, I find it very encouraging. We're meant to compete in our own league on our own terms, not just serve as a cog in the machine for the Mothership.

Now the question is whether Lee got it right. He obviously thinks he did.

We do have a chance to get some good players in this winter. If Jovan and Julian leave, plus we sign a new DP to replace Magno, that's three potential impact players. With the right signings, we can dream on this team.

A couple months ago, Jovan liked a message on his Instagram: "Time to come home my little brother." He's not super active on there in terms of engagement, and he doesn't like many replies, so I noticed it. The pics were all of him standing in front of what I assume is his apartment building in the Forgotten Man pose. Very melancholy.

It might not mean anything other than he was discouraged about his lack of playing time. And a new coach might unlock him. We might even have a monster on our roster without realizing it. But we can't know for sure unless he gets the kind of opportunity to show out that Mounsef got.

As to Julian ... man, I don't know what to say. Sweet kid, tons of physical talent, but he's so raw. That being said, is he another potential monster lurking in our squad? What will he be if and when it finally goes click in his head?

Looking around at all the raw material, I'd be pretty excited as a new coach coming in.

 

[gbservis]

I'm convinced it had everything to do with exactly that issue. Personally, I find it very encouraging. We're meant to compete in our own league on our own terms, not just serve as a cog in the machine for the Mothership.

Now the question is whether Lee got it right. He obviously thinks he did.

A couple months ago, Jovan liked a message on his Instagram: "Time to come home my little brother." He's not super active on there in terms of engagement, and he doesn't like many replies, so I noticed it. The pics were all of him standing in front of what I assume is his apartment building in the Forgotten Man pose. Very melancholy.

It might not mean anything other than he was discouraged about his lack of playing time. And a new coach might unlock him. We might even have a monster on our roster without realizing it. But we can't know for sure unless he gets the kind of opportunity to show out that Mounsef got.

As to Julian ... man, I don't know what to say. Sweet kid, tons of physical talent, but he's so raw. That being said, is he another potential monster lurking in our squad? What will he be if and when it finally goes click in his head?

Looking around at all the raw material, I'd be pretty excited as a new coach coming in.

Unlocking Jovan's potential will be a significant challenge for any new coach. The options are clear: either motivate him to adapt his playing style and embrace our system, or overhaul our tactics to accommodate a striker who refuses to press and rarely runs in behind.

The latter approach—adapting our tactics—seems more plausible, but it raises serious questions. Can our wingers thrive in a system built around Jovan’s strengths, leveraging the chances and passes he creates? Are we prepared to sacrifice the effectiveness of our other attackers by abandoning the press to suit him?

Jovan's style is well-documented in his Red Star days, so it’s worth asking: what did Lee and CFG envision? Did they believe Nick could coach Jovan to fit the system? Did they expect Nick to adjust tactics around him? Or, was it the most cynical possibility—that CFG wanted Jovan without much thought to his fit, leaving Lee and Cushing stuck with the consequences?

 

[ALBNYfan]

Doesn't seem like they had someone in mind if they hope to make a decision by Christmas.

The Outfield (@theoutfield.nyc)

NYCFC CEO Brad Sims said that the club wants to finish the head coaching search by Christmas. Might not get done in that window, but would allow time to process a visa if needed.

bsky.app

 

[gbservis]

Doesn't seem like they had someone in mind if they hope to make a decision by Christmas.

The Outfield (@theoutfield.nyc)

NYCFC CEO Brad Sims said that the club wants to finish the head coaching search by Christmas. Might not get done in that window, but would allow time to process a visa if needed.

bsky.app

I'm not entirely convinced of that for a couple of reasons. They could know but didn't want to overshadow the stadium announcement so they held off. They also have a number of internal candidates that they need to at least give a chance to interview for the position. Even if they are fairly set on a candidate I'm not surprised at all that they are taking the time to go through the motions.

 

[KevinJRogers]

Unlocking Jovan's potential will be a significant challenge for any new coach. The options are clear: either motivate him to adapt his playing style and embrace our system, or overhaul our tactics to accommodate a striker who refuses to press and rarely runs in behind.

The latter approach—adapting our tactics—seems more plausible, but it raises serious questions. Can our wingers thrive in a system built around Jovan’s strengths, leveraging the chances and passes he creates? Are we prepared to sacrifice the effectiveness of our other attackers by abandoning the press to suit him?

Jovan's style is well-documented in his Red Star days, so it’s worth asking: what did Lee and CFG envision? Did they believe Nick could coach Jovan to fit the system? Did they expect Nick to adjust tactics around him? Or, was it the most cynical possibility—that CFG wanted Jovan without much thought to his fit, leaving Lee and Cushing stuck with the consequences?

Excellent questions. Were I to get a sit-down interview with David Lee, these are the ones I would ask him, at least as it relates to Jovan.

For the record, my money is on the tactical adjustment option. Lee may have had the vision of very pacey, adept wingers doing the pressing and disrupting with Jovan as the linchpin at the center, while Nick may have been fully committed to the CFG Way. Which would explain Jovan falling down a bottomless well late in the year.

But we won't know unless somebody asks.