Todd Dunivant Named New York City FC Sporting Director

[ZYanksRule]

Tommy Scoops with the big news. Fascinating that we've gone for someone from the USL, albeit from a very successful team in USL. :

https://twitter.com/x/status/1995681599678222431

Full details:

NYCFC names Todd Dunivant new chief soccer officer: Sources

Dunivant had a standout career in MLS as a player, and he's back in the league after guiding USL Championship's Sacramento Republic

www.nytimes.com

 

[ezbeezy214]

Good luck to Mr. Dunivant. If he signed Shannon Gomez, I trust him.

 

[LionNYC]

Think this B-. No work in MLS or higher league in the soccer world. Hope it does well, but what does he actually do for this team.

 

[KevinJRogers]

Think this B-. No work in MLS or higher league in the soccer world. Hope it does well, but what does he actually do for this team.

Hmm. I don't know about that grade. He was more than just the Sporting Director at Sacramento. Really, he ran the whole show, so he has a lot of executive experience, which might come in handy in the very near future.

He has a ton of experience as an MLS player too (I counted 270 regular season starts). He knows what it's like to win silverware. And he was an in-the-trenches defender.

This could be a sign (oh please please please) of us moving away from David Lee's bloodless, analytical approach and getting more in line with Pascal's "bulletproof mentality."

 

[Shwafta]

What I'm more interested in is the narrative from so many people about the "cfg way"... What does this say about that? I somehow doubt he will be a yes-man. So maybe they see something in him for the good of our team in the long run and don't think he'll be moving anytime soon. This is the guy that will bring in our new stadium players.

I'm very intrigued, to say the least.

 

[mgarbowski]

I'm glad it's not a CFG insider. We'll see if that means he's more independent. Super optimistic take would be that this means CFG has learned something about central Mancunian planning.
I think it should be easier to move up to a larger budget than the reverse. But the USL has no cap, just a budgetary reality for each team. Living within a single budget is simpler than living within a cap with subcategories, special situations and Garber bucks. David Lee was the cap guy for Reyna. We don't know if Lee had a cap specialist or did it himself. I hope he had a cap helper, and I hope that person stays or we hire someone experienced to do it for Dunivant.

 

[DeGrozz]

Not that Lee was awful for the club overall, but you'd have to think that any semi-competent executive should be able to match his results as long as the resources don't dry up.

Not overly worried.

And on a positive note, I swear I've heard while streaming one of their games that Sacramento's academy/youth set up has had a decent impact on their first team -- a nice trend of ours that I'm sure we'd all love to see continue.

 

[LionNYC]

Biggest news is that he starts on January 1, 2026. That's a lot of time in terms of negotiations for out of contract players like Maxi, Justin, and Pepe.

Todd Dunivant Named New York City FC Sporting Director | New York City FC

New York City FC today announced Todd Dunivant as the Club’s Sporting Director ahead of the 2026 Major League Soccer season. Dunivant will join New York City FC from USL Championship side Sacramento Republic FC, where he served as the club’s General Manager since 2018 and President since 2021. Under

www.newyorkcityfc.com

 

[KevinJRogers]

Biggest news is that he starts on January 1, 2026. That's a lot of time in terms of negotiations for out of contract players like Maxi, Justin, and Pepe.

Todd Dunivant Named New York City FC Sporting Director | New York City FC

New York City FC today announced Todd Dunivant as the Club’s Sporting Director ahead of the 2026 Major League Soccer season. Dunivant will join New York City FC from USL Championship side Sacramento Republic FC, where he served as the club’s General Manager since 2018 and President since 2021. Under

www.newyorkcityfc.com

The release says "first official day" on Jan. 1, so hopefully that means he's involved in negotiations now. At least I hope that's the case.

I also hope this means a new era for our team, in terms of both transparency and operations. We need to know our Sporting Director is making decisions for us and not having his strings pulled from Manchester. And we need him to talk to us. Enough with this inscrutable, black box shit. We're not the goddamn CIA.

 

[CCMore]

Well, he looks a lot less skeavy than Lee so that’s a bonus. His statement was a little bit canned but I think there is some genuine excitement there. I wonder if he was apart of the bid to make Sacramento the expansion side a few years back and what in the end sank them. With his background as president of the club and history of creating competitive teams, I hope he has the spine to stand up to the CFG network and do what’s right for the club.

 

[KevinJRogers]

Well, he looks a lot less skeavy than Lee so that’s a bonus. His statement was a little bit canned but I think there is some genuine excitement there. I wonder if he was apart of the bid to make Sacramento the expansion side a few years back and what in the end sank them. With his background as president of the club and history of creating competitive teams, I hope he has the spine to stand up to the CFG network and do what’s right for the club.

We'll find out soon enough. The first order of business is Pepe. I get the Salary Budget squeeze and the realities of the math, but you don't leave your wounded behind.

Decency aside, it's horrible for morale. Mercenary armies don't win wars. To really be champions, and consistently, we need esprit de corps.

If they cut Perea loose while he's laid up after blowing out his ankle on the field of battle, it's going to send a message throughout the organization: it's just business. Don't go all out for the crest, because the crest won't go all out for you. Make your name with one eye on the door to make your bank elsewhere.

There's already an aspect of that in soccer, and not just for us. It's part of the culture. But if you make it the primary part rather than the secondary part, well ... then we really are just a development squad and all the rhetoric about being a truly big club is just bullshit to sell seats and swag.

So, let's see what Dunivant brings. I like his resumé and story. He seems to fit in nicely with Brad and Pascale. We could be at the start of something great. But he must get off on the right foot (no pun intended).

 

[Revfugee]

I think it's more than a B-. Few SDs have manageed sustained success in MLS and most of them are either locked in and/or wouldn't want CFG over their shoulder. I'm OK with an up and comer. If we get a few good years out of him and or a cup, and he moves on, fine.

If it were Vermes or Curtin I would not be happy, as I found both of their squads dreary to watch.

The key here is going to be how he and Pascal work together. Fingers crossed

 

[Revfugee]

Good review from Scaramento:

Key Quote: "Dunivant’s legacy in Sacramento extends beyond the boardroom. His background as a player—more than 300 MLS appearances, an MLS Best XI selection, multiple MLS Cups, two Supporters’ Shields, and a U.S. Open Cup title—shaped his approach as an executive. He carried the same professionalism and competitive edge into Sacramento’s front office, helping elevate standards across the organization.

His departure marks the end of an era for Republic FC. But it also marks the beginning of a new one—one where the club must choose its next leader at a moment when the stakes have never been higher. With a new home on the horizon and the club’s ambitions still pointing upward, Sacramento now faces one of its most consequential decisions.

For now, though, the story is simple:

Todd Dunivant leaves Sacramento stronger than he found it. And as Tom Bogert’s reporting makes clear, MLS clubs took notice.
."

Todd Dunivant Departs Republic FC for NYCFC

Reporting confirmed by Tom Bogert of The Athletic

www.quailcitysoccer.com

 

[gbservis]

I think it's more than a B-. Few SDs have manageed sustained success in MLS and most of them are either locked in and/or wouldn't want CFG over their shoulder. I'm OK with an up and comer. If we get a few good years out of him and or a cup, and he moves on, fine.

If it were Vermes or Curtin I would not be happy, as I found both of their squads dreary to watch.

The key here is going to be how he and Pascal work together. Fingers crossed

I agree it's better than a B- for sure. Dunivant is coming from the USL, but he's very ingrained in all US domestic soccer with experience with USL, MLS, and the USMNT. Compared to an internal CFG/European candidate, in addition to not being beholden to the mothership, Dunivant comes with some very significant advantages:

• Familiarity with operating within capped systems and even the concept of a salary cap not being completely foreign, as it would be for someone from Europe
• Extensive knowledge of the US talent pool - he certainly knows USL, but I'm sure he was tracking MLS players too. We could actually see a return to the days of an occasional quality MLS/USL depth signing.
• A strong connection to the domestic US soccer network - We can't underestimate how much of an insiders club US soccer can be. MLS front offices are stacked with guys who share backgrounds with Dunivant. If you have a good player on a decent deal that needs a move for one reason or another, who are you calling first, a CFG stranger in David Lee or the guy you played against in MLS or went to USMNT training camp with?

I'm with you that I prefer this more than someone like Vermes or Curtin. I'm honestly pretty excited about Dunivant.

 

[DeGrozz]

Biggest news is that he starts on January 1, 2026. That's a lot of time in terms of negotiations for out of contract players like Maxi, Justin, and Pepe.

Todd Dunivant Named New York City FC Sporting Director | New York City FC

New York City FC today announced Todd Dunivant as the Club’s Sporting Director ahead of the 2026 Major League Soccer season. Dunivant will join New York City FC from USL Championship side Sacramento Republic FC, where he served as the club’s General Manager since 2018 and President since 2021. Under

www.newyorkcityfc.com

I'm guessing the good thing is Maxi seems like he has to make a personal decision. I'm not sure if the club is going to influence his decision as much as his life at home does. With Pereira, the club declined the option, it makes me think they are probably already down the path of structuring a new deal or are ready to let him walk.

For Haak, well that's the biggie...

 

[ZYanksRule]

I'm guessing the good thing is Maxi seems like he has to make a personal decision. I'm not sure if the club is going to influence his decision as much as his life at home does. With Pereira, the club declined the option, it makes me think they are probably already down the path of structuring a new deal or are ready to let him walk.

For Haak, well that's the biggie...

That's an interesting hypothesis on Perea, and I could absolutely see that being the reason they declined his option. He was so good this year, he absolutely earned a new contract before the injury.

It's so hard for me to deduce anything from a sporting director hire for this club because we legitimately have no idea what autonomy Todd will have. I definitely would like to hear a press conference with him to get a sense of his ideas and beliefs before I make any sort of judgements on this hire. But I do find it fascinating that they went for an outsider, US soccer type guy.

 

[Kenny]

My gut feeling, with zero evidence, is that Haak would like to try his luck in Europe, and that they’ve known this and will let him go on a free.

 

[moogoo]

My gut feeling, with zero evidence, is that Haak would like to try his luck in Europe, and that they’ve known this and will let him go on a free.

as sad as it would be to see him go, i'd be ok with it. but if he goes to another MLS club, i will riot.

 

[mgarbowski]

My gut feeling, with zero evidence, is that Haak would like to try his luck in Europe, and that they’ve known this and will let him go on a free.

Same. People keep saying things like if he goes with no compensation it's a huge mistake as if he has no agency. He could be determined to go, or at least give it a shot. And he might very well calculate that he's good enough to play, but not good enough for a fee. So he just didn't sign to give himself maximum flexibility.

I don't know if this is the case. But a lot of people ignore it as a possibility.

as sad as it would be to see him go, i'd be ok with it. but if he goes to another MLS club, i will riot.

Ugly scenario is he tests the market in Europe and finds it lacking at the level he wants, and by the time he's ready to come back we've moved on.

 

[Gotham Gator]

When players are ready to try Europe, the Club usually locks them into a longer contract with a decent raise (see e.g. Taty, Sands). Hopefully, we can still pursue that approach with Haak.