For much of the offseason NYCFC fans and pundits were focused on the roster for NYCFC. Who was going to be signed to bulster the thin attack and replace the goals scored from the likes of Castellanos, Heber and Pereira? Well David Lee signed some attackers and while they all haven’t arrived and be able to put their mark on the field there is light at the end of the tunnel for the fans. But perhaps the one position on the team that needs the most help isn’t between the white lines, but just outside of them in the technical area. Nick Cushing has brought in Leon Hapgood to be an assistant for NYCFC and that might be just the addition that the team has been waiting for.
This week Mike, J.R. and Mike Allen look back at the 1-0 loss to Charlotte FC on the weekend and focus primarily of what they hope will change as the team heads on the road to an equally challenging place to play in St Louis.
In the middle segment, Shjon and Chris from the River City Ramble join the show to give us their analysis in St Louis City FC and the keys that have made that team such a strong competitor so early in their creation as a franchise.
Is Nick Cushing Mister Consistency? Not based on his 2023 lineup decisions but this is 2024. NYCFC has a roster that he had a strong hand in shaping so now is the time for Nick to show us his true colors.
This week Mike, J.R. and Mike Allen discuss the last elements of preseason. They try to do their best at setting some over/under lines for some fun competition, but let’s face it, they’re pretty bad at it, hopefully it is at the very least some fun thought starter conversation.
2024 is finally upon us. Thanks to all of the listeners over the years! We are all extremely excited to get season 10 underway.
This week Mike Anderer and J.R. DeBart welcome Andrew Leigh from Hudson River Blue on the show as the three discuss the NYCFC preseason matches that were streamed from Indio, CA.
Andrew also gives a deeper look into his conversation with former NYCFC legend, Maxime Chanot, as they discuss the creation of La Fabrique Academy which opens in March of this year.
NYCFC starts its next and final phase of preseason with the Coachella Valley Invitational out in Indio California. The three games will prove an interesting test for the head coach and the players as they try to balance honing the tactics for 2024 while still awaiting the arrival of key pieces of the squad. One thing is for certain, this is Nick’s squad of players. While the roster has not turned over 100% from when he assumed the interim role back in 2022, the core of his preferred starters are all players that the coach has had a hand in making sure they are on his roster.
This week Mike, J.R. and Mike Allen talk about the new signings and pontificate on what this season might look like for NYCFC with the addition on some new talent especially in the area of attack.
If you’re confused by the title of this week’s episode you can catch a great quote about the acronym in the movie Memphis Belle.
NYCFC continues to go through their preseason routine and routine seems to be a very appropriate term. There simply does not feel like there is anything new or exciting about the team a full two weeks into the preseason and less than a month away from their first match of 2024.
This week Mike and J.R. welcome Chris Campbell to the show. Yes, Chris gives an in depth update on the stadium progress, but the stadium is part of the long-term vision and plans of the club and to thrive in NY, the team needs to be competitive. The guys try to find some silver linings in the roster construction progress.
Most January’s are fairly quiet for NYCFC. But when you are coming off the worst season in your club’s history following the status quo is not the best look for the Front Office. On the first day of the 2024 MLS Pre-season the team was a flurry of signings and strong rumors.
This week Mike, J.R. deBart and Mike Allen return for their 10th season giving insight and analysis to NYCFC.
A huge thanks to all of the listeners and followers that are part of the NYCFC family for sticking with us all these years. Whether you listen every week, once a month, once a season or once every ten, you are appreciated.
David Lee owes Don Garber a huge debt of gratitude. The announcement from MLS to pull it’s teams from the 2024 US Open Cup quickly captured the narrative in the US Soccer landscape. Even NYCFC fans that were clamoring for news of players coming in January and February moved their attention to the tournament that has brought so much shame and embarrassment to the club in its history.
This week Mike and JR and then Mike and Mike Allen share their thoughts on MLS v US Open Cup and then dive into the stories about MLS 2024 regular season.
The MLS Cup Playoffs roll on, but with NYCFC not participating the guys talk about a myriad of subjects including Emma Hayes being rumored to take over as head coach for the US Women’s National team.
Eventually Mike, J.R. and Mike Allen do discuss the NYCFC roster announcement and the message sent to NYCFC fans about the 2024 season.
Mike Anderer also shares the raw audio at the end of the show from the first exchange he from 2015 with Khiry Shelton.
The day would eventually come. The possibly lingered in the distance like a mirage in the desert. Was NYCFC going to keep their playoff appearance streak alive? No.
Now comes the reset. The team will continue to train for the next few weeks as the MLS Cup Playoffs roll on, but all of the sweat and determination will be steps towards success in 2024.
This week Mike, J.R. and Mike Allen tie a bow on the NYCFC season. They also include post-game audio from the locker room in CitiField from Birk Risa, Andres Jasson, Christian McFarlane, Keaton Parks and James Sands.
If you haven’t brushed up on your Shakespeare the title of this week’s episode is a quote from Hamlet. The quote was chosen because a recurring theme from NYCFC this season has been the indecisiveness of head coach, Nick Cushing. The lineups were constantly changing. The tactics were always being tweaked. The only consistent aspect of the team’s play was their set piece defending, which quite honestly, given the change in personnel, should have been altered.
This week Mike, J.R. (briefly) and Mike Allen are joined by Christian Smith of Five Borough Footy and by Adam and Justin from The Post 90 podcast to discuss the biggest issues that NYCFC faced during this bleak 2023 season.
