And one day it finally happened, Major League Soccer crowned their first ever New York based champion. It took a lot longer than Don Garber would like to admit but NYCFC lifted the MLS Cup and in an instant revitalized the team owned by The City Football Group.
NYCFC began like most of the early MLS franchises looking to make a big splash, with signings like David Villa, Andrea Pirlo, and Frank Lampard, the club piggy backed on sister club Manchester City’s name to legitimize their big stature. Unlike the New York Red Bulls or MetroStars before them, NYCFC have always in a way been on the right track. For the exception of their first season, the club qualified to the playoffs in each of its following seasons.
While in that time the club took a major U-turn and avoided the “big name” signing rather using the City Football Group’s network of scouting and youth development to propel the team and finally crown themselves champion of MLS. Now NYCFC has positioned themselves to be the next big thing in Major League Soccer.
At a perfect point to start a dynasty
NYCFC will enjoy their MLS Cup celebration at City Hall, but club CEO Brad Sims will have the task to immediately begin planning for 2022, a year that will see NYCFC be the main target for the rest of MLS as they defend their title, as well as elevate the club to international competition in the Concacaf Champions League.
NYCFC is at a point where the sky's the limit, as the team may have a few DP spots open and are set to cash in on their golden boot winner. It has been reported that the team is keen to keep Maxi Moralez, the team’s unquestionable best player, but at 35 come 2022 it’s doubtful the team signs him to a DP deal.
Valentín Castellanos is up in the air, if the golden boot winner transfers in the winter his move will be one of the City Football Group's biggest success cases, a player who began a path at Montevideo City Torque, the club’s Uruguayan sister team, to NYCFC to a reported $6 million transfer fee move to better things. Castellanos, unlike Moralez is not a DP, and if he does stay 6 months more the club benefits from the MLS Golden Boot winner staying a few months longer as the summer transfer window opens, if the Argentine goes, it will say a lot about City Football Group's vision and MLS ability to sell anyone abroad at a very good rate.
Jesús Medina who is also a DP has been with the club for well over 5 seasons now, despite 2021 being his best year yet, the club will look to capitalize on a player they have worked with for a long period of time or keep him, maybe at a non-DP contract, which looks unlikely.
A core group with space to play with
When one looks at the current core group, NYCFC has set itself up to be a mainstay power in MLS. Sean Johnson controls the net, Maxime Chanot, Alexander Callens, and James Sands are rocks at the back. Talles Magno is a huge work in progress, the big-time signing may be asked to give a lot more than what he has shown and despite his MLS Cup final clinching goal, Magno’s season was rather disappointing. NYCFC have Santiago Rodríguez locked up until December of 2022 from sister club Montevideo City Torque.
NYCFC has a core, a backbone ready to be built upon after its biggest win in club history and despite a few transfers that could only inject funds into the budget and a possible big key loss in the expansion draft the team will most likely see upgrades come 2022.
Unlike Atlanta United who were set up for success, Tata Martino left to coach Mexico, and the club almost immediately fell apart, Ronny Deila is there for the long haul, the club is ready for what comes next and the possibility to play for a championship winning team in New York will make NYCFC a prime target for any young or in his prime player. NYCFC is set up for major things if they can buy correctly, sell intelligently, and keep the core. Right now they are ready to make that big leap into being a dynasty like the Yankees and not so much a one and done team like the Mets.
