NYCFC Reveals Full Roster for 2017 Campaign
By John Tolis
With the 2017 campaign finally here for NYCFC, Patrick Vieira puts his final touches on the full roster.
The 2017 MLS season kicks off this weekend, well, not quite for NYCFC. Kicking off the 2017 campaign on Sunday against Orlando City, Patrick Vieira put his final touches on the full roster as he gears up for the season ahead.
On Thursday the club released the official roster for the 2017 season on the team’s homepage. Here is a look at the 26-man roster.
Goalkeepers
- Eirik Johansen
- Sean Johnson
- Andre Rawls
Defenders
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- RJ Allen
- Kwame Awuah
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- Alexander Callens
- Maxime Chanot
- Shannon Gomez
- Ronald Matarrita
- Ben Sweat
- Ethan White
Midfielders
- Miguel Camargo
- Yangel Herrera
- Mikey Lopez
- Maxi Moralez
- Tommy McNamara
- Andrea Pirlo
- Alex Ring
- John Stertzer
- Rodney Wallace
Forwards
- Jack Harrison
- Jonathan Lewis
- Sean Okoli
- Khiry Shelton
- David Villa
It was a busy off-season for the Frenchman and the NYCFC board, compared to last season. Vieira searched for more international talent, invited more trialists and drafted more players. Except the signings, not all players made the final cut for the 2017 season.
There were some surprises in the final submission of the roster, but the move we all expected was Mix Diskerud. After all the speculation dating back from last season and a recent social media post, it was hinted that Diskerud would fail to land a spot.
Under MLS’ rules, NYCFC exercised it’s option to buyout Diskerud’s Guaranteed Contract, and therefore Diskerud did not make the cut. It’s unfortunate for Mix, but after failing to adapt to Vieira’s system, it was only a matter time.
Compared to last season, NYCFC is not only looking different, but looking younger. The average age for NYCFC is 25.77, which is the sixth youngest in the league. Some of NYCFC’s youngsters include 2017 draft picks Jonathan Lewis and Kwame Awuah.
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Following Lewis and Awuah is Manchester City’s 19-year old Yangel Herrera, who was brought on as a season long loan. The two trialists that squeaked through after having a successful preseason were Ben Sweat in defense and John Stertzer in the midfield.
With the exception of Eirik Johansen and Andre Rawls, Sean Johnson joins NYCFC and will anchor between the posts. This young NYCFC roster is for sure different, but no doubt exciting.