New York City FC: The future of Jesús Medina is a toss-up
The season for New York City FC is still going on , but the club has to make a decision on the future of Jesús Medina as well
Back on New Year’s Eve in 2017, New York City FC announced the signing of Jesús Medina to a Young Designated Player contract. The Paraguayan was a talented prospect, and there were high expectations for him. In his first season, he did score six goals. However, he spent most of his tenure invisible on the pitch, and primarily did not contribute to the attack. His playing time also decreased significantly in his second season, and even though he improved in his third year, he was still not good enough.
Therefore, many fans, including MLS Multiplex, thought Medina was not worth his contract, and either it should be downgraded, or he should be offloaded to another team. Fortunately though, his contract resulted in him losing the Designated Player status in 2021. Thus, it was easier to accept that the 24 year old would stay and finish the fourth and final year. At the same time, his playing ability, or the lack of, during those first three seasons, caused others to still want his departure to occur sooner, rather than later.
But, to the surprise of many, Medina is playing at a whole new level in 2021. So far, he has scored seven goals in the regular season, which is one more than his season high back in 2018. To put that in perspective, he has played 1,230 minutes already this season, and then 1,999 in 2018. He has scored a goal at the rate of .51 per the 90 minutes this season, and then .27 goals per the 90 in 2018. If Medina continues to score at the rate he is scoring, then he will see double digit goals for the first time in the regular season with New York City FC.
Additionally, the biggest complaint for Medina from the last three seasons was that he was missing on the pitch. He was not active in the final third, and played poorly in multiple matches. Now, his presence is widely noticed. He has improved his service in the attacking third, and that has led to an increase of goal-scoring opportunities for his teammates. So far, he has two assists this season. Medina has more fight in him as well, for it seems Valentín Castellanos’ never-back-down mentality has rubbed off on him.
So, the main question is this: should Medina get a contract extension, or even sign a new contract after the season ends? Or, should NYCFC let him leave once the 2021 campaign comes to a close?
Based on Medina’s overall tenure with the club, the answer is no. But, he is finally playing at the level he was expected to play, and has been an impact player this season. On the other hand, there is the question of whether NYCFC can sign a better player in his position next season. All of these aspects must be looked at, and can lead to whether the Pigeons let him walk or re-sign him.
Plus, there might not be someone better than Medina that will be available and willing to play for New York City FC in 2022. In that case, and especially in the situation where Medina finishes the year strong, it might make sense to extend Medina for at least one more year.
Still, one good year, and keep in mind the season is not over, is not a good enough reason to keep someone. Also, Medina might want more money, and in that situation he should not be re-signed since most of his time with NYCFC was not great. He should not be a Designated Player again, and should not receive such a salary. Again, he is playing at a higher level, but this was the level that was expected from him. Medina should have played like this, and then improved over time to become a star in MLS.
One issue with letting Medina walk though is his transfer value. In the past year, his value, per Transfermarkt, has skyrocketed. In April of 2020, he was worth about $743 thousand dollars. Then, as of July this year, Transfermarkt had his value at around $4.95 million dollars. That is a significant jump in just over a year. Of course, if Medina starts to play poorly, or if the club re-signs him for next year and he is not as good, then that transfer value can jump right back down.
There is no doubt NYCFC has to sit down and decide whether Medina is worth keeping. Maybe the club has already had such discussions, and decided whether he is in their future plans. Nonetheless, he is playing well right now, and hopefully that will continue through the end of the season, and then in the playoffs. So, fans should appreciate what they are seeing from Medina right now, and be grateful his entire New York City FC career was not a complete failure.