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New York City FC: A look back at the 2021 predictions

By Caitlyn Chale

CHESTER, PA - DECEMBER 05: Maximiliano Moralez #10 of New York City FC and teammates celebrate winning the 2021 Audi MLS Cup Eastern Conference Final match against the Philadelphia Union at Subaru Park on December 05, 2021 in Chester, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Ira L. Black - Corbis/Getty Images)
CHESTER, PA - DECEMBER 05: Maximiliano Moralez #10 of New York City FC and teammates celebrate winning the 2021 Audi MLS Cup Eastern Conference Final match against the Philadelphia Union at Subaru Park on December 05, 2021 in Chester, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Ira L. Black - Corbis/Getty Images) /
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When New York City FC began the season back in 2021, not many would have thought the team would go on to win the MLS Cup.  In fact, no one at MLSsoccer.com thought the team would finish higher than 6th place, and then there were a few that did not see them in the playoffs.

Still, there were fans too that did not see the Pigeons finding success in 2021, and there were many that had doubts about Ronny Deila leading this team. And by any means, the season was not perfect, but NYCFC finished in fourth place.  Of course the run they went on at the end of the season was magical, and then everyone knows what happened in Portland.

Before the season began, MLS Multiplex released three bold predictions for NYCFC in 2021.  The predictions surrounded Héber, where the team would finish, and Ronny Deila.  Most of the predictions were entirely off, and that may have been for the best.

So, without further ado, let’s take a look back at the 2021 predictions, and see how they compared to reality.

New York City FC; Héber
Sep 25, 2021; New York, New York, USA; New York City FC forward Heber (9) reacts after a call during the second half against the New York Red Bulls at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports /

Prediction 3: Héber will return with a bang

The first bold prediction was that Héber would return with a bang, and score at least ten goals.  Within the prediction, it was predicted that the Brazilian would be back to normal when he returned, and be fully fit and ready to go for New York City FC.  Of course, that was not what happened.

Before the season began, Deila confirmed that Héber would be out for most of the season, and could be back anywhere from June to August.  There was hope that he would be back closer to June, but alas, the striker unfortunately did not get the clear to return until August.  Then, he did not make his first appearance until September 14.

Therefore, he had limited time to make an impact, and unfortunately was unable to do that.  Sadly, his healing took longer than anticipated, and thus his minutes were managed on his return.  He was also not fully fit, and not himself, which resulted in him scoring zero goals in 2021.

He did get one start though, which came in the Eastern Conference final against the Philadelphia Union.  However, it was evident he was laboring as he played, and it did not help the team did not play their best.  This led to a lack of chances for Héber to have at goal.

Additionally, Valentín Castellanos turned into the striker the Pigeons desperately needed in 2021.  The Argentine was the Golden Boot winner, and played fantastically for most of the season.  If Héber was back to his usual self, then there was no guarantee he would have started ahead of this teammate, and likely would have not started ahead of him since Castellanos was another level this year.

The prediction that Héber would score ten goals and be back to his normal self was entirely wrong.  At least he is healthy and continuing to improve, and hopefully will be able to score ten or more goals in 2022.  More importantly, hopefully he stays healthy, and is able to play the whole season.

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