New York City FC: Three options to sign for the 2022 season
1. Jamie Maclaren of Melbourne City FC, a sister club to New York City FC
Another position that New York City FC will need to fortify is the striker position. As mentioned, Castellanos will likely be on his way out this winter, and then Héber would be the only true center-forward on the roster. It is unknown whether he will return to his 2019 goal scoring self, so the Pigeons need to find a goal scoring forward. One place they can look is from their sister club, Melbourne City FC.
Jamie Maclaren is a traditional striker for Melbourne, and a goal scoring machine. In the 2020-2021 season, he scored 25 goals in 24 matches, winning the A-League’s Golden Boot. It was his third year winning the Golden Boot, and his second time while with Melbourne. The 28 year old became the fastest player to 100 goals in A-League history as well. His ability to score is exactly what NYCFC needs, which is why he would be an intriguing player to look into.
Not only is Maclaren a goal scorer, but his tactical mind allows him to be an attacking threat. He easily recognizes when to pass while being pressured by defenders. He also makes timely runs, and knows when his teammates will pass the ball to give him goal scoring opportunities. Moreover, he has great pace, which allows him to maneuver in the attacking third effortlessly.
It is helpful that Melbourne plays an attacking style football. Similar to NYCFC, the Australian side prefers to maintain possession and uses their full-backs in the attacking third. Melbourne also tends to play in a 4-3-3 formation, in which the Pigeons had used that formation in the past, and will sometimes adjust from their usual 4-2-3-1 formation under Ronny Deila to the 4-3-3 when attacking. In other words, the Australian striker could ease into the NYCFC side more easily compared to another player coming from a completely different stylistically team.
At the same time, Maclaren has spent the majority of his professional career in Australia, with brief stops in both Germany and Scotland. He is a Melbourne native too, so convincing him to leave his hometown club would be challenging. However, Major League Soccer is rated as a more challenging and competitive league in comparison to Australia’s A-League. So, maybe with the right offer, Maclaren would be up for the challenge.
The City Football Group relationship between the two clubs could aid in a transfer conversation. However, it might be difficult to convince Melbourne to let their star player go, especially since he just signed a contract extension. Their season has just started as well, so it would be difficult for them to find a replacement in a timely manner.
Hence, New York City FC would probably have better luck in the summer transfer window to bring Maclaren over from down under. It would still be a challenging task, but nonetheless, it would be worth it. The striker has blossomed into a star while at Melbourne, and maybe, for the right price, it is the right moment for him to move elsewhere.
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