NYCFC Are In Full Rebuild Mode

The day New York City FC announced star striker Taty Castellanos was leaving on loan for La Liga’s Girona side on July 25th of last year there were many who thought that this may be it. Season over for the defending champions. The resiliency the team showed after losing their best player and quite possibly their most talented scoring forward of all time, was something to admire.

In Taty’s absence forwards Heber Araujo and Talles Magno picked up the scoring slack. But what really kept the team moving forward was the leadership of Maxi Moralez. Most pundits had NYCFC moving toward the bottom of their conference before the playoffs would start. Instead, they hung in and as players started to become healthy they got hot at the right time.

Once the playoffs had begun, Moralez took over. Scoring in every single game and elevating the play of his teammates in the process. In the 58th minute of the Eastern Conference finals, Moralaz gave fans hope that the unthinkable could happen: A return to the finals against LAFC with a 1-0 advantage over favorites Philadelphia Union. NYCFC were just 32 minutes away from being able to defend their championship from the previous season. They were underdogs through the entirety of their championship run and they were once again in defense of it.

We know what happened next. Three unanswered goals by the Union and this time when Maxi walked off the field it felt like this team would go through major changes in the off-season. A tide is certainly turning at NYCFC. So far the team has said goodbye Maxi, Santi Rodriguez, Heber, Anton Tinnerholm, Vuk Latinvovich, Gedion Zelalem, Nico Acevedo and Alex Callens and Sean Johnson are currently free agents. There are whispers Johnson, who also wears the captain’s band is close to signing with Toronto on a 3-year deal. Currently, Toronto’s offer is more lucrative and longer than NYCFC are willing to go.

Where does that leave the 2023 NYCFC squad? With a lot of work to do. This is a full rebuild no matter how you look at it. Magno will no doubt take over the number 9 role.  Matias Pellegrini who came on mid-season on a short-term loan will be back after signing an extension. The team signed veteran center back Tony Alfaro, perhaps to replace Callens and they have Malcolm Johnston who was drafted and can get significant playing time in midfield.

With the January transfer window now open it’ll be a busy few weeks for the team. Their first move was confirmed on Wednesday when they signed Serbian Mitja Ilenic. The 18-year-old right back will compete for playing time with Tayvon Gray and Andres Jasson.  The priority is to get Santi Rodriguez back on the roster and seal up at least another 2 -3 years with Sean Johnson. Number 10s don’t grow on trees. Sporting Director David Lee will have his hands full trying to find one, especially to fill the shoes of Moralez.