Billionaire New York Mets owner Steve Cohen might get his Willets Point casino after all.

Cohen's scheme to build the $8 billion Metropolitan Park megadevelopment atop the parking lots that surround Citi Field received two big positive pieces of news, bringing the project closer to fruition than it's ever been since first proposed.

The obstacles blocking Cohen's casino progress have long been multi-pronged. The parking lots he wants to build on are technically considered parkland by New York State and require action taken by the state legislature to clear the way for their redevelopment.

That necessary legislative action looked to be a non-starter, as the New York State Senator representing the land intended for Metropolitan Park, Jessica Ramos, said publicly in May 2024 that she would not introduce the bill needed to get Cohen his clearance to build the casino.

This week, though, a different New York State Senator – John C. Liu, from Queens, but not the Senator for the area around Citi Field – came forward and proposed the bill Cohen needs to pass in the State Senate to make Metropolitan Park happen.

This legislative support from Liu comes weeks after all the zoning changes needed for Metropolitan Park received final approvals from the New York City Council, completing Metropolitan Park's journey through the city's Uniform Land Use and Review Procedure, or ULURP – an acronym to stir memories for those who remember it fondly from the days following New York City FC's soccer stadium progress through it.

Does this mean it's a done deal and Cohen's Metropolitan Park will join New York City FC's Etihad Park as part of a wildly reimagined Valley of Ashes? Not exactly, but lots of signs now point to the billionaire financier getting his way and getting his casino.

New York City FC break ground on Willets Point stadium

A few thoughts after spending a chilly afternoon with New York City Mayor Eric Adams, MLS Commissioner Don Garber, club executives, and city officials at the site of the future Etihad Park.

Hudson River BlueOliver Strand

Shifting political winds

John C. Liu is one of many Queens politicians to come out in favor of Metropolitan Park in the time since Senator Ramos made her opposition official and public in May 2024.

The development, anchored by a new Hard Rock casino but also expected to include a live music venue, restaurants, a hotel, and acres of new green space, now boasts public support from the likes of Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, City Councilman Francisco Moya, and Assemblywoman Larinda Hooks.

Hooks counts as one of the most important supporters of that group. She needed to introduce her own bill to convert the Citi Field parking lots for commercial development in the New York State Assembly, matching the one Senator Liu introduced in the State Senate – a step Assemblywoman Hooks took on March 21.

Now with bills introduced in both state legislative chambers to "alienate" the Citi Field parkland so it can be redeveloped, the political reality has changed for Cohen's casino plan.

Jessica Ramos seemed to hold the veto over Metropolitan Park, but that may no longer be the case. Ramos for her part is in the middle of an ongoing campaign for Mayor of New York City. The Senator has not indicated she's changed her position on Metropolitan Park, and it would be somewhat unprecedented for that pro-Metropolitan Park legislation to advance over the objections of the State Senator who represents Metropolitan Park.

Ramos's office gave a statement to Gothamist that read in part, "My position has not changed...I cannot support a casino in Corona and am a definitive no on any alienation bill that goes against my neighbors' wishes." Liu, for his part, said of Ramos, "I am close to Jessica, and I know her principled position is based on feedback from her constituents. Similarly, my intent to advance any enabling legislation is based on feedback I received from constituents. Some opposed but far more in favor."

Yet Cohen has assembled a whole retinue of local elected officials now positioned to get his casino across the finish line. The support of BP Richards and Francisco Moya already helped the project circumnavigate ULURP, a dynamic Hudson River Blue readers might be familiar with from seeing each politician play a big role in the approval of NYCFC's soccer stadium.

Casino license wild card

One huge variable remains for Metropolitan Park: The awarding of the license needed to open the development's new casino.

The New York State Gaming Commission is expected to award up to three casino licenses to bidders in the "downstate" region by the end of 2025 – though two of those licenses are expected to go to a pair of existing partial-licensees, Empire City in Yonkers and to Resorts World in Southeastern Queens.

There's been a massive and years-long bidding war in the realm of political lobbying among all the groups trying to secure that one remaining casino license. According to recent financial disclosures, six of the top 10 spenders on political lobbying of the New York City government last year were entities vying for one of those casino licenses.

The downstate competition for Cohen's Willets Point casino includes four proposals in Manhattan at sites in Hudson Yards, Times Square, near the Javits Center, and along the East River near the United Nations, plus one proposal in Uniondale on Long Island at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

Crucially, Cohen has always insisted that his project is all-or-nothing: Metropolitan Park will only get built if the project receives that sought-after casino license. The billionaire has poured millions of dollars into trying to win over community and political influences, but he still needs one more card to go his way to complete his proverbial flush.

What it means for NYCFC

New York City FC and its executives have never publicly weighed in, pro or con, on the proposal for redeveloping the Citi Field parking lots they have a contractual agreement to share on matchdays once Etihad Park opens in 2027.

Some drama between NYCFC, its developer partners, and Steve Cohen at one time looked like it could threaten to screw up the soccer stadium plans – back when Cohen was putting the word out that he opposed the stadium, wouldn't share his parking lots with it, and wanted Metropolitan Park to be joined at the hip to the Willets Point Phase II development that included the soccer stadium.

Instead, NYCFC and the Mets struck a deal to allow NYCFC match attendees to park at Citi Field. Even though the team hasn't addressed it directly, they have a vested interest in whether or not Metropolitan Park happens, given the parking lot connection plus the proximity between Etihad Park and the new $8 billion development.

Parking scarcity on future NYCFC matchdays shouldn't be a problem if the casino comes to be, however. According to a review of documents by Hell Gate in December, Metropolitan Park will nearly double the number of available parking spaces around Citi Field through the construction of new parking garages.

Less promising, though, is that Hell Gate also reports Metropolitan Park is expected to contribute to "significant traffic" increases in the area. Speaking of that area, just how well-equipped will Willets Point be on the infrastructure side to handle its new identity?

There will be an influx of thousands of new residents to the area thanks to the affordable housing built as part of Willets Point Phases I and II. There's going to be a new school, plus a third professional stadium once Etihad Park is complete in 2027.

Add to that an entirely new entertainment district in Metropolitan Park and you are packing huge numbers of people into a corner of Queens that was long desolate and only visited by big numbers when the Mets or US Open tennis were in season.

Part of Cohen's proposal for Metropolitan Park includes a drastic renovation and upgrade of the No 7 subway station at Mets-Willets Point, as well as the construction of a "skypark" that's somewhat like Manhattan's High Line and connects Metropolitan Park with nearby Downtown Flushing so it's easier to travel between the two points of interest for pedestrians and cyclists.

If Metropolitan Park comes to be, it's not expected to open until "sometime in Q1 or Q2 of 2030," according to a recent Sports Business Journal report. Yet construction could start as soon as January 2026, so heading to any event in Willets Point in the next few years could mean visiting a highly active, multi-faceted construction zone – construction that might even impact the reliability of the public transit fans are always encouraged to use when visiting this corner of the World's Borough.

We know that ground has broken on the soccer stadium across from Citi Field – pilings are in, according to both Brad Sims and this user's photo on Twitter – but we still don't know just how different the area around that stadium will look in a few years, or how easy or difficult it will be to visit when there's soccer to see.

For now, the wait continues to see if Steve Cohen will once again be able to flex his financial muscle and get his way. It worked with Juan Soto, now we'll see if he can repeat the trick with his long-sought-after casino.

Timeline: How New York City FC got their soccer stadium

If you either missed or forgot about some of the twists and turns in the long journey to Etihad Park, here’s a comprehensive timeline of the years-long New York City soccer stadium saga.

Hudson River BlueAndrew Leigh

The Second Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup is here, featuring the 32 survivors from two weeks ago. The storylines are rich for the 16 matchups that will take place these next two days.

To be frank, the 110th edition of America's oldest soccer tournament was not kind to locals in the First Round. Still, we have a derby featuring a professional side and a champion amateur outfit taking place right outside the city. Plus, the clash up in New England has connections to New York City FC, and then there’s a game in Chattanooga everyone needs to watch.

Read on as we take you through each match of local interest in this week’s Second Round, before making some iron-clad Open Cup predictions.

If you can’t go to a game yourself, these Second Round matches will be broadcast live on US Soccer’s YouTube channel.

This is a game both teams need to win — not just to advance, but to better themselves as clubs.

Portland Hearts of Pine are rocking in their first season in USL League One. The hype is real and fans are buying in, literally: Nearly all season tickets have been sold at this point. 

On the field, Hearts are pretty solid too. A 4-0 win in the First Round with a crazy atmosphere at Franklin Athletic Complex in Lewistown, which isn’t even the club’s home stadium. That was followed up with a 0-0 draw in Florida against fellow expansion side FC Naples last weekend, when close to 200 fans made the long trip down south.

Roster-wise Portland are good as far as Division III goes, with players that include former New York City FC midfielder Mikey Lopez, and USL journeyman Jake Keegan, who is from Stormville, New York. 

Hearts face their New England brothers and Tri-State Area foe, Hartford Athletic. Winless through their first three games of the USL Championship season, the team look bad. After being shut out in their first two games, Hartford’s first goal this season came last Saturday when Mamadou Dieng scored a 29th-minute goal. Former NYCFC II forward Jonathan “JJ” Jiménez hasn’t gone a full 90 minutes, but he did provide the one assist for the team in league play. JJ is finding out that USL is a lot different from MLS Next Pro.

Hartford’s 3-0 win against the New York Shockers in the First Round wasn’t surprising. (In fact, I called it perfectly.) But the issue remains that Hartford have no bite. They have a defense that can be built around core pieces such as Cuban native Adrián Diz and Yale’s TJ Presthus, but it hasn’t come together yet. The team are going to rely on forward Michee Ngalina for now, who had a goal and assist against the Shockers, but it's not a solution for the long term.

In early March, Athletic and Hearts met at Trinity Health Stadium for a preseason friendly. A crowd of 500 witnessed the USL League One side cruise past Hartford – who were admittedly playing reserves, trialists, and academy players – by the score of 4-0. 

Portland Hearts of Pine Breeze Past Hartford Athletic in Preseason Friendly

The visitors put four past a Hartford side primarily featuring reserves, trialists, and academy players

The Blazing MusketOliver Scholes

But preseason results don’t count.  Hearts can make a statement with only their third-ever match and win their first-ever game against a professional team. Meanwhile, Hartford still have yet to beat a professional team in the US Open Cup: This is the seventh year of the team’s existence and the only wins have come against amateurs. If they lose to their little brother from up north, it's going to be awful for everyone from the Bonanza to the front office brace.

Prediction: Last round’s Hartford win was the only game I nailed, even down to the scoreline. But this is a team with no identity, just like the city of Hartford: They’re soulless. Portland are a Division III team at their core, and last year Hartford were beaten at home in the US Open Cup by one of those that goes by the familiar name of NYCFC II. I can’t expect Hartford to surprise us on the road. Give me Portland in the most unsurprising cupset of the Second Round, 2-1.

This is the game for the locals who want to see a battle of old vs new.

Westchester SC are feeling good right now. With a ton of money invested in the team’s inaugural season roster, a win in the First Round against FC Motown and a first-ever USL League One win last weekend, means the monkeys are off their back for now.

The Westchester players who are scoring are the ones with pedigree. They include Conor McGlynn (who had over 100 games with Hartford Athletic and helped Rhode Island FC reach the USL Championship final last year), Tobi Adewole (who played in USL and Germany for close to a decade), and Juan Carlos “JC” Obregón (who is a product of the Metropolitan Oval Academy, he has a cap with the Honduran National Team).

The team’s chemistry is building, and nowhere is that more evident than the win over Texoma FC on the road last weekend. After going down early, the visitors didn’t allow another shot on target for the rest of the game despite not keeping possession of the ball, and Westchester went home 1-3 winners.

The Pancyprian Freedoms are going into Wednesday playing with house money. The only New York City-area local amateur to reach the Second Round, the team have every right to be proud of advancing. Goalkeeper Josh Levine faced 24 shots, and four corner kicks and made seven saves to earn a 120-minute clean sheet against FC Cincinnati 2, and was named Player of the Round. In the penalty kick shootout, FCC 2 blew an early advantage after missing the net twice, allowing Jens Hoff of the Freedoms to bury his shot for the win.

The Pancyprian Freedoms, who are the defending National Amateur Cup champions and current APSL Metropolitan Conference leaders, have the talent to win. Good news for them, going to Mount Vernon is easier than traveling to Kentucky: They’ll have more of their roster with them when they play on Wednesday.

Prediction: Last round showed us that Westchester are a still developing team, but since then the squad started scoring goals. Pancyprians had enough in the tank to hold back an academy team, but I’m not sure they can hold back a fully pro one. Give me Westchester in extra time, 1-0.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields

– In Flanders Fields, John McCrae, 1915

The tactics of this game do not matter. The players on the field are soldiers in a seven-year war, of which this is the first direct conflict between opposing powers. The names on their backs matter less than the patch over their hearts.

Chattanooga FC was long the poster child for lower-division soccer. Since their founding in 2009, the organization grew exponentially. The team set attendance records in the National Premier Soccer League and Finley Stadium became a mecca of sorts for believers of what the sport of soccer could be outside of Major League Soccer. And just as much for heretics, such as MLS Commissioner Don Garber, whose famous words against the club’s “crappy field with no fans” have become a banner to be raised when needed.

That all changed in 2018, when USL announced a new professional Division III team for Chattanooga. Backed by business executive Robert (Bob) Martino from Utah, many Chattanooga FC saw the new organization as a way to overtake a club that had proven grassroots soccer could work. The tensions and animosity bubbled, and sides were taken.

There were rumblings that the club now known as Chattanooga Red Wolves would try to play at Finley Stadium, home to Chattanooga. CFC extended their lease. Some years later, the city of East Ridge, TN – which houses the Red Wolves stadium – kicked Chattanooga FC’s academy programs from their soccer complex. When the Wolves started a women's team, they made one of the best players in CFC history, Luke Winters, the head coach.

CFC’s jump to professional soccer in the National Independent Soccer Association in 2019 was a response, in part, to the Red Wolves. After finishing first in the league in 2023, CFC joined MLS Next Pro, and the stability of the league means the team can keep playing for years to come. But they can never make the jump to USL in Division II because of Martino and the league’s territory rights.

It’s been chess, never a battle. The two teams never agreed to a preseason “friendly” —  in what world could they? The US Open Cup is the only forum for this match to happen.

I personally know Chattanooga FC fans who never wanted this game to happen. Never wanted the Red Wolves to get a chance at the legitimacy that would come with a win. This isn’t merely about proving who are the better team, it’s about not wanting the other club to live. The fans say it with anger and vigor. And deep down, I believe, there is fear. The fear of losing to an enemy you see next door, one that represents the worst aspects of soccer in this country, namely the business and cold calculating side.

My sources tell me that more than 6,800 tickets have already been sold for this game. At game time, there could be close to 9,000 people in the stands.

Wednesday won’t just be a match to determine who gets to the Third Round. It’s good versus evil.

Prediction: SoccerWarz. The SoccerWar never changes.

It's once again time to check in on who starred around Major League Soccer during the just-completed Matchday 6. How We Voted is a new-ish weekly column that reveals, as the name implies, how I voted when deciding who to support on the latest MLS Player of the Matchday ballot circulated by the North American Soccer Reporters.

This week I cast votes for a pair of attacking midfielders who each scored twice in important home wins for their respective teams. Read on as I explain my thinking while also sharing the final winners of Player of the Matchday, as well as those who earned places in the Team of the Matchday.

The HRB Ballot, Matchday 6

1. Djordje Mihailovic, Colorado Rapids

Many braces scored around MLS this Matchday, some involving a made penalty kick and some not. Djordje Mihailovic got one of his two goals from the penalty spot, but that didn't stop me from giving him my vote for Player of the Matchday.

What made Mihailovic's performance stand out was its totality and the opposition he got his two goals against. Charlotte FC's defense recently shut out the Atlanta United and FC Cincinnati attacks and was coming off a dominant 4-1 home win over San Jose Earthquakes heading into this match in Colorado.

Mihailovic and teammates like striker Rafael Navarro caused Charlotte's usually imposing backline lots of problems, but it was Mihailovic who served as the top threat at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. His goals were scored late in the second half, breaking what had been a 0-0 dominated by the Rapids, but was kept scoreless by Charlotte's reigning MLS Goalkeeper of the Year, Kristijan Kahlina.

Mihailovic had two other dangerous shots saved by Kahlina during this game but found the breakthrough that won his team the match in the 77th minute. He floated into the space in front of the goal left vacated by both of Charlotte's center-backs dropping deep to engage Navarro then hit a perfect one-time finish low and past Kahlina following a pinpoint cross from Bronx native Omir Fernandez.

Djordje Mihailovic breaks through at home! pic.twitter.com/gGOgbeG8CF

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 29, 2025

He'd score a second from the penalty spot four minutes later when Navarro was clattered into while in the box, icing the win for the Rapids. Mihailovic registered five total shot attempts, completed two successful dribbles past defenders, created two chances for teammates, and won four of his six ground duels. It was a dominant showing from the American attacking midfielder and deserved to get him votes for Player of the Matchday.

2. Carles Gil, New England Revolution

Another No 10 with a pair of goals scored and one being a penalty kick, but Carles Gil deserves credit for simply getting the New England Revolution attack on the board in 2025. Their only goal scored heading into a Matchday 6 home clash against fellow original MLS team, the Red Bulls, was an own goal from New York City FC defender Thiago Martins.

Gil changed that by curling a perfect free kick past Carlos Coronel to give the Revs a rare lead in the 28th minute. He also would win New England the match by starting the attack that led to a VAR-decided penalty kick in second-half stoppage time, which Gil would convert to give New England its first win of 2025. Gil took four shots, created three chances, and completed 10 passes into the final attacking third. He did all the heavy lifting as the Revs got a must-have win at home against one of their oldest rivals.

𝘛𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥. 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘵. 𝘐𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦. 𝘈𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘸-𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳. 𝘕𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦. 𝘛𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦. 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘎𝘪𝘭 — C𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤. 🎩✨ pic.twitter.com/P6y4klWFdP

— New England Revolution (@NERevolution) March 30, 2025

Official Player of the Matchday: Djordje Mihailovic

Djordje Mihailovic of the #Rapids96 has been named this week's #MLS Player of the Matchday! It's his first time winning the award. Mihailovic received the largest share of the votes from our members (24.64%).

[image or embed]

— North American Soccer Reporters (@soccerreporters.bsky.social) March 31, 2025 at 3:59 PM

Another week where my vote was the same as the actual Player of the Matchday winner? Kinda ruins the fun potential of debating Player A vs Player B, but I think Mihailovic's performance against one of the league's best defenses and goalkeepers was too hard to ignore. Even though a wave of players scored exactly two goals on Matchday 6, Mihailovic's pair proved to be the most impressive.

Official MLS Team of the Matchday

Starters: Roman Celentano (CIN) - Jefferson Díaz (MIN), Christopher McVey (SD), George Campbell (MTL) - Djordje Mihailovic (COL), Carles Gil (NE), Evander (CIN), Antony (POR) - Diego Rossi (CLB), Tani Oluwaseyi (MIN), Emmanuel Latte Lath (ATL)

Coach: Mikey Varas (SD)

Bench: Daniel (SJ), Brendan Hines-Ike (ATX), Luciano Acosta (DAL), Albert Rusnák (SEA), Lionel Messi (MIA), Myrto Uzuni (ATX), Onni Valakari (SD), Miguel Almirón (ATL) Felipe Mora (POR)

Hannes Wolf of New York City FC might consider himself snubbed of at least a spot on the bench after he scored twice and played a generally excellent match even in the losing effort. Then again, NYCFC could also claim partial credit for getting Emmanuel Latte Lath his spot in Team of the Matchday since they conspired to hand him his match-winning goal. Surprisingly successful expansion side San Diego FC is the best-represented team this week with two players and coach Mikey Varas in this Team of the Matchday following their big win over Southern California rivals LAFC.

Disaster struck New York City FC in the second half of their 4-3 loss to Atlanta United FC on Matchday 6, and that resulted in some disastrously low numbers in these player ratings.

The ugly moments and mistakes piled up and erased the goodwill built while Hannes Wolf scored his brace and New York City opened up a two-goal lead. The failure to see out a positive road result that was very much in hand until late in the second half saw you give individual ratings as low as 3.0, while the entirety of Pascal Jansen's Starting XI averaged a middling 5.3.

That average squad rating got a boost from Wolf (8.0), who was voted your Player of the Match in a nearly unanimous vote. He was the lone highlight, as even our Player Spotlight this week focuses on two of your lowest-rated players, Thiago Martins and Matt Freese, because it feels impossible to not talk about that mess of a fourth Atlanta goal.

Note: FotMob ratings are in parentheses.

New York City FC II’s unbeaten run to start the 2025 MLS Next Pro season came to an end on Sunday afternoon against New York Red Bulls II. 

The latest MLS Next Pro edition of the Hudson River Derby saw goals, plenty of yellows, and even a late red card shown to the Baby Blues.

In the end, NYRB II scored a late penalty kick by First Team player Julian Zakrzewski Hall to give the home squad the 3-2 win.

Big stage, big game

The game at Sports Illustrated Stadium, formerly known as Red Bull Arena, was Red Bulls II’s first home match of the year. The Major League Soccer venue played host as a way to honor the 10th anniversary of New York Red Bulls II – those 10th anniversaries are popular on both sides of the Hudson River this year.

Red Bull II kicked off their first season with an inaugural match in Harrison, NJ on Saturday, March 28, 2015, a 0-0 draw against the Rochester Rhinos. 

Eleven seasons later, and in another battle of New Jersey vs New York, Red Bulls II came out flying in front of around 200 fans.

Wiktor Bogacz, less than 24 hours removed from making his MLS debut, scored his first-ever Next Pro goal. A Julian Hall shot forced City II keeper Mac Learned to extend, the ball hitting off his fingertips. The Polish striker bounced on the loose rebound to open the scoring in the 7th minute.

Five minutes later, New York City FC II equalized. Midfielder Piero Elias started the play on the left side by brilliantly bobbing two Red Bulls players and sending them to the ground. He passed to Máximo Carrizo on the left wing, whose long ball into the box found Julien Lacher. Whether it was a kick attempt or just coming off his body, the ball hit the back of the net past Aidan Stokes to make it 1-1.

Nice Máximo Carrizo assist (following nice footwork from Piero Elias) on the first half goal scored by NYCFC II’s Julien Lacher

[image or embed]

— Hudson River Blue (@hudsonriverblue.com) March 30, 2025 at 3:22 PM

Lacher mentioned postgame how much this match meant to him. With family in the stands and memories of coming here to watch games when he was younger, he was more than happy to get his first goal of the season like that.

"Especially as a kid, living close to the area and going to games here. It was amazing just to go to play in the stadium. It was just great and the goal, you know, it's just my job to get to the back post," Lacher said afterward. "Maxi played a good ball and I just finished it."

New York City FC II Head Coach Matt Pilkington noted his group struggled out of the gate. The Red Bulls dominated their 4-2-3-1 formation early on. It was only the fast breaks that gave City II any offense in the game’s first 20 minutes. As the half wore on, the ball slowly crept closer to the Red Bull end. Still, his group only leveled one shot on target in the first half, bookended with a skied chance by Chris Tiao in stoppage time.

"I thought our performance was a little bit inconsistent," Pilkington said after the match. "There were some really good moments, some really positive and good parts of the game. Then there were moments in the game where we lost the ball too much, gave the ball away."

"Whilst we didn't start the game very well, I thought we picked it up into the first half and had some really good moments."

Those moments could include a great save by keeper Learned, who dove to stop a curving Tanner Rosborough shot in the 31st minute.

Gray continues his comeback

What was more striking was the appearance and start of New York City defender Tayvon Gray. The Bronx native made his second appearance in a starting eleven this season with reserves following his injury against Los Angeles FC on MLS Matchday 2. In total, Gray played 63 minutes of the match and only committed one foul.

On his performance today, Matt Pilkington said he’s been an asset to the younger players as he prepares to return to Major League Soccer action.

"He's getting extra minutes just to prepare him for when he's back with the First Team,” Pilkington said. “So, it's good to have him around. He's an excellent pro and a high-level player. It helps young players, it helps the environment and obviously we're trying to progress him so he can get fit and healthy."

Hot-tempered, high-tempo finish

Following the break, New York City pressed the Red Bull defense hard. In the 57th minute, former Northwestern midfielder Collin McCamy took a shot from the top of the box, beating NYRB II keeper Aidan Stokes.

MCCAMY WITH THE LONG-DISTANCE EFFORT 😍 pic.twitter.com/YqL8oAs4p9

— New York City FC II (@newyorkcityfcii) March 30, 2025

It was a second assist for Carrizo, who had a stellar game while playing eight days removed making his MLS debut in Columbus, as his development accelerates in 2025.

“He was excellent today, definitely, you know, really impactful in the game, creating chances, good movement, good final ball entries,” Pilkington said of the midfielder. “He rises to the challenge in an environment like today. You could see he was very motivated.”

By this time, the Baby Pigeons had been shown at least three yellows and were showing the most aggression of the two teams. While that aggression gave them the offensive edge in the early goings, it started to backfire. A fast run by the Red Bulls in the 67th off a throw-in caught the Baby Blues sleeping. Rafael Mosquera equalized from the top of the box, getting around a wobbling City defender off an assist from Julian Hall.

Red Bulls continued to push, and City continued to commit fouls. Eventually, Piero Elias saw a second yellow after a hard takedown of an attacking Red Bulls player, and forced his team to play the last ten minutes reduced to 10 men.

Despite this, NYCFC II still tried to get that go-ahead goal. A break by Seymour Reid in the 81st saw him get around a sliding Bulls II defender before his shot was stopped by a diving Stokes’ legs.

In the 85th minute, New York defensive midfielder and Staten Island, NY native Adri Mehmeti went to ground in the box during a corner kick, making contact with Lacher. Julian Hall stepped up to the spot and converted what would be the game-winning goal.

"We deserve more, to be honest, and for how we played, even with 10 men, we thought we played okay in certain moments," Pilkington said of the result. "We just have to learn that, in these environments, the officiating can become very emotional and we just have to be better and make better decisions because, in my opinion, it wasn't a penalty."

"It's part of, it's part of the environment in these derbies, so we have to learn from them. We have to be a little bit more mature in our decision-making," said Pilkington.

The win is the second of the young season for Red Bulls II and the first loss for NYCFC II in 2025.

Next stop: Carolina

New York City II’s next match is against Carolina Core FC, one of the few non-MLS affiliated teams in MLS Next Pro. The team will have an opportune chance to gain momentum following this first loss.

Despite NYCFC II making the trek to North Carolina, the Core are still seeking their first league win and have already been beaten once by NYCFC II, 2-1 at Belson Stadium in Queens on March 24. Carolina Core will also be coming off an Open Cup-plus-local-rivalry match against USL League One side Charlotte Independence.

That Carolina Core-NYCFC II match will be on Saturday, April 5 in High Point, North Carolina with a 7:00 pm ET kickoff. Expect the match to be streamed either on Apple TV through MLS Season Pass, or for free on YouTube. The team's next home match at Belson Stadium will be a few days later on April 9 against FC Cincinnati 2.

While the loss in Harrison stings, the showing by the players in a high-stakes environment was telling. The team is still near the top of the Eastern Conference table early in the season. With the age of the team being extremely young, reaching down to 17 in the case of players like Julien Lacher, even a loss can matter.

"We didn't give up, we kept going and even though they scored…even until the very end, we had a chance right at the end," Lacher said. "We didn't let off."

It’s a sentiment his coach shared. "We'll reflect on the game. We'll dig into it a little bit deeper," Pilkington said. "The biggest thing for us is: Can these players learn from the environment? Can they learn from the game itself, and can you help them develop to the next level?"

New York City FC and Atlanta United have always played entertaining games. Saturday's fixture at Mercedes-Benz Stadium did not disappoint, as NYCFC blew a 3-1 lead to lose 4-3 to Atlanta in a seven-goal thriller.

Hannes Wolf bagged a brace, and Alonso Martínez netted his fourth goal of the season, but New York City could not contain Atlanta's high-powered offense and only had themselves to blame after mistakes from Thiago Martins and Keaton Parks gifted the home side goals in the second-half comeback.

After a strong defensive performance against Columbus last week, NYCFC's backline looked uncharacteristically shaky after a strong start to the game.

NYCFC put on early pressure

Playing at Mercedes-Benz Stadium is never easy, but NYCFC looked unfazed in front of the Atlanta faithful. New York City pressed, dominated possession, and was the first to each 50-50 battle in the midfield.

The great start paid off, as NYCFC opened the scoring in the 15th minute. Martínez got a shot off from an awkward angle, which Atlanta goalkeeper Brad Guzan saved. But Wolf pounced — as a true Wolf does — on the deflection and redirected his shot in the back left corner for his second goal of the season.

A TIDY FINISH FROM OUR WOLF 🐺 pic.twitter.com/THzRzVfUbc

— New York City FC (@newyorkcityfc) March 29, 2025

New York City continued to excel as Atlanta looked frustrated and sloppy. NYCFC couldn't head into the break with the lead, though, as Atlanta took advantage of a defensive switch-off from the visitors.

A Saba Lobzhanidze pass trickled into New York City's box and fell to the feet of Aleksei Miranchuk, who blasted the ball past Matt Freese for the equalizer. It was a defensive miscue from NYCFC — mostly from center-backs Justin Haak and Martins — and they were punished.

Wild second half

Just how Atlanta punished New York City in the first half, the opposite happened in the second — Martínez was tackled in the box, a prime example of a penalty.

Martínez stepped up to the spot and buried his shot in the top-left corner, despite Guzan guessing the right way. It was Martínez's fourth goal in fives games in his hunt for the MLS Golden Boot.

GOOD LUCK SAVING THAT 🎯 pic.twitter.com/fhS5QGzozc

— New York City FC (@newyorkcityfc) March 30, 2025

The pressure didn't stop there, though.

Just minutes later, Atlanta committed another mistake. This time from youngster Dominik Chong-Qui. Julián Fernández poached on his heavy touch and played a pass to Wolf, who buried it past Guzan for his second goal of the night.

HANNES BRINGING THE HEAT TO HOTLANTA 🔥 pic.twitter.com/O1zWscpFJ2

— New York City FC (@newyorkcityfc) March 30, 2025

Atlanta would not go away, though. Off a quick counterattack, Lobzhanidze played a pass into the box, which Parks directed into his own net to give Atlanta some life. It was the second own goal NYCFC had conceded this season, the first one from Martins against New England earlier this month.

New York City would make another mistake less than 10 minutes later. Martins brought down a ball over the top from Guzan. He called for Matt Freese to receive the ball — who didn't come off his line — as Emmanuel Latte Lath forced the turnover and chipped the ball over Freese and into the net for the go-ahead goal.

"It's something that we didn't anticipate, especially if you looked at our squad coming out of the dressing room," said Head Coach Pascal Jansen. "We had the momentum. Then there's that own goal. Then there's a phase where we defensively switch off, and we allow them to get crosses in the box, and we don't defend the box — like we did last week in Columbus. You get punished for a few errors made."

NYCFC pushed for the equalizer, and despite Agustín Ojeda scoring an offside goal, Atlanta did enough to see out the home win.

New York City 3-4 Atlanta: 5 Thoughts

It was a match full of costly mistakes made by both teams, but New York City FC will be bitterly disappointed to lose after holding a two-goal lead in the second half.

Hudson River BlueAndrew Leigh

A concerning defeat

New York City should've walked out of Mercedes-Benz Stadium with three points — that's obvious. The defensive switch-off from NYCFC that happened multiple times last season — conceding four goals in 11 minutes against FC Cincinnati and blowing a two-goal lead at home to Chicago Fire come to mind — occurred once again but for the first time in the Pascal Jansen era.

So, who is to blame for the loss? Martins? Parks? Freese for not coming off his line to help out Martins? That question can be debated, but the trend of defensively collapsing and failing to see out leads is concerning.

"Mistakes will always be part of the game," Jansen said. "I thought we didn't respond well enough after we conceded the second goal. We were very decisive in defense last week, and that was off in the final part of this game; that's why you concede a few unnecessary goals today."

New York City was gifted goals, and so was Atlanta. Both teams capitalized, but NYCFC simply committed more mistakes to give Atlanta the edge.

After two road games, New York City will be back in the Bronx to take on Minnesota United on Sunday afternoon.

New York City FC looked to be on the way to a first away win of 2025, but instead, the team threw away a two-goal lead in the second half and fell 4-3 to Atlanta United FC at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

This was a mess of a game that saw each team make costly mistake after costly mistake, but Atlanta did more to take advantage and got the goals they needed to overturn what was a 3-1 deficit by the 52nd minute. Any defensive momentum from New York City earning a first clean sheet of the season in Columbus a week ago evaporated on the turf at the Benz.

The loss and the nature of the loss give us lots to digest, so read on for five assorted thoughts about the game written near the blowing of the final whistle in Atlanta.

1. Atlanta's three unanswered

NYCFC should be leaving the Benz with three points, but their defense let them down while playing ahead near the end of the second half and they instead emerge with zero points and a deeply frustrating loss.

This was a match full of mistakes that led to goals scored by both teams, but NYCFC will look at this as a winnable game they threw away. The own goal by Keaton Parks in the 62nd minute swung all the momentum into Atlanta's favor, but NYCFC didn't do enough to try to regain control or settle things down after that mistake, instead letting Atlanta have the ball and press for an equalizer, which they got. The final mistake that sealed the defeat for NYCFC was an uncharacteristic moment of indecision and lack of communication between the team's two defensive leaders, Thiago Martins and Matt Freese, providing a bitter final taste for a team that remains without much to feel good about when they're playing on the road.

2. NYCFC handed chance after chance

Atlanta looked to have made bigger and more costly mistakes in this match – until NYCFC started outdoing them. There was the loose touch deep in the defensive half by Derrick Williams leading to the first goal scored by Hannes Wolf in the 14th minute. NYCFC regained its lead early in the second half when Brooks Lennon recklessly crashed into Alonso Martínez in his 18-yard box, giving NYCFC a penalty which Martínez converted. Then 17-year-old Dominik Chong-Qui committed an even worse giveaway than the one by Williams to set up Wolf's second goal at 52' to make it 3-1. NYCFC was ruthless and efficient in converting their chances and it should have been enough for a win, but New York City seemed to turn its proverbial switch into the "Off" position right after Keaton Parks scored that own goal in the 62nd minute.

3. Wolf back to prowling

Nothing positive about the way New York City lost this game, but they did get a huge performance from Hannes Wolf, who is showing signs that he's capable of playing like the closest thing to an attacking Designated Player for New York City FC. The Austrian winger took full advantage of the opportunities that came his way in front of goal and seemed to grow in confidence throughout the match, completing 90% of his passes and generally seeming sharper than he did in the season's first few matches. He and Julián Fernández looked especially out of sync and not much of a threat while facing Columbus on Matchday 5, but they were each involved in the goals in Atlanta with Wolf's brace and Julián assisting on one of those goals. They've each gotten the longest look so far this season as the starting wingers in Jansen's attack and Wolf has seemed to pick up his performance, which is a good sign, even if it wasn't enough for a win.

4. Jansen second-guessing season opens

This feels like a first real chance to question Pascal Jansen's decision-making, and it started when the Starting XI dropped a little after 6:30 pm.

Jansen could have played a more veteran side with Birk Risa in the center-back pairing with Thiago Martins, and Justin Haak and Keaton Parks in midfield, with Jonathan Shore then available off the bench as a substitute. Instead, Shore started once more and was paired with Parks, but it wasn't the strongest game from either Shore or Parks. Parks was a slight surprise to see in the XI given he left the Columbus match injured after just 35 minutes, but Jansen had little hesitation putting him back in there.

Keaton Parks starts, Birk Risa doesn’t: wouldn’t have guessed that coming out of the game in Columbus but that’s how it is in Atlanta Full NYCFC XI: Freese; O’Toole, Haak, Thiago Martins, Ilenič; Parks, Shore; Wolf, Moralez, Fernández; Martínez

— Hudson River Blue (@hudsonriverblue.com) March 29, 2025 at 6:37 PM

It's easy to second-guess the lineup, especially along the back line, when you concede four goals and lose. The fact remains that Risa had one of his better performances against the Crew a week ago and looked good while coming on as an early substitute the week before that when Nico Cavallo had to go off injured vs. New England. No guarantees that a Risa-Thiago Martins pairing holds up better near the end of the game and avoids the meltdown that befell NYCFC, but it's fair to wonder about the move to lean on Shore once more. Jansen also waited until the 80th minute to make his first substitution, sending on Agustín Ojeda a full 17 minutes after Atlanta got a new lease on life after the Keaton Parks own goal.

5. Full circle with Ronny

It's no fun watching Ronny Deila fire up a home crowd after a big win when he's not doing it for New York City FC. It was a fitting game for the first time NYCFC faced off against Ronny Deila. After all, the coach famously said early in his NYCFC tenure that he'd rather his teams win 5-4 than 1-0, so he came pretty close to prophesy in this instance with the 4-3 Atlanta win.

It's also such a juxtaposition to see Deila's Atlanta United squad and compare it to Pascal Jansen's current NYCFC squad. Atlanta is equipped with multiple high-priced, imported attacking Designated Players and is in full-on "win-now" mode this season while expecting to compete for trophies under Deila, who has won many of them in his career. Jansen's team is relying on teenagers and is still in wait-and-see mode when it comes to signing expensive new talent, or any new professionally-tested talent.

Deila's Atlanta team needed a win more desperately than Jansen's NYCFC, but it's never a great feeling to see your ex start thriving at your expense.

New York City FC goes down to Georgia and for the first time faces off against the man who led the club to the MLS Cup win in 2021, Ronny Deila, and his big-spending Atlanta United FC.

It's been a scuffle for Atlanta United since winning their very first match under Deila, with the team winless in four (0 W-2 D-2 L) and stuck down in 12th place in the Eastern Conference. New York City is unbeaten in three and off to the third-best start in club history but has beaten Atlanta on the turf at Mercedes-Benz Stadium only once in eight previous trips.

New York City gets a boost with the end of the FIFA international window, as striker Alonso Martínez returns from Costa Rica duty (where he scored a banger, by the way) and should be ready to lead the line once again for Pascal Jansen's side. It's been two straight games without New York City conceding a goal to an opponent, and Matt Freese would be basking in back-to-back clean sheets if not for that Thiago Martins own goal vs. New England.

Keeping that goal-free streak alive away vs. Atlanta won't be easy, since Deila's team recently added $22 million striker Emmanuel Latte Lath and re-added 2018 MLS Cup winner Miguel Almirón for $10 million.

New York City vs Atlanta H2H

These two teams love a draw, evenly matched when meeting over the last few seasons. The last four meetings between New York City and Atlanta ended tied, with the historic head-to-head nearly level though slightly leaning in New York City's favor with one more win and six more goals scored.

The two draws in 2024 struck a perfect "draw that feels like..." balance for New York City FC. The 1-1 at Citi Field on April 6 felt more like a loss, a game NYCFC should have won (via Santi Rodríguez PK) and led until the 65th minute, but one that also saw Atlanta have numerous good chances, while only converting one.

Back in Atlanta at the Benz on July 17, an injury-depleted NYCFC earned a "three-point draw," clawing a point back despite falling behind 1-0 after 21 seconds and facing a 2-0 deficit until the 65th minute. In that 65th minute, Mounsef Bakrar scored a rare goal, one minute after Talles Magno made an even rarer appearance off the bench as a sub. In his last goal for NYCFC before the move to Corinthians, Talles converted a penalty in the 82nd minute to bring things level and secure that point.

That's two of the eight draws these teams have played to since Atlanta's debut in 2017, tied for the second-most draws NYCFC has against any opponent. They've tied each of Chicago Fire FC and New England Revolution eight times, while their 10 draws with Orlando City SC lead the pack – though all three of those teams have faced NYCFC many more times head-to-head than Atlanta.

HRB Database

New York City FC 2025 Season • Results and Fixtures • Goals Scored/Goals Allowed • Discipline • MLS Predictions New York City FC Club Data • MLS Results by Season • Results by Competition, All-Time • Results by Head Coach, All-Time • H2H, All-Time • Opening Day Results • Home Opener Results • Decision Day Results • Attendance Records New York

Hudson River BlueHudson River Blue Staff

New York City Scouting Report

• Player Availability: Andrés Perea (hip), Malachi Jones (leg), Jacob Arroyave (knee), and Tayvon Gray (leg) are officially out.
• Keaton Parks left the Columbus match injured after 35 minutes, though Pascal Jansen did say Parks returned to training on Thursday. It might be a stretch to expect the vital 27-year-old midfielder to be involved on the artificial turf at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, but his injury doesn't seem like a long-term one.
• Who starts on the wings? Julián Fernández and Hannes Wolf each had back-to-back matches with goal involvements in the two recent home wins at Yankee Stadium, but they both did little to threaten the Crew last weekend. Might Agustín Ojeda earn another chance in the Starting XI to finally exorcise his "lost his starter's spot" demon from showing up late to the Orlando City game?
• Early going, but New York City's defense has started strong while conceding just four goals through five games. That puts them inside the Top 10 for goals against league-wide, and this despite frequent shuffling of personnel due to injuries and suspensions – will Pascal Jansen keep his back line unchanged from the first 2025 clean sheet earned in Columbus?
• This clash with Ronny Deila will be the seventh time New York City has faced one of the club's former Head Coaches head-to-head in MLS play, though those past match-ups had much more interpersonal drama given they all pitted ex-coach Jason Kreis against his NYCFC replacement Patrick Vieira. NYCFC and Vieira went 3 W-0 D-3 L in those six matches against Kreis's Orlando City from 2016 to 2018.
• For more specifics on what Ronny's been up to with his new Atlanta team, read the latest Oppo Research in which our Matthew Mangam talks to Rob Usry of Five Stripe Final.

Oppo Research: 5 Things about Atlanta United

Expectations are high for Atlanta in 2025 but their season has started slowly, though $22 million striker Emmanuel Latte Lath looks like the real deal.

Hudson River BlueMatthew Mangam

A tumultuous start to 2025 continues for the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA). The league announced a new plan to get back into professional soccer later this fall, but its amateur division looks to be losing influence across the country.

Last December, Hudson River Blue first reported that NISA would not be receiving provisional sanctioning from the US Soccer Federation (USSF) for a 2025 season. Since then, the league has officially missed the US Open Cup and lost the entire Northeast Region of its amateur league.

NISA operated as a Division III professional soccer league between 2019 and 2024. In the New York City area, the New York Cosmos and New Amsterdam FC both at times competed in NISA.

The professional and amateur arms of NISA look unstable at this point, with the league's continued attempts to right itself not yet panning out. However, the league is still trying to convince teams to join as it tries to have another go at professional soccer.

Fall tournament, no 2025 season?

On Monday, NISA released an email press release announcing the "NISA Pro Cup Tournament" scheduled for sometime during Fall 2025. The tournament's announcement did not include any details like the teams or the competition's dates, but it will be part of NISA's professional league application to the USSF for 2025-2026.

Of note, this release hasn’t been uploaded to the league's official website alongside other announcements. NISA is still attempting to secure professional sanctioning from US Soccer. The league and federation last met in person at the USSF Annual General Meeting in Atlanta, where it was noted that nothing had changed regarding NISA’s situation.

Report: NISA still unsanctioned after US Soccer meeting

NISA is publicly committed to start the 2025 season in April, but that timeframe is in doubt as the official status of the Division III league remains unclear.

Hudson River BlueMichael Battista

According to NISA's newest press release, the league's professional league application to the USSF will include 2025 tournament clubs as well as new clubs and cities planned for 2026.

NISA announced in January that it was targeting an April start date for its 2025 season. While never announcing that this plan was off, the latest press release states that NISA "will return to a full schedule in 2026 as it resets the enterprise and membership."

"We are truly excited as we move forward with our plans for growth in the coming months," said Los Angeles Force owner and president Bob Friedland in the press release. "The NISA Pro Cup Tournament this fall will bring together great teams and talent. We are very proud to have a rich history that has given the path for many past NISA players that have received the exposure in our league and moved on to higher divisions in the US, Europe, South America, Mexico and others. We expect to nurture much more talent in the future."

It should be noted that as of now, Bob Friedland is most likely acting as NISA's leader. Last week, it was confirmed that NISA commissioner John Prutch had stepped down. There has been no update on appointing a new commissioner, but Friedland controls a majority on the NISA board and the release stated he was "guiding the league’s reset."

NISA has also lost its main corporate communications specialist, Steve Johnson, who told the media he was leaving his role at the league effective Thursday, March 27.

NISA teams heading elsewhere

The NISA news kept coming this week as it was announced on Thursday that another NISA team will play in a different league.

Club de Lyon FC, based out of the Orlando, Florida area, joined the National Premier Soccer League ahead of the upcoming season. The NPSL is a national amateur league, like USL League Two and, more notably, NISA Nation.

"The NPSL is pleased to have Club De Lyon FC join the league," NPSL managing director Cindy Spera said in their announcement. "Orlando is an important soccer market for the conference, bridging the gap between Miami and West Palm Beach to the south and Jacksonville to the north."

The club began operations as a semi-professional side in 2022 during the inaugural season of NISA Nation while also playing in the Premier Division of the United Premier Soccer League. That season saw the team win the NISA Nation Florida Region championship, go undefeated in the UPSL regular season, and qualify for the 2023 US Open Cup via the qualifying tournament. The team went on to apply for NISA's professional league and was officially accepted in November 2022.

CdL's two seasons playing professional soccer have been turbulent. Issues with field access and players not being paid have been common stories from the organization. The NPSL announcement does not hide CdL’s NISA history, and also claims that "the club will remain in NISA for the 2025 and 2026 seasons."

The club joining the NPSL is striking. It indicates CdL's owners seem to be aware that NISA is not playing a full professional season, thus the plan to jump to a new amateur league.

NISA Nation losing affiliations

On Wednesday, the Metroplex Premier League, a regional Dallas – Fort Worth area soccer league, became the latest league to end its affiliation with NISA Nation. Across two divisions, the Metroplex is home to 22 teams.

"We are moving forward and hoping to build our partnership with The League for Clubs and the Southwest Premier League to enhance the ability for our clubs to have a pathway to play outside of our competition," the statement said.

The following day, the Mountain Premier League, a Colorado-centered regional league with connections to Utah, Wyoming, and Idaho - announced it was also ceasing its affiliation agreement with NISA Nation. The MPL had been aligned with NISA Nation since late 2020 with its members taking part in events such as the NISA Independent Cup and NISA Nation National Finals. The Mountain PL is home to 13 teams across three divisions.

Additionally, Hudson River Blue can confirm that another league canceled its NISA Nation affiliation. The Midwest Premier League, based out of several states in the Midwest, is no longer associated with NISA. The MWPL is home to former national champion teams such as RWB Adria (Chicago, IL) and Bavarian United SC (Glendale, WI) and is probably the second-strongest regional league in the country behind the APSL. In total, it’s home to 45 teams across three conferences.

The league has not announced this publicly, though NISA seemingly jumped ahead of the news by announcing an affiliation with the Michigan Premier League earlier this year.

The three leagues join the Northeast-based American Premier Soccer League in leaving NISA Nation.

At this point, NISA Nation has not announced a new team added since March 5 and lost over 100 previously-affiliated teams. Its Spring season is slated to kick off today, Friday March 29, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

APSL no longer affiliated with NISA Nation

The move by the amateur American Premier Soccer League will leave NISA Nation with no teams in the Northeast.

Hudson River BlueMichael Battista

We’re five games into the 2025 Major League Soccer season, and New York City FC sit in eighth place in the Eastern Conference, with eight points after compiling a record of 2W-2D-1L.

While that might not seem all that impressive, especially when compared to the 12 points amassed by Supporters' Shield-leading Philadelphia Union, it ranks among the strongest starts to a season in the history of the club.

New York City FC | Results Through Matchday 5

New York City's start to the 2025 season trails only 2018, when the team earned 13 points through Matchday 5 (and were undefeated through Matchday 8), and 2021, when the squad also earned eight points but scored 10 goals while allowing just four.

Young, inexperienced squad getting it done

Even more impressive, Head Coach Pascal Jansen earned these results while fielding one of the most imbalanced squads to ever fill New York City’s gameday lineup cards.

Last week, NYCFC ground out a scoreless away draw with three 17-year-olds on the field at the closing whistle, two of whom made their MLS debut that night.

Compare that to a 2018 team coached by Patrick Vieira, which featured David Villa in the attack, and a (relativity) youthful Maxi Moralez paired with Alexander Ring in midfield. NYCFC added Anton Tinnerholm and Ishmael Tajouri-Shradi that offseason, bringing even more firepower to an already potent offense.

Or to the 2021 squad under Ronny Deila, which starred Taty Castellanos as striker, and Maxime Chanot and Alexander Callens in defense. That version of New York City, which had arguably the best goal-scorer and top center-back pairing in the league, went on to win the title.

Bulletproof mindset?

Jansen instead is doing it with a roster that lost key players in the offseason and one that is depleted by injuries.

Just look closer at the team that suited up for the Columbus match last week. The game ended with five unused subs still on the bench: Two goalkeepers (one who has yet to make his MLS debut, the other who has yet to play for NYCFC), two defenders (one who has yet to make his professional debut), and one midfielder (16-year-old Peter Molinari, who has yet to make his MLS debut).

But Jansen’s players found a way to hold Columbus scoreless. Give credit to the "bulletproof mindset" the head coach spoke of in his first preseason press conference. This version of New York City might not yet have the tools to dominate the run of play like we’ve seen in past years, but they're hard to beat. NYCFC's lone loss this year came on the road against LAFC, when the hosts capitalized on a poor clearance to score a game-winner in the 86th minute. Even if New York City don’t dazzle in possession, they can frustrate the opposition.

Slow start is par for the course

Besides, New York City rarely begin the year with a streaking start. In recent seasons, the early spring was used as a time for the team to find their footing.

The question remains: Will additions be made to this squad before the transfer window closes in a little more than three weeks on April 23? Jansen has worked wonders with the players available to him, and the experience gained by the team’s debutants will give this generation of teenage prospects opportunities to develop over the course of the season. But you can't field a competitive team in MLS if 50% of your bench on gameday is eligible for a U-18 league.

What will happen to the roster is a decision for Sporting Director David Lee to make. Until more transfer news comes through, let's take a moment to appreciate what this young, inexperienced, injury-plagued squad accomplished in their first five games this year.

In this edition of Oppo Research, Hudson River Blue spoke with Rob Usry of Five Stripe Final to learn more about Atlanta United, New York City FC's road opponent on Saturday. Here is your NYCFC vs Atlanta United preview.

1. Going through growing pains

Hudson River Blue: Atlanta United had an outstanding winter transfer window, hiring Ronny Deila — an NYCFC legend — and bringing in Miguel Almirón and Emmanuel Latte Lath. Pundits predicted Atlanta to be one of the best teams in MLS this season. That hasn’t really panned out just yet, with Atlanta looking flat in some games and currently sitting 12th in the Eastern Conference. Are people expecting too much of Atlanta? Or is the team just experiencing some growing pains?

Rob Usry: Are people expecting too much of Atlanta? That comes with the territory when you spend the money and have the resources that this club does. Supporters constantly have dreams of being the best team in the league and winning all of the trophies because that’s the bar they set for themselves back in 2018. This was a successful offseason, but I believe Garth Lagerwey’s project is going to take a little longer than most people are anticipating.

We’re definitely seeing some early growing pains, especially in the Chemistry department. I don’t think there’s any doubt that this team is talented enough to compete with the best teams, the question is, can the players learn the manager’s system and learn to play with each other?

2. Emmanuel Latte Lath: The real deal

HRB: Emmanuel Latte Lath has been great, that’s for sure. The striker, who signed for an MLS-record $22 million plus add-ons, has scored four of Atlanta’s six goals. However, Miguel Almirón and Saba Lobzhanidze have had a quiet start to the season. How could Ronny Deila get the two wingers in sync with Latte Lath?

RU: This is a big debate within our fan base right now. The answer may have revealed itself last weekend when Saba played on the right side, his more familiar position with Miggy away from the team. Saba had his best game of the season by far. I think many would love to see them swap sides or even move Almiron back to midfield and put Aleksei Miranchuk in a different spot, or even on the bench. This is the chemistry issue facing Ronny as he tries to put his stamp on this group going forward.

3. Excuses out the window

HRB: NYCFC and Atlanta have matched up evenly throughout the years. Do Atlanta fans see this as a crucial get-right game or another tough contest?

RU: With the horrible run of results to start the season and the end of the international break, all of the excuses will be out the window for this match. Fans will undoubtedly be expecting to see a full-strength team finally gel together and get a big win at home. I don’t think we take any team lightly these days with how bad the team has been the last 5-6 years, so we know the win won't come easy against a good NYCFC team.

4. The X-Factor: Atlanta's midfield

HRB: What's the X-factor that could decide this game?

RU: Aside from the attack finally figuring out how to play with each other, the X-Factor for Atlanta has to be their midfield. It’s been in constant flux due to injuries. Several new faces have gotten a chance and with players returning to the fold and established starters like Tristan Muyumba out injured, this could be an interesting spot for a new-look pairing to reveal itself.

5. Predicted score, Starting XI

HRB: Prediction time: Starting XI? Final score?

RU: With all due respect to NYCFC, it feels like Atlanta is due some luck and a win. 2-1 Atlanta.

Episode 31 starts with hosts John Baney and Mark Radigan and producer Andrew Leigh attempting to properly rate the vibes emerging from New York City FC's 0-0 draw with Columbus Crew last weekend in Ohio.

Was it a positive result, a valuable point gained in a tough environment against a tough-if-shorthanded Columbus team? Or was it a concerning performance that showed just how badly NYCFC needs new players added to the roster if they want to beat the other top teams in the MLS Eastern Conference? 

The draw with the Crew also featured the MLS debut of a pair of 17-year-olds, Máximo Carrizo and Seymour Reid, who together with 35th-minute substitute Jonathan Shore made it a teen-heavy match for NYCFC in Columbus. Mark Radigan explains why he views the involvement of these three NYCFC teenagers as "both a positive and a negative at the same time," which makes total sense when you hear him tell it.

That thrilling 0-0 properly digested, we move on to preparing for NYCFC's trip to the turf of Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the big emotional reunion with the team's former head coach, Ronny Deila, who is in his first season in charge of Atlanta United. There's some talk of all the feels stirred up seeing Ronny back in MLS, as well as Atlanta's tumultuous last year leading into the hiring of Deila. To wrap up our Atlanta preview, we tackle the big NYCFC question hanging over this match: How will Pascal Jansen cover for the possible absence of his midfield mainstay, Keaton Parks?

All that and more is discussed at length, but not at too much length, in this our 31st episode. Listen in full below or find it over on Bleav, Spotify, Apple Music, and any other place you get your podcasts.

The next time you watch New York City FC play in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, it will be courtesy of CBS Sports thanks to a new broadcast agreement for the tournament announced today.

The new deal between the US Soccer Federation and CBS covers the 2025 and 2026 editions of the oldest soccer tournament in the United States.

The agreement will see every US Open Cup match from the Third Round to the Final streamed live on Paramount+ with select matches also airing on linear TV channels CBS Sports Network and Golazo Network.

U.S. Soccer & CBS Sports reach multimedia rights agreement for 2025 & 2026 U.S. Open Cups READ MORE » ussoc.cr/ixy

[image or embed]

— U.S. Soccer (@ussoccer.com) March 26, 2025 at 10:11 AM

This gives the Open Cup a much-needed official new broadcast partner. The tournament looked a bit like an afterthought in 2024 from a media perspective, as the MLS website and US Soccer's YouTube channels handled broadcasting the matches played from the First Round through the Round of 16.

Apple and MLS Season Pass then had the exclusive rights to air the final seven knockout matches of the 2024 tournament including the Final, but that's changing for the 2025 and 2026 editions. This counts as a win for those who don't want to have to enter the Apple streaming ecosystem to get their Open Cup fix, and for those hoping to see real new investments made in the old and potentially troubled tournament.

CBS Sports has gone big into soccer broadcast rights and content production in recent years. CBS is now an English-language broadcast home in the United States for Italy's Serie A, UEFA's Champions League, Europa League, Conference League, NWSL, Concacaf and the United States national teams, and more. It's a growing list and also includes non-match programming like Morning Footy and producing numerous soccer documentaries. It now also includes more of the Open Cup, though not all of the Open Cup.

The matches from the opening two rounds of the Open Cup still stream on US Soccer's YouTube channel, with CBS taking over once the top teams from USL Championship and the participating teams from Major League Soccer begin to enter the competition.

CBS also happens to have an existing broadcast agreement in place with USL, announced in 2023 and running through the 2027 season. USL Championship's 2024 championship match drew record ratings with a reported 431,000 viewers when it aired live on the big-time, national CBS Network.

The soccer-centric offerings from CBS Sports continue to grow with the addition of the Open Cup, and the network promises to do more than just air the Open Cup games. The official announcement of this agreement between US Soccer and CBS promises studio programming on Golazo Network, plus "content beyond games" focused on competing teams and the tournament's rich history.

One slight problem: You need to subscribe to CBS in some form to access all this. Paramount+ will have every single Open Cup match but it won't be free to access them all, nor was it last season when the tournament's final stages aired on Apple TV. That might just be the new reality of our ever-expanding streaming universe, which always seems to get a little bit more complicated when it comes to keeping track of how, by what streaming platform or network, you watch all the soccer you want to watch.

Gripes about another streaming service aside, the Open Cup as a tournament needed the investment it's likely getting as a side effect of this deal between US Soccer and CBS. The tournament has gotten some boosts in 2025, with this broadcast deal and the recent announcement that the pool of Open Cup prize money was increasing significantly in 2025.

A new broadcast partner and new, bigger prizes for performing well: The US Open Cup is on the way up. Next step: Maybe making sure all MLS teams get a chance to participate in it again?

US Open Cup Second Round matches set for advancing locals

The next round of the Open Cup sees Astoria, Queens amateurs New York Pancyprian Freedoms face USL’s Westchester SC on the road, while Hartford Athletic travels to face expansion darlings Portland Hearts of Pine.

Hudson River BlueHudson River Blue Staff

Since 2023, New York City FC's two young national team-caliber right-backs – Mitja Ilenič and Tayvon Gray – competed through each season for the bigger or biggest share of playing time at right-back.

No position on the roster featured the kind of consistent head-to-head, Player A or Player B selection dilemma posed by Ilenič and Gray. Gray enjoyed the single-best season of either player in 2024, but Ilenič started and finished the season in the team's Starting XI. The 20-year-old Slovenian is now off to a very strong start in 2025 while playing all but eight of the available right-back minutes while Gray deals with injuries.

Neither player ever emerged as a clear "winner" in this positional battle under previous New York City coach Nick Cushing. He never settled on one starter since Ilenič joined in early January 2023, but did say at certain times that one of the two "had the jersey," his words, while giving them more time than the other.

Cushing is gone and Pascal Jansen is now five games into his tenure. As Gray gets back to health, who will Jansen settle on as the preferred right-back? Or will he stay consistent with the previous approach and not settle on one at all?

Let's run through where things stand with both Ilenič and Gray, then attempt to figure out how Jansen might handle things once both players are available to him on Matchdays.

Mitja's progression

Following NYCFC's 0-0 draw in Columbus, Mitja Ilenič earned a deserved shoutout in an article on the MLS website by Ari Liljenwall that spotlighted the league's top-performing young players on MLS Matchday 5. Liljenwall praised Mitja for going the full 90 in a road clean sheet and praised his high pass completion rate (86% of 50 attempted per FBref.com) vs. the Crew.

Those attributes were all rarities for Ilenič in his two previous MLS seasons. Across his 45 MLS appearances in 2023 and 2024, Mitja only completed a full match 11 times, 24% if you want it in percentage form. Clean sheets haven't been common, either, with Ilenič in the Starting XI for two MLS regular season shutouts in 2023 and three in 2024. Ilenič started and went the full 90 in the last MLS clean sheet kept by New York City, which came 15 matches ago, the 0-0 draw at Soldier Field with Chicago Fire FC on July 13, 2024.

His passing is generally crisper so far this season, too, not just in Columbus. Ilenič's pass completion percentage was 76.1% in 2023 and 73.4% in 2024 per FBRef, but he's up right near 83% so far in 2025 – and while attempting the most passes per-90-minutes of his NYCFC career, 55.9 attempts per-90 in his five games this season.

Ilenič has gone the full possible distance in every appearance made this season, has an early start on keeping more clean sheets, and is doing one thing Pascal Jansen has said he wants his team to do: Take better care of the ball. Jansen also already has Ilenič playing differently in some other ways, with the fullback's number of progressive passes received down sharply compared to his 2023 and 2024 seasons. In 2023 under Cushing, Ilenič would bomb up the right-wing and make himself available for progressive passes as NYCFC looked to overload teams out wide.

A season ago he recorded 7.42 progressive passes received per-90-minutes, meaning passes that move the ball at least 10 yards toward the opponent's goal. This year through five nearly complete matches played, Ilenič is only recording 3.27 progressive passes received per-90 – which could be a sign of Mitja doing more stay-at-home defensive work, and also a sign that Jansen prefers to build his team's attacking movements in different ways than his predecessor.

Mitja's game has progressed in 2025, and to the eye test, he looks different out there. He seems bigger and stronger, which might be a natural side effect of maturation, since he arrived in New York City at just 18 years old and has since spent a few seasons in the United States and adjusting to the physical demands of Major League Soccer.

He also looks more composed and calm in possession, which might bear itself out in the improved passing, but also looks to be the case as he tries to navigate around danger when teams press NYCFC high. He also scored an excellent set-play goal on Matchday 1 in Miami and kicked off a whole firestorm of Messi vs. Ronaldo Internet drama, so he gets bonus points for that to start 2025 as well.

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Gray's comeback trail

Tayvon Gray broke out as an attacking fullback in 2024, scoring his first professional goal while also picking up seven assists, numbers not seen for a NYCFC fullback since Anton Tinnerholm's peak. His 2024 hot streak meant Ilenič didn't maintain a hold on the starting spot he seemed to earn at the beginning of the season.

He can't shake injuries, though, as Gray was forced to limp out of the team's final 2025 preseason match, which ruled him out for the season-opener against Inter Miami CF. Gray returned for Matchday 2 and started vs. LAFC, but then came off after just eight minutes, injured again. He's not played in the three games since and Pascal Jansen sounded unsure of his health status when directly asked about it prior to the New England game.

Fast forward two weeks and it appears Gray is further along on the road to recovery than it might have seemed. The fullback played the first half of New York City FC II's win over Carolina Core at Belson Stadium in Queens on March 24, his first competitive minutes since the aborted start vs. LAFC on March 1.

Good to see Tayvon Gray back in action tonight for NYCFC II, recovering from the leg injury that’s kept him out since going off injured after 8 minutes against LAFC on March 1 (also: what a week for Seymour Reid, contract details confirmed Weds., MLS debut Saturday, starts for Next Pro side Monday)

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— Hudson River Blue (@hudsonriverblue.com) March 24, 2025 at 7:34 PM

Gray played a big part in NYCFC's 2024 success and has always more than held his own while playing right-back, dating back to his late-2021 breakthrough while replacing Tinnerholm all through NYCFC's run to and triumph in MLS Cup. His strong performances in 2023 and 2024 earned him a breakthrough with the Jamaica national team, and he's made nine senior international appearances for the Reggae Boyz since his September 2023 debut.

The now-veteran 22-year-old NYCFC Homegrown is an asset to the team's defense, in that he's also got positional flexibility thanks to a comfort playing as a center-back, or possibly a left-back in a pinch. Jansen handed him that start on Matchday 2 vs. LAFC, so there is clearly trust under the new Head Coach, but the first step for Gray is making himself healthy and available to play. His cameo in MLS Next Pro seems to confirm that he's close.

Jansen's choices

The New York City FC bench is in desperate need of some experienced options, considering it was full of untested teenagers for the trip to Columbus. Gray returning to health solves that problem first and foremost for Pascal Jansen, but it returns him to the other, persistent problem of choosing a starter between Ilenič and Gray.

Ilenič looks like he might be making a developmental leap early in this season, but it's only five games. Gray has the experience and the tests of high-stakes MLS Cup Playoff and Concacaf matches on his side, though Ilenič didn't look out of place while starting and winning penalty-kick shootouts during the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs.

Gray's attacking play seemed to step forward in 2024 and he's long been solid on the defensive side of things while playing right-back. Ilenič has shown a willingness to adapt his game to the new coach's preferences in the early going, and Jansen has shown a willingness to start both Ilenič and Gray – which he did between Matchday 1 and Matchday 2.

Jansen has bristled when asked by members of the local soccer media about players "owning" positions in his squad. That played out following the win over New England Revolution, as Jansen denied that Julián Fernández had taken ownership of the right-wing role, with the coach saying "He's like any other player in my squad. We have very high standards, and they have to fight to get game time, to convince us and make sure they are the ones who should be playing from the start."

Mitja Ilenič is used to fighting with Tayvon Gray for minutes, and vice-versa, with both players never wanting to call it a competition when asked and always putting the team first when discussing going in and out of the lineup. Yet for a third straight season, the NYCFC Head Coach has to pick someone to start at right-back while having two deserving candidates. Jansen has leaned on Mitja Ilenič early, but Tayvon Gray's impending return should tell us a lot about how NYCFC’s new leader sizes up his young fullbacks.

Seymour Reid and Máximo Carrizo made their MLS debuts in the draw with Columbus Crew on Matchday 5, major career accomplishments for both considering they're just 17 years old.

Followers of New York City have been waiting to see Carrizo hit this milestone for years, at least since he first made waves when signing a First Team contract as a 14-year-old in February 2022, at the time the youngest signing in MLS history.

Carrizo's rise to minutes with the MLS squad was anticipated and long expected. His fellow debutant in Columbus, however, burst onto the New York City FC scene and made one of the more surprising debuts in team history.

Reid wasn't even a part of the NYCFC Academy until the fall of 2024 and had a total of two professional games played in MLS Next Pro under his belt, yet there he was coming on in the 73rd minute to replace Mounsef Bakrar at striker with New York City FC chasing after an unlikely late goal against an unbeaten Columbus Crew.

Going from New Jersey's Cedar Stars Academy to making an MLS debut in less than a calendar year isn't something you expect to see for many or any 17-year-olds, yet it's what Reid just did. That he did it says a lot about him, but also about things like the state of New York City' FC's roster, the general weirdness of MLS roster rules and regulations, and the potential there is in being NYCFC II's striker.

Earning his chances

Reid climbed the NYCFC organizational ladder in little time, but he's shown his quality each step of the way. His work upon joining the Academy setup got him an invite to MLS preseason, with Reid one of six players involved in training camp who had not already signed a professional contract.

He looked good enough in training camp to get that first contract, which stipulates he's a New York City FC II player in 2025 before becoming a full-blown NYCFC Homegrown player in 2026. Reid kicked off his career in MLS Next Pro in style, scoring three goals across his first two professional appearances.

The 17-year-old bagged a brace in his pro debut and did it in dramatic fashion, scoring first in the 82nd minute and then again at the death at 90'+6' to pull NYCFC II level. His first professional goal was the beauty of the two, a nice display of Reid's patience, close control, as well as his finishing ability in front of goal.

SEYMOUR WITH HIS FIRST GOAL FOR THE CLUB 🤩 pic.twitter.com/XbqJ1jvsk6

— New York City FC II (@newyorkcityfcii) March 8, 2025

His strong 2025 performances haven't been limited to MLS preseason or Next Pro regular season games. Reid also played a key part for his national team, putting in great performances with the Jamaica U-17 team during January's Torneo del Sol in Mexico as well as in February's Concacaf qualifying tournament for this fall's U-17 FIFA World Cup.

MLS uniqueness equals opportunity

Quirks of MLS scheduling, roster rules, and NYCFC's approach to building its 2025 team all combined to give Reid this chance to make his MLS debut in Columbus. The game fell during the international break so the team was missing its top striker, Alonso Martínez, who was away with Costa Rica. Reid was eligible to sign a Short-Term Agreement to move from NYCFC II to the First Team, a maneuver that gets him to MLS but also limits his chances to play in MLS this season.

Short-Term Agreement rules stipulate that players who sign them make no more than two appearances in MLS matches in a given season, so Reid is halfway through that. You also can't appear on the bench as a sub via Short-Term Agreement more than four times, meaning he's got three more chances to fill that role, if necessary.

It just might be necessary, as NYCFC has a thinner depth chart these days, especially at striker. The team's other recent options at the No 9 spot, like Jovan Mijatović and Talles Magno, remain shipped out on loan and seem unlikely to come back anytime soon.

The wait has gone on into the MLS season for the New York City Sporting Department to replace recently departed players like Mijatović or Santi Rodríguez or James Sands, but those big holes in the roster have led directly to chances for young players like Reid, Carrizo, and Jonathan Shore.

NYCFC II striker finally rises

Reid is an interesting case because he's the first striker to flash his goal-scoring abilities (albeit in just two games) with NYCFC II and actually receive a move up to the MLS team.

Jonathan Jimenez signed as a Homegrown player with the First Team during NYCFC II's inaugural campaign in 2022 and played with the Next Pro squad for three seasons, but he never got a minute of action with the MLS team despite 27 goals scored across three years with NYCFC II, and is now with Hartford Athletic in the USL Championship.

MD Myers, an MLS SuperDraft pick in 2023 out of Rutgers University, scored 19 goals for NYCFC II and won a share of the MLS Next Pro Golden Boot that season – but it just earned him a sale to Charleston Battery in USL Championship, not a contract or a chance with NYCFC.

The formula repeated with Taylor Calheira, a forward taken in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft who scored 16 goals in 30 appearances last year before moving to FC Tulsa of USL Championship for their 2025 campaign.

That Reid changed this pattern so early in his career might reveal a key difference in how New York City approaches player management. Reid's case is different in that he's a teenager with experience only at youth levels, while the three other NYCFC II forwards who left were older (in their early 20s) and had sights set on immediate professional, top-possible-level breakthroughs.

Reid has that youth on his side and is already on a long-term contract that gives him a clear path to the NYCFC First Team, even if he's less likely to get many more minutes in MLS in 2025. He'll still have plenty of opportunities to play and to score goals with NYCFC II. That Reid is already off to this kind of start, making history with the MLS team as its youngest-ever player to debut, is a sign of the team's deep belief in a young prospect they only just added to their organization.

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