The Offseason So Far: They got lean, shedding more than seven-figures worth of cap space, including one Designated Player slot thanks to Andrea Pirlo's retirement. My personal take is that how they use that open slot (Yaya Toure, come on down!) will go a long way toward determining who wins next year's Shield. NYCFC were really, really good in 2017, and adding a high-level midfield contributor to the current group could push them up into TFC's stratosphere.
Their three acquisitions so far make them the envy of the league at right back, as Anton Tinnerholm was arguably the best defender in Scandinavia last season, while Saad Abdul-Salaam would be a starter for about 18 other MLS teams.
As it stands, there are three issues of concern: Depth at central midfield (though that's less of an issue if Yaya is indeed Pirlo's replacement); depth at center back; and is David Villa actually an age-defying demigod out of Asturian mythology?
Homegrown James Sands could be a big chunk of the answer for the first two questions. If the answer for the third is "No, and Father Time's gonna finally show up in 2018," then there's no good solution that I can see. When Villa went dry in 2017, so did NYCFC, and he's 36. In our game, that is old.
Two things to watch: It looks like Paraguayan winger Jesús Medina is on his way, on loan from Manchester City. And there have most certainly been offers for Jack Harrison. I think it's 50-50 as to whether or not the young Englishman is back in the Bronx next year.
JAN. 2 UPDATE: So yeah, Medina was very much on his way and has already been announced as NYCFC's third DP, which means no Yaya. Here ya go, Cityzens:
From Paraguay to the Big #WelcomeJesuspic.twitter.com/1F201rTSND
— New York City FC (@NYCFC) December 31, 2017
A quick perusal of the rest of their roster suggests that'll be the only huge signing of the offseason. Expect depth at central midfield and center back, and that's about it from here on out.
JAN. 24 UPDATE: Well, they did add that depth at center back – welcome aboard, Cedric Hountondji – but I was very wrong about NYCFC being done making major moves. Jo Inge Berget has been a good player for a good long while in Scandinavia, has international experience, and in a different era (like, two years ago) would probably be a DP signing. In 2018, he's fighting for playing time everywhere along the front line and probably has the inside track on being Villa's back-up should the Spaniard suddenly become mortal.
They also added Ismael Tajouri, who's had some productive years and some not so productive years in the Austrian Bundesliga this decade. Tajouri feels like an insurance policy at a couple of spots, but he'll also get the chance to fight for playing time. If there's one thing Patrick Vieira has proved in his two years as head coach, it's that there are no sacred cows.
There may also be no more Harrison. I'd say it's substantially less than 50/50 that he'll be back in the Bronx. Even the fans get it:
This is a blow. Harrison played the first half of last season at a Best XI level, and he's just entering the verrrrrry beginning of his prime. But this is also how business has to be done if you're going to jump into the global soccer market. Nothing but respect for the NYCFC powers that be if they sell Harrison after two excellent seasons.
More than enough depth exists on this roster to compete for multiple titles without him, by the way. I question the sanity of anyone who looks at NYCFC and sees anything but a top three team.
