“We’re leading into this New York City FC 2.0 era and Etihad Park, we are referring to it as the Cathedral of Soccer, is a home for the world’s game in the world’s city. New York City is a soccer city, has been for some time. We’ve always felt like ‘how do we play a role at NYCFC to really build New York City into one of the soccer capitals of the world?’ And I think we’re close.”
That’s what NYCFC President and CEO Brad Sims told the Athletic FC Podcast this summer ahead of the 2026 World Cup, and he meant it. The blue side of New York sees itself as a sleeping giant in not only MLS, but in the world’s game.
And heading into the 2026/27 offseason and the winter Sprint Season, the last before moving to the brand new Etihad Park in Queens, they will have the chance to execute a potential sliding doors moment for the club.
NYCFC announced head coach Pascal Jansen’s departure from the club this week, just one day after the 2026 season ended, which saw the team finish a measly 11th in the Eastern Conference, with no playoff spot to their name. The departure was quick and clean, and the decision sends a very poignant message as to what the club sees as their ambition for 2027.
Jansen was brought in back in January 2025 as the club’s sixth head coach, after the departure of Nick Cushing. His first season was a success, as NYCFC advanced to the Eastern Conference final, finishing fifth in the East during the regular season.
2026 was not a good year, however. The injury bug bit NYCFC but after a strong run following the integration of new attackers Luighi and Bénie Traoré, the team imploded, posting a 5W-8D-6L record. Under the hood, the numbers did not look any better. The Pigeons posted their worst home record in MLS of the eight-year history of the club and a whopping eight goals conceded in second-half stoppage time.
Sims’ own words highlighted what the club sees as its priorities in the coming months, stating that the decision reflects the club’s ambition as it looks to the 2027 season, and as the opening of Etihad Park nears.
“We are grateful for Pascal’s dedication during his time with the Club,” said Sims in a club statement. “We recognize the disappointment of missing the playoffs, and I’d like to thank our fans for their incredible support. As we look ahead to an exciting and historic new chapter for the Club next year, our commitment to consistently competing at the highest level and bringing more trophies to New York City remains unchanged.”
A state of the art home in the biggest city in the United States, a market that should see NYCFC as one of the league’s most valuable clubs and best landing spots, will help move them forward, but success has to be earned on the pitch. You can sell tickets to a new stadium once, but you can’t force people to come back if they don’t have a reason to.
But now comes the sliding doors moment, and it’s also General Manager Todd Dunivant’s defining moment. This is his first coaching search since taking over, and the question is whether he goes down the route of someone who understands MLS or follows the City Football Group blueprint of bringing in international candidates. The tricky thing is there is an argument for both. MLS experience means you know the league inside out — the travel, the roster quirks, the long grind of season that feels almost exhibition-like until the latter stages — but bringing in an outsider potentially means a higher ceiling and fresh thinking.
More and more, MLS clubs have turned abroad to find ambitious, tactically driven coaches, and it is certainly working for some. The Vancouver Whitecaps have become perennial contenders under Dane Jesper Sørensen, while the likes of Portland Timbers and Colorado Rapids also looked to Europe to bring in more ‘cultured’ figureheads in 2026, despite the lack of MLS experience.
Ideally, the right candidate will have a clear tactical identity, an ability of developing players, and most of all, character to deal with the ambition fueling the club’s next few years. The new era of NYCFC is upon us, and the next coach will be the leader to usher the club into that era. MLS experience or no, it has to be an ambitious hire that reflects the level the club hierarchy see themselves at. But the squad building process will be equally as important.
It’s a cliche, but bigger cities do attract bigger talent. It’s how NYCFC has been able to recruit the likes of Frank Lampard, Andrea Pirlo, David Villa, and others over the years despite the below-par facilities, and a lack of historical success (or history at all). With Etihad Park and the potential for spending restrictions to be loosened in the coming years, NYCFC could have the opportunity to put their literal money where their mouth is.
MLS can only benefit from New York City being occupied by a truly ambitious club. Los Angeles and Miami have ‘big’ clubs of their own, while New York has been a disappointment on both the red and blue side in the modern era. The ‘world’s city’ should have a club to match.
NYCFC has promised supporters that a new era is on the horizon, and after waiting what feels like a lifetime for a stadium to call home, they deserve a coach and a set of players to move in and let the neighbors know they are there to stay.
