New York City FC haven’t been quite this off-season with forward Thiago Andrade and Nicolas Acevedo departing the club in the past week. Andrade left as part of the expansion draft while Acevedo was transferred out of the league and will be joining Brazilian side Esporte Clube Bahia.
Andrade hasn’t made an appearance for NYCFC since the 2023 season after making the move from Brazil in 2021. The player was a heavy part in the championship 2021 season, making 21 appearances and scoring four goals. His time only increased in 2022 where he made 33 league appearances but had trouble adjusting to the style of then interim head coach Nick Cushing. That tension continued as Andrade would go on loan to Athletico Paranense for a majority of 2023 and then to China with Shenzhen Peng City in 2024.
The Brazilian was selected in the expansion draft by San Diego FC but quickly traded for allocation money to Toronto FC where he is expected to report at the start of 2025. Whether he remains in the league is a mystery. However, Toronto will be under new management and Andrade will have a chance to prove himself again in MLS.
Acevedo was also a key player for Ronny Deila as he made 67 appearance for NYCFC after joining the club in 2020. The midfielder made the biggest mark in 2022 when he appeared in 31 of 34 regular season games but quickly found himself in Brazil with Bahia, where his transfer will become permanent.
The move clears up two international roster spots for NYCFC which will give them more flexibility heading into the January transfer window.
photo by Anthony Merced