New York City FC has confirmed their new direction, which looks eerily similar to the one that has been taken up for the last decade by crosstown rivals New York Red Bulls, as they will focus on youth development as a pathway to success. City came into the league in 2015 and has established itself as a club looking to emulate similar clubs in other sports such as the Yankees, Knicks and Rangers. They achieved this by bringing in a mix of veterans and players with proven track records of success. Now, after winning MLS Cup with that model, they have decided that the true road to trophies is in the opposite direction.
“We want to win trophies,” said Sporting Director David Lee. “We believe that part of our strategy, aligned with our ownership and everyone connected with New York City FC and City Football Group, is to achieve that by developing young talent. The better players you can develop, the better your chances of winning games.”
This change in direction is exemplified by the decision to bring in new head coach Pascal Janson. The Dutch coach has had limited experience at the helm of major clubs but has been in an environment where player development is paramount. His time with AZ in the Erdivisie points to that desire to develop the future of the club or at least create assets that can move on and bring the team revenue.
It’s not that City have been unable to produce talent. James Sands is one of the shining examples of what the club can produce. They’ve also worked hard to convert Alonso Martinez into one of the top strikers in MLS. However, it has not been in the club’s DNA to outright look at youth development as a direction to on-field success.
“We recognize that we will almost never sign perfectly finished players,” said Lee. “They will need to improve and develop. We are looking forward to seeing that growth throughout this season and beyond.”
The fanbase’s reaction to this seismic shift will be an interesting observation. For years City looked to itself as a club that could and would be hunting for top talent around the world. Possibly even bringing in players from other City teams as they reach the twilight of their careers. Lee’s words throw cold water on those hopes as future names may be of those who are less known and the risk of misfires rather high.
This is a situation that New York Red Bulls fans have grown accustomed to until this past offseason. Year-after-year saw nameless striker come through the team with little to no success. The team did find a niche with producing local midfielders and defenders through the Red Bulls II reserve team. However, their on-field success has been limited until this last year when they qualified for the MLS Cup Final. Now, City may face similar challenges as their conversion to player development pushes on.
photo by Jordan Bank