NYCFC announce preliminary Champions League roster

We are less than a month away from the restart of the CONCACAF Champions League in Orlando. And the time has come for the tournament’s remaining teams to submit their lists of the players that will be entering the CCL bubble in Orlando starting on December 15.

New York City FC have submitted their 25-man roster to CONCACAF. It is as follows:

Mostly, there are no surprises. But let’s talk about two key players on City’s “bubble list.”

First is James Sands, who is still recovering from a fractured foot. Him being on the team’s CCL roster indicates that NYCFC should expect him to be back with the team within the next month. It will be hard to crack into the lineup with Alexander Ring and Keaton Parks playing exceptionally well for the past several games. But having the Sandsman ready for action will be a welcome change in December.

Another notable addition to the squad is Homegrown forward Andres Jasson. The NYCFC youth product was signed to a first team contract yesterday and provides depth to a talented, albeit thin attacking corps. Whether or not he will find playing time during North America’s most important football tournament remains to be seen. But having a talented, hungry youngster ready to go never hurts.

The CCL will resume on December 15 and will be played exclusively at Exploria Stadium in Orlando, Florida. NYCFC — who are currently in the quarterfinals — will play their second “away” leg against Tigres UANL, who beat them 1-0 at Red Bull Arena on March 11 in a game that proved to be the last before the nationwide sports stoppage due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Down one goal on aggregate, NYCFC will have to dig deep against the Tigers if they wish to advance further in the tournament.