Position: Central Defender
Age: 27
Key Stats: 6 yellow cards and 1 red card in 16 MLS appearances
In many ways, Strahinja Tanasijević did what was asked of him in 2024.
The 27-year-old was signed by New York City FC to provide a quality depth option at center-back, and fill in when Thiago Martins or Birk Risa weren’t available. He did just that, making 10 starts in league games last year. It was most for a backup center-back since fashion icon Sebastien Ibeagha’s 11 in 2019.
More to the point, Tanasijević was a significant upgrade over Tony Alfaro, the backup center-back signed at the start of the 2023 season and traded to LA Galaxy mid-season, and Vuk Latinovich, the MLS SuperDraft selection signed in 2021 and let go in 2022. Neither earned the trust of former head coaches Ronny Deila and Nick Cushing. Alfaro made five starts during his short stay at NYCFC, while Latinovich made just three starts over two years.
And it was all yellow
That’s the good news. The bad news is that Tanasijević earned seven cards in his 16 appearances for the team, six yellow and one red.
That disciplinary record is something else, as my grandfather used to say. His six yellow cards are fourth-most on the team, behind only James Sands (11 in 29 games), Keaton Parks (seven in 32 games), and Santiago Rodríguez (7 in 32 games).
As for the red card, which was earned in the ugly brawl that followed the team’s win over Toronto FC last May, it was one of five shown to a New York City player last year.
That’s not all. Tanasijević was whistled for 16 fouls in the 993 minutes he played. That’s one per 62.1 minutes, which doesn’t seem so bad until you compare it to 18 called against Thiago Martins (one per 174.9 minutes), or the 18 called against Birk Risa (one per 124.6 minutes).
Other players on the team fouled more often than Tanasijević, but it’s one thing for Santiago Rodríguez (77 fouls in 3159 minutes, or one per 41 minutes) to be whistled in the attacking third, and another to give up the ball in the danger zone in front of goal.
The Strahinja Paradox
And now for the hard-to-hear news: New York City had a poor 1W-5D-4L record in the games that Tanasijević started. Call it the Strahinja Paradox. The defender is good enough to make 10 starts in 16 appearances, but the team earned just eight points with him in the starting lineup.
Adding insult to injury, he was in the Starting XI for NYCFC’s abysmal 1-5 home loss to Philadelphia Union on September 18, 2024, when the club allowed five goals for the first time since 2016.
You can’t pin the Philadelphia loss on Tanasijević. The right-footed center-back was playing out of position on the left, but that catastrophically bad performance was a team effort. Still, he didn’t cover himself in glory in the play leading up to Philadelphia’s final goal: He chased after the ball, darting from player to player like it was a youth league game, until Jesús Bueno found the goal.
He also earned a yellow card in that game.
Tanasijević stepped in for the injured Risa against Philadelphia. He also started one week later in the 1-1 draw with Inter Miami at Yankee Soccer Stadium, when New York City shut down the most lethal attack in the league and limited Lionel Messi to his worst performance of the year. Tanasijević earned a 6.8 rating from FotMob that day, and a 7.2 from Hudson River Blue readers.
Oh, he earned a yellow card in that game.
Dropping down the depth chart
Where does that leave Tanasijević in 2025? As discussed in yesterday’s player preview of Risa, the central defender no longer has a lock on the starting spot: He’ll need to prove himself to new head coach Pascal Jansen. Haak made a strong case for getting more starts this year, but the Homegrown is a natural defensive midfielder, and right now that’s a position of need with the recent departure of James Sands.
And then there are the new kids. New York City just signed Prince Amponsah, a 21-year-old from Wake Forest who was arguably the best collegiate left-footed central defender in the country. Earlier the club used their MLS SuperDrft pick to select Max Murray, a 21-year-old who stands at 6′ 5″ and won the national collegiate title with the University of Vermont.
Will Tanasijević earn the trust of Jansen, and make a play to become the left-sided starter in central defense? It’s possible but unlikely, especially with that disciplinary record. Will he once again become the first-choice backup to the usual starting center-backs? It could be, especially if Risa wobbles and Haak is employed in the midfield.
Or we could see a change of tactics, and Tanasijević might slot in to the right of Thiago Martins in a back-three. Jansen is known for favoring the same 4-3-3 formation we mostly see at New York City, but never say never. After all, Cushing turned to a back-three several times in his years at the club, including in the 1-1 draw with Inter Miami last March. Tanasijević started that day, playing on the right.
What is certain is Tanasijević will get plenty of playing time this season. With so many question marks in the defense, he will undoubtedly make the Starting XI before too long, and rack up more appearances than he did in 2024.
Now let’s see if he also beats his record for yellow and red cards.
He’s such a beast. I’ll never forget Maxi talking to the squad when he came back to full training last year and making some crack about “staying away from Tana” and everyone laughing. So, yeah: he’s a little rough around the edges. But he’s pacey and he’s not afraid to do some dirty work. Eliminate the dumb cards so he only gets booked when it matters, and he has a lot to offer.(Side note: I think Prince is going to push hard for the other center back position. There’s something about that kid.)
You’ll like today’s post then.