The wait is over: This weekend, we will get our first glimpse of the 2026 edition of New York City FC, when the 2026 Coachella Valley Invitational gets underway. NYCFC are taking part in the preseason exhibition tournament for the third consecutive year, and will play friendlies against LAFC, Sporting Kansas City, and San Jose Earthquakes.
All games will be streamed live on newyorkcityfc.com and on the club’s YouTube channel, with NYCFC radio’s Glenn Crooks calling the matches. Additionally, the games will be broadcast on local FOX affiliate WWOR-TV, Channel 9.
The Coachella friendlies do more than give New York City fans a much-needed soccer fix since the team played their last competitive match almost 10 weeks ago. They can provide a showcase for players on the fringes of the roster looking to stake a claim to a spot on the First Team.
2026 Coachella Valley Invitational
• New York City vs LAFC
Sun, February 8, 3 pm ET
• New York City vs Sporting Kansas City
Wed, February 11, 4:30 pm ET
• New York City vs San Jose Earthquakes
Sat, February 14, 4 pm ET
Last year, Jonny Shore, Nico Cavallo, and Tomás Romero made surprise starts at Coachella, then went on to feature for the First Team during the regular season. In 2024, MLS SuperDraft pick Malachi Jones played his way onto the NYCFC squad.
Who will have a breakout tournament at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, CA? Here are 7 things to watch when New York City play in the 2026 Coachella Valley Invitational.
Hudson River Blue Staff
1) Talles Magno: No 9, or on the wing?
The return of Talles Magno has no precedent at the club, a prodigal son who didn’t live up to expectations before leaving for Corinthians on loan, but who enters the 2026 season as a favorite in the Starting XI.
Now the question is, where? Will the 23-year-old play in his favored position on the left wing, displacing Hannes Wolf? Talles Magno had the best season of his career in 2022, scoring seven goals and adding eight assists when playing on the left. Or will he fill in at the No 9? His move to striker in 2023 was catastrophic, when he led an anemic attack that scored a club-low 35 goals in 34 games, logging just four goals in 1,907 minutes.
But that was a very different NYCFC, an unsettled team that struggled in front of goal. This year, Talles Magno will be playing alongside a higher-caliber attack featuring Wolf, Nico Ferández Mercau, and Agustín Ojeda, plus the ageless Maxi Moralez pulling the strings as the No 10.
Besides, the No 9 is a position of need now that the deal to bring in Moussa Sylla from Schalke 04 fell apart. Could Head Coach Pascal Jansen rotate Talles Magno until a permanent No 9 is signed? Seems possible. But will a more mature and perhaps chastened Talles Magno prove his worth by adapting to the role? That’s the million-dollar question.
Talles Magno has been presented with an unusual opportunity to write his next chapter at the club. We’ll see the opening passages this Sunday whether or not he’s at the No 9.
Mark Radigan
2) Is it Seymour Reid’s time to shine?
Last year, Seymour Reid became the youngest goal-scorer in club history when he found the back of the net at 17 years, 6 months, and 10 days. It was his only goal for the First Team, but the young striker scored an astonishing 13 goals in 15 appearances for NYCFC II. That makes him the third-highest goal-scorer in NYCFC II history despite spending much of the season with the First Team — he trails only MD Myers (18 goals in 28 appearances in 2023) and Taylor Calheira (14 goals in 24 appearances in 2024).
While nobody expects Reid to stake a claim to the Starting XI, the 17-year-old could see meaningful minutes at the No 9 this coming season. Last year, Jansen mostly used him as an end-of-game sub. Could he now become a 65th-minute tactical option? Or even make a start?
Reid’s playing time at Coachella will give us a sense of where the young prospect stands.
Oliver Strand
3) Kevin O’Toole, midfielder?
One of the most surprising lineups in 2025 came in the Eastern Conference Semifinal win over Philadelphia Union: Jansen not only had to fill gaps left by the injured Alonso Martínez and Andrés Perea, he needed to find a replacement for the suspended Aiden O’Neill. Jansen called on left-back Kevin O’Toole to play in the midfield alongside Shore. It was a desperate move, but it worked, and NYCFC shut down the Supporters’ Shield winners at home 1-0.
Fast forward to last week, and O’Toole was in the midfield again in the 2-0 friendly win over Austin FC. Could the 27-year-old find himself playing a more versatile role this year?
4) The return of Keaton Parks?
It seems like Keaton Parks is back. There is no official word on the status of the 28-year-old, who underwent surgery last July to address blood flow issues, but he was in the Starting XI for the Austin friendly. His return will help fill out a midfield missing Perea, and bring stability to a team that will be looking to incorporate younger players into the roster. (See below.)
Look for Parks to get consistent starts as he returns to match fitness after going seven months without a competitive game.
Oliver Strand
5) Next Players Up: Drew Baiera, Maximo Carrizo
Unquestionably, Shore was one of the biggest revelations of last year’s Coachella Invitational — and New York City’s 2025 season. The midfielder went straight from NYCFC II to the First Team at the tender age of 17, and never looked back.
Will Drew Baiera be next? Jansen sang the praises of the 18-year-old right back in his first press conference of the year. Baiera has yet to make his MLS debut (he appeared in the US Open Cup loss to Pittsburgh Riverhounds last year), but that looks to be just a question of time.
Maximo Carrizo not only made his First Team debut last year, he played his way into the squad at the end of the year, making key appearances in the final two games of the season. The 17-year-old midfielder has been considered one of the brightest prospects in United States soccer since he signed with New York City at the age of 14 back in 2022, and he proved himself two years later when he was one of NYCFC II’s best players during their improbable run to the 2024 US Open Cup Round of 16.
Could this be the year Carrizo gets regular playing time in MLS? The attacking end of the NYCFC midfield is looking a little thin with Andrés Perea out indefinitely, Keaton Parks returning from injury, and Moraelz unlikely to put in another 34-start Iron Horse performance. Look to see how much playing time Carrizo gets in Coachella, and if he’s in the Starting XI.
Andrew Leigh
6) Dark Horses, Pt 1: Homegrowns Kamran Acito, Cooper Flax
New York City signed two Homegrowns this offseason, central defender Kamran Acito from Duke University and midfielder Cooper Flax from Wake Forest.
Both are native New Yorkers – Acito is from Manhattan, Flax from Long Island – and both have long histories with the club. Acito is a 6’3″ central defender who adds another option to a defense that is still waiting for new signing Kai Trewin (his visa is still being sorted). The 21-year-old center back captained Duke’s soccer team for two years, but he presumably currently sits behind 2025 MLS SuperDraft pick Max Murray on the depth chart. Still, we might get a glimpse of him at Coachella.
Flax ended his college career on a high note: The Wake Forest captain and Most Valuable Player was named to the 2025 First Team All-ACC. But can he do it on the manicured grass at the Empire Polo Club in Indio? The 21-year-old will want to make a case for himself to be in First Team consideration right now. Both Flax and Acito are on the older side for Homegrowns, and both are on contracts guaranteed through 2026 with options for subsequent years — remember, goalkeeper Alex Rando’s option was declined after two seasons with NYCFC II, while defender Prince Amponsah’s option was declined after just one year.
Hudson River Blue Staff
Hudson River Blue Staff
7) Dark Horses, Pt 2: MLS SuperDraft picks Kevin Pierre, Arnau Farnos
New York City made four strong selections in the 2026 MLS SuperDraft, picking Ransford Gyan, Kevin Pierre, Joey Mueller, and Luca Nikolai. Only Pierre (second round, #57 pick overall) is on this preseason roster. A defensive midfielder from Georgia Southern University, the 22-year-old Pierre will be looking to add depth to a position that already features not just O’Neill and Shore, but O’Toole (see above), and, according to our scouting report, Trewin.
Farnos was selected in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft (third round, #84 overall), the same class that produced Cavallo, Max Murray (now with NYCFC II), and Collin McCamy (signed to NYCFC II last year, his option was declined at the end of the season). Born in Spain, the 22-year-old Farnos delayed his arrival at NYCFC to complete a fourth year at Oregon State, where the forward was named the West Coast Conference Offensive Player of the Year. Farnos had 15 goals and 10 assists in 2025, setting an Oregon State record by scoring in six consecutive games.
Like Acito and Flax, Pierre and Farnos will want to play their way into contention right now. The role model for all of them is Cavallo, who was the 88th overall pick in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft, and who signed a First Team contract last year at the age of 23. Cavallo went on to make 15 appearances, logging two starts in his first season as a professional soccer player.
Raf Noboa y Rivera
all but TMag #9 again is promising 🥶