New York City FC 1-1 LAFC: 5 Thoughts
A New York City FC missing key players (and, ahem, a striker) played to a 1-1 draw under the bright, clear desert skies in their opening game at the 2026 Coachella Valley Invitational.
Oliver Strand
Oliver is the publisher of Hudson River Blue. A benchwarmer on the 1985 Culver City All-Stars, he grew up supporting the Los Angeles Lazers of the Major Indoor Soccer League.
New York City
2026 Coachella Valley Invitational preview
Talles Magno at the No 9? Kevin O'Toole in midfield? Here are the New York City FC players to watch at the 2026 Coachella Valley Invitational.
Hudson River Blue partners with Sofascore
We will now feature custom statistical analysis and visualization from Sofascore, the sports data website and app powered by Opta.
HRB Roundtable: Reactions to Sky, New York City FC's new mascot
No pants, flatbill cap, a pair of Timbs straight out of the box: The contributors at Hudson River Blue take a closer look at Sky, New York City FC's new mascot.
Gotham 4-0 AS FAR: 3 Thoughts
The Bats rolled over Morocco's AS FAR in the third-place match of the inaugural FIFA Women's Champion Cup as collegiate signings Andrea Kitahata and Talia Sommer made their professional debuts.
New York City FC attendance climbed slightly in 2025
While MLS attendance overall shrank by 5.36% in 2025, NYCFC's grew for the fourth consecutive year to average 21,853 per match — that's the highest since 2018.
New York City FC 2025 Final Report Card
With the 2025 season is in the rearview mirror, here are the final grades for New York City FC players and the front office.
2025 Final Grade: David Lee
David Lee did some of the best business in his NYCFC career just before leaving, bringing in Nico Fernández Mercau and Aiden O'Neill, and signing Matt Freese to an extension. But he let Justin Haak slip away, and Jovan Mijatović and Talles Magno are still on the club's books.
A tribute to Justin Haak
We look back on the Homegrown's seven-season career at New York City FC, and how his breakout 2025 established him as one of the best defensive players in Major League Soccer.
2025 Final Grade: Seymour Reid
The 17-year-old wasn't supposed to be here: He signed with NYCFC II, not New York City FC. But the striker earned a spot on the First Team — and became the youngest goal-scorer in club history.
2025 Final Grade: Jonny Shore
The 18-year-old had the most impressive Homegrown debut season in club history, and the strongest year for a teenager at New York City FC since a 19-year-old Jack Harrison had 10 goal involvements in 2016.
New York City FC's history in the MLS SuperDraft
With the 2026 MLS SuperDraft set to take place later this afternoon, here are 5 thoughts about NYCFC's history with the selection process.
2025 Final Grade: Keaton Parks
Big Bird made the fewest appearances and played the fewest minutes since he ascended to the First Team in 2019. We can only guess how many goals involvements – and wins – he would have contributed to this New York City FC squad in 2025.
Midge Purce signs new deal with Gotham FC
The forward agreed to a one-year deal with the Bats, and will return for her seventh season with the club.
2025 Final Grade: Raul Gustavo
The 26-year-old center back, who made just 10 appearances since joining NYCFC in August, is physical, technical — and inconsistent.
2025 Final Grade: Tomás Romero
The backup goalkeeper made 5 appearances this season, allowing just 0.71 goals per 90 minutes while comping a record of 3W-0D-2L.