With New York City FC set to begin its 2026 Major League Soccer season against LA Galaxy on Sunday, Pascal Jansen spoke to the media on Friday evening.
Jansen started off the press conference by saying that "a few guys have to do a little more in order to be 100 percent," referring specifically to Aiden O'Neill, Talles Magno, and Jonny Shore. O'Neill started the preseason finale against San Jose and looks nearly back to full fitness, but it doesn't seem like Shore will play against the Galaxy.
As for Talles Magno, Jansen revealed that the Brazilian had a minor calf issue in Austin, which set him back a couple of weeks. Now, Talles Magno is back in training, but "needs time" to return to full fitness, leaving NYCFC without yet another option up top on Sunday. When asked about who would start at the No 9 against the Galaxy, Jansen opted to keep his answer a secret.
Andrew Leigh
Keaton Parks is back
With several key players still on the mend, New York City will breathe a sigh of relief with the return of Keaton Parks. The midfielder, whom Jansen called "a great player with a great personality," hasn't played a competitive match since May 31, 2025, and is likely to return to the lineup on Sunday.
"He's been healthy so far during preseason, and that is a massive accomplishment for Keats himself and the medical staff," Jansen said. "He's been on the pitch — almost every session he was available to train. They're monitoring him very closely in order to keep him fit, and it looks like he's gonna be part of the roster from Sunday on."
The other starting midfielder spot against the Galaxy is much harder to predict. It could be O'Neill, new signing Kai Trewin, or even Kevin O'Toole, who got plenty of time as a CDM in preseason.
Pascal Jansen's expectations for 2026
Although NYCFC will start 2026 short-handed, Jansen has "complete faith" in his players and has set high expectations for his side this season.
"We have to do better than we did last year," he said. "Results-wise, we finished in the fifth position that got us into the playoffs, and we managed to get ourselves to the conference final, but the guys are hungry; I'm hungry as a coach. We want to do better, and we want to become even more successful than we are so far. So, looking back at last season is one thing, but aiming for higher and better is something we have spoken about going into this season."
Jansen joined NYCFC with plenty of experience from his time coaching in Europe, but not every coach can adjust to MLS's unique style of play. After one year in MLS, Jansen admitted he learned lessons about two specific things: the league's competitiveness and the cross-country travel.
"I have felt and experienced the traveling part in MLS, which is a huge aspect within this league," Jansen said. "I had to find my rhythm, and together with finding my own rhythm, I had to make sure the team was ready to compete within this schedule as well, given the away results from the previous seasons is something that I took in consideration as well, and it has taught me a lot of helpful lessons going into the 2026 season."
John Baney
The Justin Haak Derby
If it wasn't already impressive enough that Maxi Moralez started all 34 games last season, the soon-to-be 39-year-old is back on a one-year deal for 2026. The Little Magician might not play as much this season, but he will still be a key player for New York City regardless of potential age-related minutes restrictions.
Moralez met with the media on Friday, as well, and Hudson River Blue's John Baney wasn't shy to ask Moralez if 2026 would be the final chapter in his 21-year career.
"I felt very good last year. I played every single game, so my body is good," Moralez said. "I want to continue to play; this is my motivation. But I don't put time for if it's my last season or not. It depends on my body and depends mentally. So, I will see after this season."
The main talking point once New York City's 2025 season ended was whether Justin Haak would return or not. After lengthy talks between Haak and the club, the 24-year-old ultimately joined the Galaxy as a free agent and will face his old side on Sunday evening.
Haak played just 59 minutes in the Galaxy's 1-1 draw with Sporting San Miguelito in the Concacaf Champions Cup on Thursday night, meaning he will likely get the start against NYCFC. Jansen is excited about the chance to play against his former player.
"It's interesting to compete against each other now instead of together. We're looking forward to meeting Justin on the pitch again and hopefully getting ourselves on the right side of the scoreboard and leaving LA with a slightly disappointed Justin Haak."
