Yesterday, New York City FC Sporting Director Todd Dunivant held his first press conference for the club, speaking via Zoom while the club opens the 2026 preseason in Tampa, FL. Dunivant fielded questions for a little less than 30 minutes, addressing a range of topics, from which holes need to be filled in the NYCFC roster, to the return of Talles Mango, to what the opening of Etihad Park next year will mean for the club.
Here are seven takeaways from the conversation.
Note: The following statements by Dunivant were edited for length and clarity.
1. Any new role requires a transition
There's always going be a transition, any new role, and I think the last 10 years, both between my time in San Francisco and the last eight years with Sacramento, have been a great proving ground, really for so many things. To be able to step into this role now, it’s an incredible time to be joining New York City FC, being part of this club at this moment. Couldn't be more excited about that, and couldn't be more excited about the transition.
New York expects winners. I think that's a big part of the identity of New York City.
Our club has shown, year after year, that type of success. You look at three of the last five years, advancing to the Conference Finals. There's so many things, perennial playoff team, all of that speaks to who we are, and the history that we've established.
We need to continue to do that. We wanna build on that. We've got a great foundation we're going to build on. Ultimately, being in a big market like New York, you do have a lot of eyeballs, but that's opportunity. You know, it wasn't any different when I played for the Galaxy in LA. There was a lot of competition there, but we found success, and we got a lot of attention because of it. The two were pretty heavily correlated in big cities.
I'm obviously not focused on what David Lee did, but I'm also, you know, a big admirer of what he did and what the club has done for so long. There's so much tradition here and really, tradition of success. Brad Sims has been the CEO now for a very long time and has led this club to a lot of things, including MLS Cup in 2021.
That's the heights we want to reach, and we feel like we are primed right now with this team and with this staff to absolutely compete for that trophy, and that's our goal. That is absolutely what we want to do. Being part of City Football Group, we're part of a bigger ecosystem. It's a big advantage for us. We are going to continue to explore ways to take advantage of that, to maximize that, and to utilize that competitive advantage that, you know, really other clubs just don't have in our league.
I spent eight years in Sacramento with the Republic, and it was a fantastic time. So many great relationships there, across the board, and no question that was a difficult place to leave and a difficult decision. I think the decision was clear and obvious to me as I got to know everybody here and went through the entire process.
This opportunity here in New York is second to none. I mean, it's best in class, it's world class, it's all the things you want as a competitor, as an athlete, as an executive. It ticks all of those boxes and then some. So in the end, the decision wasn't hard, but it was difficult to leave. I mean, there's no question when you establish yourself for eight years anywhere, I think there's a lot of investment there. Time, energy, emotions, all those things. I think what actually helped me was the knowledge that we have taken it so far in Sacramento and that it's set up for success. That good things are to come there, the future's bright, and I'm going be the biggest fan, you know, all the way from New York.
2. Addressing New York City's biggest needs
We had a couple of really tough injuries in the playoffs last year, between both Alonso [Martínez] and Pepe [Andrés Perea], two very important players to our team and guys that we're going have to make sure that we find replacements. They're going to come back, but at the same time, Alonso scored a lot of goals, we've gotta make sure we find that within the team. So that's going be a big priority for us, finding some attacking help and making sure that we fill those goals because he was a pivotal player for us and has been, especially the last two years, leading the team.
We need to be open to opportunities, right? And depending on whatever window that is, if there's an opportunity and a need, we have to be ready to move on that. Like we just talked about, there's certainly a need for goals, in attacking help, and I think that's something we're keeping a close eye on in the market. Whether that's now, whether it's in the summer, we need to be ready when an opportunity presents itself, and we're given those resources within the club, we need to be ready to take advantage of that.
Alonso's going be out for a good chunk of the year, we gotta make sure that we are finding goals somewhere, and that means we need to look into the market and be able to add attacking help. I mean, there's no doubt about that. So I think that's priority number one.
You mentioned Justin [Haak], you know, he was somebody that we really tried to keep here that was, you know, he's a Homegrown player, very important player to our club, has come up through the ranks, had a fantastic 2025. Ultimately, Justin made a decision that the time was right for him to try something new. While that wasn't our preference, we certainly respect it, but at the same time, need to move on, and need to find a replacement. So we're working hard on that.
In terms of our philosophy, City Football Group and our club at New York City, it's very clear our identity, how we want to play. Pascal has really shown that his teams are front-foot, press-oriented, attack-minded. That is, those are the types of profiles that we want in the team.
Bringing Maxi back, maybe the easiest decision ever. I mean, he's been an incredible part of this club for a long time now. Been at the heart of the identity of the club, and the season he had last year, you know, being in every single game and scoring a massive goal in the playoffs as he did.
Maxi just defies time, and it doesn't matter how old he is, he deserves being on the field. He brings a lot more than just what he does on the field. He's a leader. He's got that competitiveness, that stability, and everything you want in a player like that. His creativity, the things he can do on the field are so valuable, and he continues to produce.
3. The return of Talles Magno is a "blank slate"
Talles has been back with us in preseason now, and has been really good integrating in with the group. It's sort of a blank slate for him in regards to me, in regards to Pascal, you know, two new faces for him that weren’t here previously when he was here. So he's been at Corinthians, and to get him back in with our team, he's already got some established relationships, but he’s really hit the ground running this preseason, and really happy to have him back. He's a versatile player, and has been an important player, has an MLS Cup ring at this club.
So there are a lot of positives to Talles coming back. We're certainly hopeful that he's going add another one to his collection.
Talles is a great attacking option in multiple positions. He can play in the wings, he can play in different positions that I think are really interesting. So we're evaluating that. Pascal has shown that he's very good at getting the best out of his roster and that could be moving players in different positions. He’s done that in the playoffs.
He really puts a team on the field that gives what he feels is the best chance to win. And he's a lot more often right than wrong. I think he's shown that over and over. So I think Talles brings some versatility that is going to help. I think that's an aspect that certainly Pascal likes.
Frankly, I like the ability to play in multiple positions, to solve different problems as the roster evolves or injuries happen, or call-ups, or you name it. It's good to have players that can do different things, and I think Talles, we're evaluating exactly what that is at this point. He certainly brings something to our attack that is going be helpful.
Mark Radigan
4. Looking ahead to the opening of Etihad Park
We've got a stadium to open, and how do we manage that, and how do we get the roster set up to make sure we are putting a product on the field that matches the gravity of the moment. I think whether that is splashing on a big, big name player, a big investment. This club and City Football Group has shown that it can and has the ability to do that.
We have to make the football decisions and the soccer decisions to decide that that's the right, patent strategy or not. And that's something we're talking about weekly and sometimes daily. So, it is a fun one, and it's going be very dependent, too, on what opportunities are there and, ultimately, where we want to take it. But there's no question we've got the resources, if that's the direction we're going.
I think it has been so impressive to see the fans show up in droves no matter where the team's playing. I think it speaks to the fan base, it speaks to the passion that we have behind the club. That's just something that has been the reality for this club. But it's also been embraced, and that payoff is coming soon. I think we're all really looking forward to the new stadium. There's no doubt about that Etihad Park coming next year, it's going be phenomenal. But in the meantime, we've got a lot of things to accomplish, and it doesn't matter where we're playing, we're going show up and do our part.
5. Utilizing MLS roster rules
[Interleague transfers] open up a lot of opportunities that didn't exist before. I think the system has continued to evolve over the years, and being able to do cash trades and do things outside of the traditional GAM and TAM and salary cap is helpful. It just allows for more flexibility.
You're starting to see that really play out in the league, and that works both ways. Not just buying, but also selling. We have a lot of assets on the team that I think have built up over time. It leads to success, but it also gives us a chance when things come up and when opportunities arise that maybe you couldn't do before. So I think it's something we have to be aware of, it's something we have to be able to take advantage of, when that right moment comes.
No question, MLS has a very different set of rules than really any other league in the world. It's something that I think I bring a lot to the table on, being part of multiple Collective Bargaining Agreements from a player’s side, and just having that background. So I'm very familiar with the system and how it works.
[NYCFC Director of Player Personnel and Analysis] Clark Thompson has stepped in and done a phenomenal job, over the last several months, while this transition's been happening, post-David Lee, and continues to do a great job. So, really nothing but praise for Clark and the job that he's done, and you can see where the team's positioned. It is positioned in such a great place. We obviously are building off a very successful season, have a lot of returning players, you know, between that and returning staff. We feel very strong about our position and, at the end of the day, our job's to make the team stronger, and that's certainly what we're going do.
5. Adjusting to a new schedule, travel
[The new schedule is something] that we've talked about with the league office. We've talked about, internally, how do we manage that sort of calendar flip? It's certainly, from our perspective, a really good development. It's going align us with the world calendar, align us with transfer windows, and be helpful on both selling and buying. So I think that's going be a big positive. We're certainly for it.
How we're going manage it, I think a lot of our contracts when we renew or start to work through these to extend guys, we're going obviously take that into account. It's something that's just going happen slowly over time. We have a year and a half now before that happens. So it's very unlikely we'll have a lot of contracts that are off base at that point. We're going to be able to align them, or they'll run their course kind of naturally. So something that certainly league-wide is going have to be dealt with.
[Cross-country travel] used to be a lot harder when you were on all commercial flights, so things have gotten better in terms of travel, but it's something that I think, especially international players, maybe don't appreciate fully how big our country is. The way the schedule works now, you have fewer cross-country flights.
I think we only have three regular-season Western Conference games, Vancouver, Galaxy, and Salt Lake. So there are fewer trips all the way across the country, but when you do it, it's not an excuse. You plan ahead, probably leave a couple of days ahead. But I think that's why you have a great sports medicine department, performance department, to make those decisions, and the resources we have at the club, to be able to give our team the best chance to win and minimize those excuses, it's certainly not going be something that holds us back.
6. The news of a dust-up with David Beckham is greatly exaggerated
A dust-up. Where'd you see that? No dust-ups with David.
He was an incredible teammate, and I'll tell you, just like any champion, he is an incredible competitor. I think first and foremost, playing with David, you get to see how much winning matters to him, and not just championships and on the weekend, it's every day in training.
I mean, so when you talk dust-ups, that was part of our success and part of our recipe in LA back with those teams, was how intense, how hard training was. We pushed each other, and David was not exempt from that, he was part of that and loved that and thrived on it. Ultimately, you saw his level go up as the magnitude of the game went up. He got better. So playing alongside somebody like that, for four years as we did, there are going be moments where you have to push each other, and it was part of what made David great was that competitive spirit. I loved every minute of it.
Also, so happy that he got a championship on the other side now, and would've preferred it were a different year. You know, happy for him in the end.
