There was a lengthy wait between matches for New York City FC thanks to that recent Columbus Crew postponement, and playing their first MLS match of August against Nashville SC required waiting out a long weather delay in the Bronx.

All that waiting still culminated in a victory for New York City FC, giving hosts Mark Radigan and John Baney and producer Andrew Leigh lots of points of discussion to kick this episode off. We first take a wider view of the win for NYCFC and discuss how significant it is for the team's season, then discuss some of the top-performing players from the second meeting with Nashville this season.

That discussion includes Agustín Ojeda, whose assist gave him a goal contribution in three straight appearances in all competitions. It also includes Andrés Perea, who scored against Nashville and continues to cement his status as a vital member of Pascal Jansen's Starting XI.

Once the reflections on Nashville are through, we try to set expectations for the newest New York City City FC recruit, defender Raul Gustavo. It's not been straightforward to predict Pascal Jansen's lineups, and it's now harder to predict how he'll line up his defense once Raul Gustavo secures his work visa and joins the rest of the team.

We wrap up this episode with a preview of NYCFC's trip to TQL Stadium to play FC Cincinnati. It's a stadium that's not usually been kind to New York City over the years, though you likely don't worry about that given how the 2024 MLS Cup playoff match ended when the teams met, and given the sneaky-good form NYCFC is currently in. Do we think that good form extends through the Cincinnati meeting?

Listen to our full episode and then find more of our coverage by following Hudson River Blue on Bluesky, Instagram, and Threads, and by reading HudsonRiverBlue.com.

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