The Soccer Journal Podcast

New York City FC can't break the habit of losing to the lesser teams of Major League Soccer.

The pattern held true when the Eastern Conference's last-place team, DC United, came into Yankee Stadium and won, and it's a pattern that has us starting Episode 54 once again wondering how to make sense of this team that can beat some of the top teams in MLS, but one that struggles against the league's strugglers, DC United included.

We get into what went so wrong for New York City in the dispiriting DC defeat, and provide some context for what the loss means for the ongoing race for a spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs.

The MLS playoff race is temporarily on hold, though, as it's another international break. The crew runs through the details for all nine New York City FC players called up by their national teams, then zooms in on a pair of the team's high-profile call-ups, Matt Freese and Alonso Martínez.

Freese is back with the United States men's national team after his big Concacaf Gold Cup breakout, and we discuss what we're expecting to see from the NYCFC goalkeeper and the USMNT when they face Son Heung-min and his South Korea teammates locally at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey, then travel to play Japan out at Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio.

Martínez, meanwhile, leads Costa Rica into a pair of crucial World Cup qualifiers, and right when his name is popping up in the European transfer rumor mill. While discussing Martínez's international and club success, we wonder: Will New York City lose Alonso to a lucrative transfer back to a team in Europe, or will the Costa Rican striker stick around even if he continues to score lots of goals for NYCFC and gets Costa Rica to the World Cup?

Not content to end this episode speculating over an outgoing Alonso Martínez transfer, we also discuss the thrilling and surprisingly violent conclusion to the 2025 Leagues Cup tournament. Seattle Sounders FC picked up the only trophy they were missing from their cabinet, while Inter Miami CF veterans Luis Suárez and Sergio Busquets melted down after suffering a 3-0 loss in the final: Only prestigious tournaments like Leagues Cup give us this kind of drama.

We covered a potpourri of topics on this special international break episode, which you can hear in its entirety here, and when finished, find more of our coverage on Bluesky, Instagram, and Threads, and by visiting HudsonRiverBlue.com.

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New York City FC went to Cincinnati and beat the team that was at the top of the MLS Eastern Conference table, a statement win if there ever was one.

Episode 53 starts with a review of that huge 1-0 victory for New York City at TQL Stadium, a relatively dominant 1-0 win at that.

Your hosts Mark Radigan and John Baney and producer Andrew Leigh give you a rundown of all that worked well for New York City against Cincinnati, like an influential performance from midfielder Aiden O'Neill, more key saves made by Matt Freese, and another clutch match-winning goal scored by Alonso Martínez.

The wins and positive results have been coming with regular frequency for New York City, as they're now winners of three straight MLS matches for the first time this season and have picked up 13 of a possible 15 points across their last five league matches – but they're still stuck in 8th Place thanks to the Eastern Conference being insanely competitive this season.

We talk through the other important results and trends elsewhere among NYCFC's conference rivals while trying to get a collective feel for where we think this 2025 season is heading as New York City heats up and strings wins together late in the schedule as the MLS Cup Playoffs begin to get closer.

After wrapping up talk of the Cincinnati win and the crowded and convoluted playoff picture, it's a preview of NYCFC's upcoming home match against the Eastern Conference's basement dwellers, DC United and old friend Luis Barraza. DC have zero wins across their last 12 matches played, but they also do still have Christian Benteke, and it won't be so easy for New York City to avoid falling into yet another dreaded "trap game."

With DC previewed, we move on to a brief wrap-up of the MLS summer transfer window, which closed late last week. Our consensus is that NYCFC had a "meh" window, in that while Nico Fernández Mercau and Raul Gustavo seem like promising additions, there was still more work to be done to turn this year's team into a true contender.

One player who happens to be a true contender to start for the United States men's national team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup: NYCFC goalkeeper Matt Freese. We conclude our episode by discussing Freese's latest call-up to the USMNT for a pair of September friendlies, part of a decidedly weird roster assembled by Mauricio Pochettino, but a roster that sure makes it seem like Freese is the current undisputed first-choice American goalkeeper.

Listen to our full jam-packed 53rd episode, 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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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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No new New York City FC match to discuss on this episode, but that unexpected reality gave us a lot to discuss.

Hosts Mark Radigan and John Baney plus producer Andrew Leigh kick Episode 51 off with much to say about the (dead) grass situation at Citi Field and the scheduling headache it forced New York City FC into. We've got thoughts on the schedule change being confirmed at what felt like the latest possible moment, and we've got thoughts on the negative side effects of concerts being held in the Tri-State Area's soccer (and baseball) stadiums.

Lamenting of a canceled match complete, we next shift to some MLS transfer talk. We cover a few new rumors popping up around NYCFC and wonder what's holding up the announcement of defender Raul Gustavo's signing with the club. There's also a bigger question posed: Did NYCFC do enough in this window, if they end it with Nico Fernández and Raul Gustavo being their big acquisitions while saying goodbye to players like Birk Risa and Mounsef Bakrar?

Our transfer talk isn't limited to just NYCFC, though, as we survey the wider landscape of major moves made by MLS teams so far this summer. So we're talking Son Heung-min debuting for LAFC, the pending arrival of Thomas Müller at Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Rodrigo De Paul at Inter Miami CF, and even Matt Turner coming back to play in goal for the New England Revolution.

The episode wraps up with a preview of Nashville SC's first-ever trip to Yankee Stadium, the baseball stadium with an outfield still green and healthy enough to host some soccer. While we prep for the Nashville game, we also take a wider look at the final 10-match stretch post-Leagues Cup that lays before New York City, and each give our predictions as to how we see the rest of this season playing out for NYCFC and where we think they'll finish in the Eastern Conference standings come Decision Day.

We packed a lot in here for a week without an actual NYCFC match to discuss, so listen to the 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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A special two-host episode this week as host Mark Radigan is without John Baney but with producer Andrew Leigh to talk you through the entirety of the brief New York City FC run in the 2025 Leagues Cup.

Yes, another midseason cup tournament has unsuccessfully come and gone, with three matches played and two losses sending New York City out meekly in Phase One of the overhauled tournament between MLS and Mexico's Liga MX.

Episode 50 starts with Mark and Andrew reviewing the pair of mixed results earned across the Hudson River at Sports Illustrated Stadium, beginning with the disastrous tournament-opening 3-0 loss to Club Puebla.

It all went wrong for a rotated version of NYCFC, behind after two minutes of the tournament and ultimately handed a heavy three-goal defeat that essentially doomed the club to elimination. We wonder what that loss really said about the depth available to Head Coach Pascal Jansen, which also leads to some talk more generally about the new Leagues Cup format, an unforgiving one for results like the Puebla loss.

It wasn't all bad in Leagues Cup, though, as proved by NYCFC's 2-0 win over Club León. That match gave us reason to talk about a rare goal from Agustín Ojeda, and the challenge in front of him to try to take advantage of the opportunity to start throughout Leagues Cup. We also had lots to say about both Alonso Martínez, who scored and assisted in the win, and Matt Freese, who denied Colombian megastar James Rodríguez of Club León from the penalty spot.

After the break, Mark and Andrew drop in from the press box at Yankee Stadium to give an immediate post-match reaction to the Leagues Cup-closing 2-1 loss to Deportivo Toluca FC. There's talk of the latest loss, but also talk of what the tournament as a whole did for our rest-of-season NYCFC expectations, and whose stock we thought rose during Leagues Cup.

Listen to our one all-Leagues Cup, all-the-time episode of 2025, and then get more of our coverage by following Hudson River Blue on Bluesky, Instagram, and Threads, and by reading HudsonRiverBlue.com. 

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New York City FC started a four-match road trip with another away loss, while also making some major roster moves, meaning there's lots to cover in Episode 47.

We start with a wrap-up of the FIFA Club World Cup, with our co-host Mark Radigan discussing covering the final and Chelsea FC's triumph over Paris Saint-Germain at MetLife Stadium. All of Mark, fellow co-host John Baney, and producer Andrew Leigh then discuss the pros and cons of FIFA's new summertime club competition and render their yay or nay final verdicts on the tournament.

Then it's time for some hot New York City FC transfer gossip, namely that Nico Fernández Mercau is officially in the fold as a new Designated Player signing, and that Birk Risa left New York City to return to Molde FK. We reflect on Risa's time with NYCFC and wonder if this means another shoe's about to drop in the form of a new defender joining the team – maybe Raul Gustavo of Ferencváros? – once the MLS transfer window reopens on July 24.

The fun transfer talk over, things shift to the less-fun topic of Charlotte FC 2-0 New York City FC. The loss felt familiar and continued the club's poor trend of looking great at home and terrible on the road, a trend that we highlight with some ugly numbers from the team's last five MLS regular seasons' worth of away games.

Not the most promising way to segue into our final segment, which is all about the next two NYCFC away games to be played this week against Orlando City SC and Sporting Kansas City, respectively. It will be hot and sticky in both cities, but how confident are we that New York City can finally turn around their poor away form?

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

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The matches just keep coming for New York City FC and we've got a few from the past and a few from the future under discussion on this episode.

The dramatic late win in Orlando and the slightly disappointing draw in Kansas City improved our outlooks on NYCFC and their ability to perform on the road. Hosts John Baney and Mark Radigan and producer Andrew Leigh discuss what stood out most from those two away performances, which each had highs and lows for NYCFC.

That included NYCFC II forward Sebastiano Musu and his energy and involvement when entering as a substitute against Sporting Kansas City, Alonso Martínez's down-then-up game in Orlando which featured a shocking open-goal miss followed not long after by a last-minute winner, and the inconsistency of New York City FC's performance in both these matches.

Lots of transfer talk then follows our look back at the second and third of four straight NYCFC away games. Most focus is on the reported departure of Mounsef Bakrar back to Croatia with Dinamo Zagreb, and the uncertain status of Mitja Ilenič, who's also linked with a possible transfer out this summer. We also discuss a rumor from Israel linking Philadelphia Union striker Tai Baribo with a transfer to NYCFC to round out this episode's transfer rumor section.

After the break, it's time to preview the final match of the road gauntlet thrown before Pascal Jansen and his team, at a limited capacity Toyota Stadium and against a down-in-the-standings FC Dallas. We wonder about Dallas's star No 10 Luciano Acosta's status for this game and set our expectations for the final leg of the long, hot July road trip.

Before we wrap up the episode, we take an early look ahead to Leagues Cup, which kicks off five days after the Dallas match, at Sports Illustrated Stadium on July 29. Andrew gives a general overview of the modified format for this year's Leagues Cup, which will only have MLS teams playing Liga MX teams during Phase One of the competition – it's complicated, and we do our best to make North America's quirkiest new tournament make sense so you're not caught off guard when it's back next week.

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

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The long New York City FC road trip ended with a most dramatic win in Dallas, which means the team and this podcast head into the Leagues Cup tournament on high notes.

Episode 49 begins with a review of that wild 4-3 New York City FC win over FC Dallas, a match almost overflowing with notable storylines and developments. Hosts John Baney and Mark Radigan and producer Andrew Leigh tackle a few of the biggest topics emerging from the win at Toyota Stadium, like Alonso Martínez's hat trick, the sparkling debut of new Designated Player Nico Fernández who assisted on the match-winning Martínez goal, and the shaky performance from the team's defensive back line in their first game without the injured Thiago Martins.

Once we'd sufficiently chatted about the win over Dallas that made it three straight road matches unbeaten for NYCFC, the focus fully shifted to Leagues Cup and the first two match-ups this week against Club Puebla and Club León.

The Puebla game arrives and, in the pod's collective opinion, this one feels the most like a must-win fixture, given how unforgiving the tournament's new format is meant to be. and knowing how much the Puebla attack has struggled in recent seasons.

We wrap things up by dabbling in a second Liga MX club preview ahead of the clash with James Rodríguez and his Club León teammates as part of a packed Friday night doubleheader. The lingering Leagues Cup questions continue to be, "How much will Pascal Jansen rotate?" – will we see regular starts take a back seat until they're needed in the later rounds? Or does Jansen just keep pushing through with exactly what's been working of late, who needs rest?!

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

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Where were you the day a 700-pound, five-story-tall inflatable New York City FC-branded pigeon floated all around New York City?

The club's floating pigeon publicity stunt got even some of the most soccer-disinterested people in New York City's attention, so we had to open the latest Hudson River Blue Podcast by weighing in on the latest Big Bird in the land of NYCFC.

The big old pigeon was exciting, but it definitely wasn't the biggest news discussed on Episode 46. That distinction goes to recent reports that NYCFC will sign Nicolás "Nico" Fernández as their next Designated Player, with the team poised to pay a sizable transfer fee to acquire the 25-year-old Argentine currently of Elche CF, a Spanish club freshly promoted back to the top-flight LaLiga.

Is Nico the answer, or is Sporting Director David Lee about to repeat his recent history by paying a big transfer fee for another less-than-stellar player who fails to live up to the expectations that accompany his signing? Hosts John Baney and Mark Radigan, plus producer Andrew Leigh share interesting perspectives and background on NYCFC's new Designated Player and the possible like-for-like replacement for departed Santíago Rodríguez. Before we wrap up all our Transfer Talk, we also discuss a recent rumor linking one of Pascal Jansen's former Ferencváros players, left-footed center-back Raul Gustavo, with a move to join his old coach at NYCFC.

Transfer talk sorted, we then spend some time reviewing the comfortable 3-1 win New York City FC earned over Toronto FC on a pre-4th of July match at Yankee Stadium before taking a break and returning to do our version of a postmortem on the United States men's national team and their run to the Concacaf Gold Cup final, and a 2-1 loss in that final to hated rivals Mexico.

There are attempts to take a big-picture view of the entire summer of USMNT training camp, friendlies, and a runner-up finish at the Gold Cup, while we also single out some American players who helped their cases and will hope to now stick in bigger roles and in Mauricio Pochettino's future plans, such as those for the 2026 World Cup – it's a list that includes NYCFC goalkeeper Matt Freese right at the top after his breakout showing this month.

Speaking of Matt Freese, with the Gold Cup over, he'll likely rejoin his NYCFC teammates for their trip to face Charlotte FC on the road. Episode 46 wraps up with a closer look at what to expect from a Charlotte team that's underwhelmed ahead of the first 2025 meeting between these teams.

Dean Smith's team is led by reigning Goalkeeper of the Year Kristijan Kahlina, and they've got a coveted (by PSV Eindhoven, reportedly) young center-back in Adilson Malanda, but the club has been leaking in goals throughout the first rounds of MLS action. Will the tide finally start to turn for New York City in its four straight road matches, or will the club's bad head-to-head history against the team from Charlotte, North Carolina, feature one more loss added to the ledger?

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

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Matt Freese had his breakout moment with the United States men's national team so we had to start Episode 45 of the Hudson River Blue Podcast by reflecting on his incredible performance in the USMNT's penalty shootout win to advance past Costa Rica and into the Semifinals of the Concacaf Gold Cup.

The New York City FC narratives were multiple in that USMNT-Costa Rica match, since Alonso Martínez was the biggest Costa Rican thorn in Freese's side. Freese's rise with the USMNT also has us asking the important questions, namely: Is The Iceman going to the World Cup in 2026? Might he even be the USMNT's starter at the tournament?

Once the Freese and Gold Cup talk wraps, we switch gears and review New York City's second 1-0 loss to CF Montréal of the season. That means discussing Pascal Jansen's absence, the team's awful first half, and what this game means for filling in backups like Mounsef Bakrar and goalkeeper Tomás Romero.

After the break, Michael Battista stops by to discuss his bombshell Hudson River Blue story about the potential return of the New York Cosmos in USL League One, with the new Cosmos set to play home matches at Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson, New Jersey. Michael walks through the key things to know about Cosmos 3.0 and what their arrival will mean for the Tri-State soccer scene.

We wrap this episode up by previewing New York City FC's one and only home MLS match in the month of July, when Toronto FC comes to visit for another random installment of Thursday Night Soccer. Toronto just dumped their two expensive and disappointing Italian Designated Players, so does this TFC match become an absolute must-win for an NYCFC team that's looking at four straight games on the road before the Leagues Cup games begin in late July?

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