Welcome to the first-ever Hudson River Blue Podcast! Join hosts John Baney and Mark Radigan as they talk through New York City FC's tough loss to Columbus Crew, how the officiating did/didn't influence the game, and what losing Matt Freese to injury might mean this late in the season.

Looking ahead, they break down this next run of games as NYCFC have to run the gauntlet in their hunt for a top spot in the Eastern Conference. It means staying ahead of DC United and Philadelphia Union, two dangerous teams that are desperate to make the playoffs — and that are New York City's next two opponents. Finally, they celebrate Alonso Martínez, whose talent for finding the goal is turning him into one of the most effective and ruthless strikers in MLS.

You can read more at Hudson River Blue. Be sure to follow HRB on X and Instagram.

New York City FC is riding the high of a late-season unbeaten streak, and Episode 6 of the Hudson River Blue Podcast looks back fondly at the team's two recent victories over the New York Red Bulls and FC Cincinnati.

There's time spent savoring that 5-1 exclamation point of a win in the Hudson River Derby, with lots of talk about the local New York City products, Tayvon Gray and Justin Haak, who played key roles in the emphatic win over NYCFC's biggest rival.

Episode 6 also gets into the momentum that's building with NYCFC's second straight win, the 3-2 triumph over FC Cincinnati, and wonders if the team is hitting its stride just as the MLS regular season draws to a conclusion. Things wrap up this week with a look ahead to the weekend meeting with Nashville SC, a match that will have major ramifications for the race for home-field advantage in the MLS Cup Playoffs.

Listen and then go check out all our other coverage at Hudson River Blue. Be sure to also follow us on X and Instagram.

It's Hudson River Derby week so Episode 5 of the Hudson River Blue Podcast takes a long look at New York City FC's trip to Harrison, New Jersey to face the Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena.

Before the rivalry match talk, Hudson River Blue's senior editor Andrew Leigh joins hosts John Baney and Mark Radigan to recap his visit to the team's new Midtown Manhattan space dedicated to showing off the future soccer stadium in Willets Point, Queens (tiny replica included), which also meant a chance to speak with New York City FC CEO Brad Sims about the stadium and recent club developments like the change made to the team's badge.

From there on it's all Red Bulls-NYCFC preview, as John and Mark look first at the big implications this match carries for the MLS Eastern Conference playoff race, and how it finds both teams in poor runs of results and looking for some late-season momentum.

The conversation then shifts to how New York City might line up at Red Bull Arena given the forced absences of Santiago Rodríguez and defender Strahinja Tanasijević, and the injury question marks that remain over Birk Risa.

Episode 5 will get you ready for the 29th installment of the Hudson River Derby, and you can find all our coverage, derby and otherwise, at Hudson River Blue. Be sure to also follow us on X and Instagram.

Listen now and find all our coverage, at Hudson River Blue. Be sure to also follow us on X and Instagram.

In a very special Episode 4 of the Hudson River Blue Podcast recorded live from the press box at Yankee Stadium, hosts John Baney and Mark Radigan are joined by Hudson River Blue senior writer Matthew Mangam to provide a post-match breakdown of New York City FC's 1-1 draw with Lionel Messi's Inter Miami.

The conversation begins with reactions to the result and what the last-gasp James Sands equalizer could mean for this year's NYCFC squad — could this end up being their version of a season-changing goal? John, Mark, and Matthew also get into Lionel Messi's individual performance, with the Argentine legend kept quiet in front of many people at the game solely to see him play. 

Talk then shifts to the surreal experience of watching Messi and Co. play in the Bronx in front of a crowd of 44,738, including discussion about the in-game atmosphere, that Barbie-themed tifo unveiled in the NYCFC supporters' section before kickoff, and the great performance of the NYCFC fans throughout the stadium and even outside the stadium pregame.

Things wrap up with a look ahead to next weekend's Hudson River Derby, which is always big but feels even bigger this time given the closeness of the two rivals in the Eastern Conference table as the MLS Cup Playoffs draw near.

Enjoy this Messi-centric Episode 4 and find more of our coverage at Hudson River Blue. Be sure to also follow us on X and Instagram.

Episode 3 of the Hudson River Blue Podcast arrives during a busy three-match week for New York City FC, so hosts John Baney and Mark Radigan have lots of ground to cover. They start by looking back at another NYCFC lead lost in a road draw with DC United, a decent defensive performance that still wasn't enough to earn a slump-busting win.

John and Mark also discuss the arrival of billionaire Marcelo Claure as part of New York City FC's ownership group before shifting focus to what lies ahead on the field, specifically the two home matches against Eastern Conference rivals Philadelphia Union and Inter Miami CF. 

That includes some discussion of the spectacle that awaits when Lionel Messi steps onto the Yankee Soccer Stadium pitch for the first time, which will cost you a pretty penny to see in person — and which will be a big test for a struggling NYCFC side.

The final portion of Episode 3 features a guest appearance from Hudson River Blue's senior editor, Andrew Leigh, who joins John to provide a post-match reaction to the lopsided 5-1 home loss to Philadelphia Union, which made it eight straight MLS matches without a win for NYCFC. What will that heavy defeat mean for New York City as it heads into the final five matches of the MLS season? 

Listen to Episode 3 for more on that, and find more coverage at Hudson River Blue. Be sure to also follow us on X and Instagram.

After New York City FC dropped a refreshed badge somewhat out of nowhere to mixed reviews, Hudson River Blue Podcast hosts John Baney and Mark Radigan share their thoughts on the new look. Maybe introducing the crest when the team have just one win in their last 11 games played wasn't the best timing.

Episode 2 also has us again wondering what life might be like with Luis Barraza – he of the less-than-stellar recent performances in Leagues Cup and in MLS NEXT Pro – as the NYCFC starting goalkeeper, pending the health status of Matt Freese after his injury suffered against Columbus Crew.

The episode wraps up with a preview of DC United preview, and the dangers posed by New York City's Eastern Conference rival and their MLS Golden Boot contender, striker Christian Benteke. We close out with a discussion of Mauricio Pochettino's hire as the next head coach of the United States men's national team, with Mark sharing a Spurs-fan perspective on the new USMNT leader.

You can read more at Hudson River Blue. Be sure to follow us on X and Instagram.

The first-ever MLS Cup Playoffs edition of the Hudson River Derby is almost here, so this episode of the Hudson River Blue Podcast is all about previewing the gigantic Eastern Conference Semifinal at Citi Field.

To prepare for the big playoff clash between New York City FC and the New York Red Bulls, hosts John Baney and Andrew Leigh had to turn to an expert of New York soccer and of MLS Cup Playoffs soccer.

Enter Gio Savarese, a studio analyst for MLS Season Pass on AppleTV who you also know for his tenures as head coach of the Portland Timbers and New York Cosmos, and for a playing career that included prolific seasons scoring goals for the NY/NJ MetroStars in MLS.

Savarese discusses the significance of the first postseason meeting between NYCFC and the Red Bulls, what each team's head coach will need to do to get their team ready for the unique realities of a playoff derby game, and the huge importance of managing emotions in this kind of high-stakes match against a major rival.

We then have a pod installment of Oppo Research, with Matthew Mangam chatting with Red Bull writer Michael Battista about some of the keys to a potential road victory in Queens.

Listen to Episode 14 and get yourself fully ready for a tense evening of playoff soccer between the red and blue sides of the Hudson River MLS rivalry. After you’ve listened, be sure to read all of our latest coverage at Hudson River Blue.com, and follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, or maybe even Twitter (X), if you’re still into that.

It's the international break for the MLS Cup Playoffs but there's no international break for the Hudson River Blue Podcast. Episode 13 begins with a survey of the playoff landscape in the Eastern Conference after Round One, namely that the top three seeds, including regular season record-setters Inter Miami CF and Lionel Messi, have been knocked out. Can New York City FC suddenly start dreaming of a march towards another MLS Cup appearance?

First things first, and that means a first-ever playoff Hudson River Derby, which will be played at a less-than-full Citi Field. The news that capacity will be capped due to closures of the upper levels of the stadium as it begins its process of offseason winterization spurred lots of spirited discussion between hosts John Baney and Mark Radigan. They share their thoughts on the cap on crowd size and how it's a missed opportunity to draw a big crowd to watch NYCFC play the New York Red Bulls in the rivalry's most important game to date.

Episode 13 wraps up with the beginnings of a preview of that Eastern Conference Semifinal against the Red Bulls, with some key numbers and trends called out from across the history of the rivalry game that are worth noting while anticipation continues to build for the first playoff clash between the teams.

After you've listened to this episode be sure to go read all of our latest coverage at Hudson River Blue.com, and follow us on Bluesky, Threads, or maybe even Twitter (X), if you're still into that.

New York City FC did just enough to advance in the MLS Cup Playoffs, beating FC Cincinnati on penalty kicks in the decisive Game 3 to seal a first-ever playoff meeting with the rival New York Red Bulls.

This special installment of the Hudson River Blue Podcast was recorded immediately following the 0-0 draw turned NYCFC shootout win at TQL Stadium to close out the best-of-three Round One playoff series, so get ready to excitedly re-live the 18-kick penalty shootout in all its messy glory.

Hosts John Baney and Mark Radigan discuss the bend-but-not-break performance from NYCFC in the 90 minutes of regulation time that came before the penalty shootout. There weren't many attacking chances created by New York City, but was it always in the game plan to force this thing to penalty kicks?

While the clinching win over Cincinnati is the main focus of this episode, we also look ahead to what will be the most important rivalry game to date between NYCFC and the Red Bulls. Given the anticipation around this first-ever playoff Hudson River Derby, it's never too early to start with the previews, even if the game won't take place for another two weeks. Who has the edge, and which team does this game mean more to?

Listen to Episode 12 as you ride the high of a playoff series win, and be sure to read all of our coverage at Hudson River Blue.com, and follow us on Bluesky, Threads, or maybe even Twitter (X), if you're still into that.

A big win at Citi Field in Game 2 means that New York City FC will play a decisive Game 3 to decide their MLS Cup Playoff series with FC Cincinnati. This episode of the Hudson River Blue Podcast takes a look back at NYCFC's first playoff win of 2024 while preparing for what comes next in yet another do-or-die postseason game, this one on the road.

Hosts John Baney and Mark Radigan highlight what went well during NYCFC's 3-1 win to even their best-of-three series, with a lot of discussion about the club's standouts in defense, namely Mitja Ilenič and Justin Haak, along with some talk of the role Citi Field played in providing a home-field advantage.

Episode 11 then shifts focus to the upcoming massive Game 3 at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, a place where NYCFC have lost five straight matches, but will need to win to extend their season. Our hosts think all the pressure is on the home team heading into Game 3, while they also acknowledge that NYCFC has, historically, thrived when cast in the underdog role during the MLS Cup Playoffs. The records and recent history make New York City underdogs but that might be exactly where the team wants to be.

This episode wraps up with an eye on what might be next if NYCFC can pull out a win and advance: A first-ever playoff meeting with the rival New York Red Bulls. How much of an extra motivator will it be for NYCFC to know that a win books them a home game against the Red Bulls for a spot in the MLS Eastern Conference Final?

Let Episode 11 be part of your pre-Game 3 preparations, and then please go read all our other coverage at Hudson River Blue. Be sure to also follow us on Twitter (X) and Instagram.

New York City FC finds its 2024 season on the brink, so this episode of the Hudson River Blue Podcast is focused on how they got here and how they might still be able to turn things around.

Hosts John Baney and Mark Radigan spend much of this episode dissecting NYCFC's 1-0 loss away to FC Cincinnati to open the best-of-three Round One of the MLS Cup Playoffs, a match that packed a lot of intrigue into 90 minutes.

Episode 10 explores what went so wrong with New York City FC's attack in that loss in Cincinnati, with the team putting up one of its worst showings of the season at the exact worst time. There's also some good discussion around key moments in this match. Those included a non-call for a foul on Santiago Rodríguez leading up to Cincinnati's one goal, a denied penalty claim for a foul on Alonso Martínez, and a late red card shown to Tayvon Gray that will keep him out of Game 2 at Citi Field.

Things wrap up this week by previewing NYCFC's home leg of this series, what's now a must-win if the season is to be extended to a decisive Game 3 back in Cincinnati. What changes should Nick Cushing make to his lineup to make sure his team's season continues?

Check out Episode 10 and then please go read all our other coverage at Hudson River Blue. Be sure to follow us on Twitter (X) and Instagram.

Attention turns to FC Cincinnati and the MLS Cup Playoffs on this episode of the Hudson River Blue Podcast.

Decision Day didn't go New York City FC's way, so Episode 9 begins with a little talk of what went wrong in Montréal in the MLS regular season's final match before hosts John Baney and Mark Radigan shift their attention to Round One of the playoffs.

The good news: NYCFC's one home game in Round One will be played at Citi Field, an actual home-field advantage that could help the team's chances of advancing, according to our hosts. The bad news: The loss to Montréal halted some of the team's momentum and set up this meeting with the Eastern Conference's Third Place team, FC Cincinnati.

That match-up with FC Cincinnati then gets a very special segment dedicated to it, as HRB writer Matthew Mangam brings in guest Laurel Pfahler of Queen City Press to discuss the Cincinnati team she covers. Matthew and Laurel bring you up to speed on what's been going on with Cincinnati, a team that slumped late in the MLS season but one that might be getting its defense in order just in time for the playoffs to begin.

Episode 9 concludes with hosts John and Mark reacting to a surprise twist of a news item: Nick Cushing's potential, rumored departure from NYCFC to become head coach of Arsenal Women. Not exactly ideal timing for a coaching change rumor to break on the eve of the playoffs, is it?

It's days before MLS Decision Day so Episode 8 of the Hudson River Blue Podcast has lots to say about the potential playoff scenarios that await New York City FC.

That includes the uncertainty that surrounds where NYCFC might play the home match(es) in Round One of the MLS Cup Playoffs, thanks to the looming potential for a meeting between the New York Yankees and New York Mets in the World Series. What would it mean to the team and its fans to have to host a potential playoff game at Red Bull Arena in New Jersey?

Hosts John Baney and Mark Radigan also discuss the debut of Mauricio Pochettino as head coach of the United States men's national team and tell you exactly how much stock you should be put into Pochettino's first-ever loss as coach, suffered away to arch-rivals Mexico by that too-familiar 2-0 scoreline.

Episode 8 wraps up with our hosts wondering: Who really deserves to win the MLS MVP award this year? Lionel Messi has piled up the goals and assists when healthy, but he also missed dozens of Inter Miami CF matches while injured. We break down who might be MLS MVP from a group that, in addition to Messi, also includes Columbus Crew striker Cucho Hernández, DC United striker Christian Benteke, and Portland Timbers midfielder Evander, among a few others.

Listen to Episode 8 and then go read all our other coverage at Hudson River Blue. Be sure to follow us on Twitter (X) and Instagram.

The vibes on the Hudson River Blue Podcast are good as New York City FC has logged three straight wins with only Decision Day now between them and the MLS Cup Playoffs.

Episode 7 begins with a discussion of the workmanlike 3-1 win over Nashville SC, which featured a star turn from Santiago Rodríguez. Santi's two goals have us wondering: If there was an alternate MLS without Lionel Messi or Cucho Hernández, would the NYCFC attacker be in the MVP conversation?

The scenarios at play on the final day of the MLS regular season for NYCFC get broken down, as do the potential playoff match-ups that could await once the playoffs begin. Episode 7 wraps up with some discussion of 17-year-old NYCFC defender Christian McFarlane earning a spot on the MLS 22 Under 22 list and just how good the team has been at finding and developing talent at the fullback position, plus a rundown of all the international call-ups that arrived for NYCFC players this October.

Listen to Episode 7 and then go check out all our other coverage at Hudson River Blue. Be sure to also follow us on Twitter (X) and Instagram.

The transfer market is hot elsewhere in Major League Soccer, but there's not a lot of exciting transfer movement going on around New York City FC.

This episode starts with an attempt to get to the bottom of why we've seen so little transfer activity from NYCFC during this offseason, an offseason that has seen lots of big-name talents – like Wilfried Zaha and possibly Miguel Almirón, to name two – make the move to the MLS Eastern Conference.

We cover NYCFC's tendency under Sporting Director David Lee to make their winter signings closer to or after the start of the MLS regular season, but also wonder if this quiet winter is a side effect of the team's heightened transfer activity during the winter of 2024 and summer of 2023.

There's also the Pascal Jansen factor, as in: Could NYCFC be holding off on making more roster changes until the new coach has joined up with the team for preseason and has had a chance to get a better feel for his new squad?

After our big transfer window chat, we wrap this episode up with a discussion of the United States men's national team, specifically how little we saw of NYCFC goalkeeper Matt Freese during this January USMNT camp. Freese didn't play a single minute in either of the team's two friendlies and was the only previously uncapped player in January camp to not make his senior national team debut. Mauricio Pochettino, that is no way to treat the 2024 MVP of New York City FC!

After you’ve listened, make sure you’re following Hudson River Blue on Bluesky, Instagram, and Threads, and reading all our coverage at HudsonRiverBlue.com.

The 2025 preseason officially started for New York City FC, with the team jetting off to Santa Barbara, California with a 34-player preseason roster, but a roster that does not include striker Jovan Mijatović.

The 19-year-old is still in Europe and not joining up with his teammates for preseason while rumors swirl about a potential loan transfer from NYCFC to a European club. Hosts John Baney and Mark Radigan have lots of thoughts about the difficult Mijatović situation, wondering why it's gone so poorly for him with New York City while also speculating on how this drama between Jovan and the team will resolve itself.

Not content to only discuss a potential Jovan Mijatović transfer, things then shift to the moves New York City has already made, like re-signing Maxi Moralez, adding a backup goalkeeper, and formalizing Homegrown contracts with two young players. There's also some discussion of a possible Matt Freese transfer since the NYCFC goalkeeper finds himself in the rumor mill, linked with interest from clubs in the Netherlands and Germany.

Episode 21 wraps up with the show's producer Andrew Leigh running through numerous changes to the MLS roster rules the league announced before the start of the 2025 season. No MLS podcast episode is complete without a discussion of new twists on player trading and allocation money, contract buyouts, and oh so much more.

After you’ve listened, make sure you’re following Hudson River Blue on Bluesky, Instagram, Threads, and Twitter (X), and reading all our coverage at HudsonRiverBlue.com.

Matt Freese has been overdue for a call-up to the United States men's national team, but Mauricio Pochettino's first January camp as coach finally sees Freese get a chance with the USMNT.

We have a lot to say about Freese's opportunity and our hopes of seeing someone from the NYCFC roster grow into a regular presence with the USMNT, maybe in time for the 2026 World Cup.

Episode 20 also includes more talk about Pascal Jansen, as we react to his official unveiling as the sixth head coach in New York City FC history. Among other Jansen topics, we discuss his past success at AZ Alkmaar and elsewhere in the Netherlands coaching up promising young players and wonder about his impact on NYCFC's crop of Homegrown and Under-22 signings.

Things wrap up this week on a less-than-cheery note as we discuss Jovan Mijatović crashing his car into a pedestrian while spending his offseason in Belgrade, Serbia. A scary accident that's left us wishing for the best for the pedestrian and hoping that Mijatović can get something good to break his way in the wake of what's been a rocky first year as a NYCFC player.

After you’ve listened, make sure you’re following Hudson River Blue on Bluesky, Instagram, Threads, and Twitter (X), and reading all our coverage at HudsonRiverBlue.com.

There's no easing into a new year, as the first Hudson River Blue Podcast episode of 2025 had a lot of ground to cover.

That happens when news of a new New York City FC coach and James Sands's second departure break on New Year's Eve and Day, respectively.

First, hosts John Baney and Mark Radigan discuss the reported arrival of Pascal Jansen to replace Nick Cushing as NYCFC manager. There's talk of what the Jansen hire means for New York City, the statement of intent made not just in hiring Jansen but in buying him out of his contract with Ferencváros, and what we might expect from his NYCFC based on his previous coaching stints.

After first impressions of the newest coaching arrival, we shift into goodbye mode and react to James Sands's loan move to FC St. Pauli in the German Bundesliga. It's all praise for Sands, who our hosts say earned his move back to Europe, but his exit raises lots of questions about how New York City FC will look in 2025. Is a defensive midfielder now the team's most pressing need during this winter transfer window?

To wrap up Episode 19, we discuss the five players NYCFC recently selected in the MLS SuperDraft, with some unanimous hype around First Round pick Max Murray out of the University of Vermont.

After you’ve listened, make sure you’re following Hudson River Blue on Bluesky, Instagram, Threads, and Twitter (X), and reading all our coverage at HudsonRiverBlue.com.

Episode 18 of the Hudson River Blue Podcast is also the final episode of 2024, so end-of-year reviews are top of mind for hosts John Baney and Mark Radigan.

Before the conversation turns to a review of 2024, there's news to discuss and it's about Leagues Cup. The tournament between MLS and Mexico's Liga MX is changing in 2025 and our episode starts with a discussion of one major change that's been confirmed, namely that Leagues Cup will no longer be played during a month-long break, but will shift to a midweek tournament played while the MLS and Liga MX seasons continue concurrently. 

This being the MLS offseason, we also touch on some juicy transfer news and rumors, like NYCFC selling midfielder Nicolás Acevedo to Bahia, rumored interest from Brazilian clubs in Santiago Rodríguez, and reports of a return to MLS for former NYCFC head coach Ronny Deila, this time with Atlanta United FC.

John and Mark then conclude our final 2024 episode by handing out their final grades to NYCFC's top and bottom performers, and to the team as a whole. How harsh of a curve are we grading on? You'll have to listen to find out.

Once you've listened, make sure you're following Hudson River Blue on Bluesky, Instagram, Threads, and Twitter (X), and reading all our coverage at HudsonRiverBlue.com.

Offseason has fallen across all of Major League Soccer, but this episode begins with a look back at the final match of 2024, the MLS Cup Final that saw LA Galaxy win a sixth Cup by vanquishing the New York Red Bulls.

Hosts John Baney and Mark Radigan discuss what a loss in the league's championship game means for the legacy of the Red Bulls franchise, as well as what it means for the always-entertaining rivalry between Red Bull and New York City FC fans.

With MLS Cup discussion done, talk moves to the offseason, which has started in earnest with signings, trades, and rumors. NYCFC has contributed to the rumor mill already with the trade of goalkeeper Luis Barraza to DC United and the ongoing negotiations over a possible return in 2025 for midfielder Maxi Moralez.

John and Mark also touch on the simmering rumor that former Philadelphia Union coach and longtime NYCFC rival Jim Curtin might be a candidate to replace Nick Cushing. How welcome would Curtin be as New York City FC coach?

Episode 17 concludes with one final bit of early offseason drama: The MLS Expansion Draft, which saw NYCFC lose Brazilian winger Thiago Andrade in a classic MLS transaction, with Thiago drafted by San Diego FC but then immediately traded to Toronto FC.

We once again are left scratching our heads at the absurdity of the Expansion Draft and the MLS roster rules, but that doesn't stop us from breaking down this strange turn of events for a player who had been loaned out by NYCFC during each of the last two seasons.

When you've finished listening, be sure to follow Hudson River Blue on Bluesky, Instagram, Threads, and Twitter (X), and read all our coverage at HudsonRiverBlue.com.

It's down to the MLS Cup Final and this year it's between LA Galaxy and...the New York Red Bulls. Yes, New York City FC's fiercest rivals are one win away from hoisting their first-ever MLS Cup, and this episode starts with hosts John Baney and Mark Radigan sharing their thoughts on that uncomfortable possibility, while giving some begrudging props to the success of Red Bull's approach to games throughout their underdog run through the MLS Cup Playoffs. How big will the absence of LA Galaxy star Riqui Puig be, and does it all come down to whoever manages to grab that first goal?

Episode 16 then shifts to some New York City FC roster talk, specifically as it pertains to the upcoming MLS Expansion Draft in which San Diego FC has a chance to pick five eligible players from five different MLS teams. Mark has a lot of thoughts on the concept of expansion drafts, mainly that they shouldn't exist, but he and John also get into some of the tough decisions NYCFC faces while making a list of 12 players to protect from possible selection.

Things wrap up with a discussion of Etihad Park, which had its ceremonial groundbreaking and is shovels-in-the-ground as it moves toward opening in 2027. Maybe the positive future soccer stadium vibes will be enough to hold you over during the cold, quiet days of the offseason.

When you're done listening, be sure you follow Hudson River Blue on Bluesky, Instagram, Threads, and Twitter (X), and read all our coverage of NYCFC and beyond at HudsonRiverBlue.com.

A packed episode in which we discuss the two huge developments in New York City FC-land: The team's elimination from the MLS Cup Playoffs at the hands of the rival Red Bulls, and the subsequent decision to fire head coach Nick Cushing.

Episode 15 begins with a gut reaction to the news that Cushing is out after 107 games in charge of NYCFC, relieved of his duties by the team. Hosts John Baney and Mark Radigan discuss just how surprising or unsurprising this decision was, and wonder what main factors might have contributed to the decision to cut ties with Cushing.

Then we shift into postmortem mode and reflect on the season-ending 2-0 loss NYCFC suffered at the hands of the New York Red Bulls in the first-ever Hudson River Derby staged in the MLS Cup Playoffs. That includes a discussion of what went wrong in that game at Citi Field, but also what NYCFC and the now-departed Cushing could have done differently to prevent this unfortunate ending to the season.

With the derby disappointment dissected, the conversation shifts to the long offseason ahead, with a first discussion of some of the big decisions NYCFC will face before they kick off the 2025 MLS season. That includes deciding on the future of club legend Maxi Moralez, with varied opinions on whether or not he should return to the team for another season.

There is a lot going on with NYCFC as the 2024 season draws to an end and we tried to break down as much of it as possible in this episode. Listen, visit HudsonRiverBlue.com to read more of our coverage, and follow us on social media over on Bluesky, Twitter (X), Instagram, and Threads.

New York City FC picked up their best win of their season to kick off a congested three-match week that includes a return to the US Open Cup plus a potential MLS trap game against lowly CF Montréal at Yankee Stadium.

Episode 37 starts with a deep dive into New York City's somewhat surprising yet undeniably impressive 1-0 win over a streaking FC Cincinnati team at Citi Field. We discuss some parts of the tactical chess game that played out between coaches, including Pascal Jansen making changes to his NYCFC's formation to open the match.

There's also lots to say about the early-game loss of Keaton Parks to another foot problem, as well as the goalscorer and lightning rod for both praise and criticism, Julián Fernández. Is Julián on the cusp of finally breaking out, or will he go back to being a maddeningly inconsistent hot-and-cold attacker?

With seemingly every angle of the Cincinnati match covered, we move on to talking US Open Cup and a first-ever match against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. The million-dollar questions, as they usually are when NYCFC enters the Open Cup: How seriously will the team take the tournament, and how many regular fixtures in Jansen's Starting XI will we see on the pitch in Pittsburgh?

NYCFC will be the favorites in Pittsburgh and they'll definitely be favored to win when MLS play resumes over the weekend and Montréal visits the Bronx on Matchday 12. With one win over an elite Cincinnati team already in the bank, we look ahead to these two matches against lower-division Pittsburgh and struggling Montréal and wonder if this simply has to be a "three matches played, three matches won" week for New York City.

Episode 37 has all our thoughts and opinions on Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Montréal and more, 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 all our work at HudsonRiverBlue.com.

The wind was whipping in Toronto and it might have blown New York City FC in some new directions, as the team finally won a game on the road and finally made an exciting new signing for us to discuss.

Episode 36 begins with hosts John Baney and Mark Radigan and producer Andrew Leigh breaking down NYCFC's gritty, slightly boring 1-0 win over Toronto FC that came thanks to another Alonso Martínez goal, and despite gale-force winds blowing inside BMO Field in Ontario, Canada. The win was helpful and important but also didn't inspire a ton of confidence, and left us wondering when, or if, we'll see more goals and assists from players like Agustín Ojeda and Julián Fernández, and if Pascal Jansen might be considering other tweaks to his formation or to his preferred personnel after 10 games in charge.

A good time for that aforementioned Argentine duo to start scoring might be Matchday 11 when FC Cincinnati comes to Citi Field. Pat Noonan's Cincy squad is scorching hot, winners of five straight games and now sitting atop the MLS Eastern Conference table. We preview this rematch of Round One of the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs and wonder just what it will take to slow down Evander and Kèvin Denkey when they show up in Queens.

This episode wraps up with some more talk about NYCFC's newest signing, Australian midfielder Aiden O'Neill. The consensus among our hosts is that it's a breath of fresh air, or maybe a fresh gust of wind, to see the team sign a seasoned veteran to fill a roster hole, rather than roll the dice on another promising, untested youngster.

Listen for our full thoughts on O'Neill, the win in Toronto, and the match vs. FC Cincinnati, 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.

New York City FC's drama-filled, chaotic 2-2 draw with Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF to open the 2025 Major League Soccer season gave us lots to unpack.

Hosts John Baney and Mark Radigan cover big points like the gut-punch Miami equalizer in the 10th minute of second-half stoppage time, Mitja Ilenič's clever set-piece goal and Messi-trolling Cristiano Ronaldo celebration, and the first big in-game moves made by new NYCFC coach Pascal Jansen.

Discussing Jansen's moves means spending some time talking about 17-year-old Homegrown midfielder Jonathan Shore's MLS debut right at the start of the second half, Justin Haak's slide back to center-back in place of an almost-sent-off Strahinja Tanasijević, and a continued reliance on ageless playmaker Maxi Moralez.

Talk then shifts to a Matchday 2 preview of the game at BMO Stadium against LAFC. We marvel at the toughness of NYCFC's two road matches to start the 2025 MLS season and try to figure out what, if any, changes Pascal Jansen might make to his lineup or his approach for this second competitive game in charge.

Listen to the full episode and then make sure you’re following Hudson River Blue on Bluesky, Instagram, and Threads, and reading all our coverage at HudsonRiverBlue.com.

It's the dawn of a new Major League Soccer season and the Hudson River Blue Podcast has one more big preview-centric episode to get you ready for a new year of New York City FC soccer.

We start by discussing two players who won't be on the 2025 NYCFC roster, Santiago Rodríguez who is about to join Botafogo in Brazil, and James Sands, who just suffered a rough injury while away on loan in Germany.

Then we preview the first match of the 2025 season, a trip to face reigning Supporters' Shield winners Inter Miami. Will their midweek Concacaf Champions Cup game in the extreme freezing cold in Kansas City give New York City FC a slight edge over Lionel Messi and company? More importantly and more uncertainly, how will NYCFC even line up for their first match of the season? There are Starting XI predictions and eventually score predictions shared for the big season opener in Fort Lauderdale.

There's also some time spent reflecting on what the expert MLS pundits out there think will come of this New York City FC season. Expert sentiment is that Pascal Jansen has a fringe playoff team on his hands, and we get into whether that's a fair assessment or not while dropping a few of our own predictions for how the 2025 season shakes out.

Episode 26 wraps up with our final preview of a specific group of NYCFC players, this time the team's forwards. Our big questions for the attacking players involve who starts on the wings, how much better Hannes Wolf can be in his second season, and if Alonso Martínez and Mounsef Bakrar will really see the field at the same time.

Listen to the full episode and then make sure you’re following Hudson River Blue on Bluesky, Instagram, and Threads, and reading all our coverage at HudsonRiverBlue.com.

We're collectively on high alert for a Santiago Rodríguez transfer away from New York City FC, with rumors intensifying that the attacking midfielder could leave for Botafogo in Brazil's Série A.

Episode 25 begins with an unpacking of all that a Santi sale would mean for NYCFC and some attempts to figure out what's actually going on with his rumored big-money move.

The Santi talk leads our hosts John Baney and Mark Radigan into a discussion of NYCFC's ongoing preseason, which is noticeably missing Santi Rodríguez but is full of other storylines. Will Pascal Jansen really deploy Alonso Martínez in his attack at the same time as fellow striker Mounsef Bakrar? Will any of the unsigned MLS SuperDraft picks start the season by earning contracts with the NYCFC senior squad? 

It's also new 2025 MLS kit week, so time is spent discussing the bright New York City skyline-inspired Excelsior Kit just unveiled by NYCFC. That includes a lot of talk about the fact that the old NYCFC club crest remains on this year's new jersey despite the team unveiling a redesigned crest during the summer of 2024.

We wrap up our 25th episode by continuing our series of 2025 previews for different NYCFC position groups, this week covering the team's midfield. The absence of James Sands is a big topic, as is the need to figure out a non-Maxi Moralez option in the central attacking midfielder role, especially if Santi Rodríguez does end up leaving.

After you’ve listened to this episode, make sure you’re following Hudson River Blue on Bluesky, Instagram, and Threads, and reading all our coverage at HudsonRiverBlue.com.

This week Pascal Jansen met the New York City FC media for the first time since becoming the team's Head Coach, so this episode starts with close readings of some of what Jansen – and NYCFC Sporting Director David Lee – had to say in their preseason press conferences.

That included Jansen laying out his goals to give his team more edge, intensity, and sense of invincibility, a "bulletproof mindset" as he put it, which all made him sound, to us, like a coach ready for the challenges of Major League Soccer and New York City.

Our hosts John Baney and Mark Radigan also sounded encouraged by David Lee's insistence the team will be signing some new players, but they wonder whether the Sporting Director is making the right move by waiting until possibly beyond the start of the new season to bring any major new reinforcements in for Jansen and company.

Talk then shifts to one player who will not be reinforcing Pascal Jansen's squad: Jovan Mijatović, as we discuss the young striker's departure on loan for OH Leuven in Belgium. With the Jovan saga concluding (for now), we took a few more minutes to offer shakes of our collective heads over just how badly his time with NYCFC went.

Episode 24 wraps up by continuing to preview the 2025 New York City FC squad, this time by taking a deep dive into the defense. We single out the defenders we expect to stand out this season and all share our preferred defensive lineups. That lineup-making also leads to us continuing the years-long debate over who should be the team's starter at right-back: Tayvon Gray or Mitja Ilenič?

After you’ve listened, make sure you’re following Hudson River Blue on Bluesky, Instagram, and Threads, and reading all our coverage at HudsonRiverBlue.com.

New York City FC will compete in both the US Open Cup and Leagues Cup in 2025, but it's not so cut-and-dry for a lot of other Major League Soccer teams.

Both those Cup competitions just got new and slightly complex qualification criteria, and we spend the early part of Episode 23 trying to make sense of who gets into the Open Cup, who gets into Leagues Cup, and who gets left out. Given that we're talking trophies, we also answer the burning question: Which Cup would we pick if we had to choose one for NYCFC to win in 2025?

Another big topic this week is another player leaving New York City FC, this time 18-year-old Homegrown defender Christian McFarlane. There's talk of what's in store for McFarlane now that he's a Manchester City FC player, how his departure impacts the 2025 NYCFC team, and what to make of another deal between two City Football Group teams.

We wrap up this episode by starting in on a series of position group previews ahead of NYCFC's 2025 season, putting a spotlight on the team's goalkeepers. There's a no-doubt starting goalkeeper in place in Matt Freese, but with Luis Barraza gone, questions linger over who serves as Freese's backup on NYCFC matchdays. Will it be Alex Rando, or Tomás Romero, or maybe Greg Ranjitsingh?

After you’ve listened, make sure you’re following Hudson River Blue on Bluesky, Instagram, and Threads, and reading all our coverage at HudsonRiverBlue.com.

This episode of the Hudson River Blue Podcast drops the same day the MLS Primary Transfer Window closes, so our conversation is dominated by talk of New York City FC and transfers.

Before wading deep into transfer discussion, hosts John Baney and Mark Radigan and producer Andrew Leigh review New York City FC's depressing 2-0 defeat at Gillette Stadium against New England Revolution.

Nothing went well against the Revs so we've got plenty of (bad) things to cover, like failed Pascal Jansen lineup experiments, the team's continued attacking struggles when playing away from home, and whether or not NYCFC's season is already approaching or in a downward spiral.

That discussion of what went wrong in New England naturally blends into transfer talk, because the performance again highlighted glaring NYCFC weaknesses that could use addressing by way of new player signings.

Knowing what we know about New York City FC nine games into the 2025 season, and without a wave of new signings set to burst through the door on Transfer Deadline Day, we try to answer an important question: How good can this year's team really be, and what should expectations be given how little there's been in the way of incoming transfers since the summer of 2024?

That gets John Baney going on a solid rant about City Football Group and the NYCFC front office's approach to team-building and the disparities between how the team talks and acts publicly, and how they actually operate with their transactions or lack thereof.

We spend less time than usual in this episode previewing NYCFC's next match, blame the transfer deadline, but we do share our predictions for the trip across the northern border of the United States to face Toronto FC – a team with only one win this season but one, like New England, with just enough momentum and motivation to cause NYCFC problems.

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.

New York City FC's win over Philadelphia Union improved the vibes considerably following those two tough losses against Atlanta and Minnesota. While beating a hated rival at home is always fun, there were still plenty of questions to address about NYCFC coming out of the Philadelphia match.

Episode 34 has your hosts John Baney and Mark Radigan and producer Andrew Leigh wondering if we'll now see more of Justin Haak playing in central defense and also if we'll see more of Agustín Ojeda as a starter on the wings since both players looked good in the Philly win.

When we're done discussing current members of the roster, we dive into a fresh NYCFC transfer rumor, namely that the team is reportedly trying to sign 26-year-old Australian defensive midfielder Aiden O'Neill from Standard Liege in Belgium. Is a potential James Sands replacement the right signing to make as we approach the close of the MLS transfer window? We share our thoughts on that and give you some background on O'Neill in case he ends up making the move to MLS.

We wrap this episode up with a preview of NYCFC's trip to Gillette Stadium to take on New England Revolution on Matchday 9. Our scouting report: Do whatever it takes to stop Carles Gil, New England's one-man wrecking crew who has scored all New England's non-Thiago Martins own goal goals in 2025.

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.

It's now a two-match losing streak for New York City FC so Episode 33 begins with another post-loss autopsy, this one for Minnesota United's 2-1 win in a Sunday matinee at Yankee Stadium.

Your hosts John Baney and Mark Radigan and producer Andrew Leigh lament the sluggish start to the game from NYCFC while also discussing the team's wasteful possession and inability to break through a bunkered Minnesota defense once down by two goals after 30 minutes.

There's also a review of the big in-game decisions from Pascal Jansen, who made a rare first-half double substitution while trying to spark a comeback. What to make of the early hooks for Birk Risa and Julián Fernández, and what other changes should Jansen make to stop the skid?

That segues nicely into a preview of the upcoming visit from rival Philadelphia Union at Citi Field in Queens. It's New York City's first look at the post-Jim Curtin Union now led by Bradley Carnell, so there's a review of what's new with their squad and some suggestions as to what NYCFC will need to do to get a positive result against one of their more heated rivals.

One of NYCFC's biggest transfer needs is again a hot topic in this episode: A new Designated Player attacker, preferably a No 10 central midfielder. As it happens, a pretty big-name version of that player with a connection to City Football Group, 33-year-old Belgian superstar Kevin De Bruyne, is confirmed to be leaving Manchester City FC and available to sign this summer.

De Bruyne is rumored to be weighing interest from MLS and Saudi Arabia as he mulls his next move, so John, Mark, and Andrew all answer the burning question: Should New York City do whatever it takes to sign KDB?

When you've finished listening to Episode 33, get more of our coverage by following Hudson River Blue on Bluesky, Instagram, and Threads, and by reading all our work at HudsonRiverBlue.com.

It's gut-check time in the wake of New York City FC's ugly second-half collapse in their 4-3 loss to Atlanta United FC and ex-NYCFC coach Ronny Deila.

Hosts John Baney and Mark Radigan and producer Andrew Leigh do their best to make sense of all that went wrong while NYCFC threw away a 3-1 lead at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which includes talking about the mistakes that led to the final three Atlanta goals.

It's not an entire segment of finger-pointing, but we do each weigh in on that particularly disastrous mix-up between Thiago Martins and Matt Freese on Atlanta's fourth match-winning goal, which naturally leads us to each make known who we hold most responsible for that specific mistake.

The tone gets more positive when the talk turns to the upcoming Minnesota United FC match at Yankee Stadium. Even though NYCFC just suffered that emotionally draining defeat, and even though Minnesota is in good form and boasts a potent attack, we all like the home team's chances during a rare Sunday matinee in the Bronx.

You'll have to listen to Episode 32 in full to hear the reasons for our confidence heading into the Pigeons vs. Loons Bird Derby. After you've done that, get more of our coverage by following Hudson River Blue on Bluesky, Instagram, and Threads, and reading all our work at HudsonRiverBlue.com.

Episode 31 starts with hosts John Baney and Mark Radigan and producer Andrew Leigh attempting to properly rate the vibes emerging from New York City FC's 0-0 draw with Columbus Crew last weekend in Ohio.

Was it a positive result, a valuable point gained in a tough environment against a tough if shorthanded Columbus team? Or was it a concerning performance that showed just how badly NYCFC needs new players added to the roster if they want to beat the other top teams in the MLS Eastern Conference?

The draw with the Crew also featured the MLS debut of a pair of 17-year-olds, Máximo Carrizo and Seymour Reid, who together with 35th-minute substitute Jonathan Shore made it a teen-heavy match in Columbus. Mark Radigan explains why he views the involvement of these three NYCFC teenagers as "both a positive and a negative at the same time," which makes total sense when you hear him tell it.

That thrilling 0-0 properly digested, we move on to preparing for NYCFC's trip to the turf of Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the big emotional reunion with the team's former head coach, Ronny Deila, who is in his first season in charge of Atlanta United. There's some talk of all the feels stirred up seeing Ronny back in MLS, as well as Atlanta's tumultuous last year leading into the hiring of Deila. To wrap up our Atlanta preview, we tackle the big NYCFC question hanging over this match: How will Pascal Jansen cover for the possible absence of his midfield mainstay, Keaton Parks?

All that and more is discussed at length, but not at too much length, in this our 31st episode. Listen in full and then get more of our coverage by following Hudson River Blue on Bluesky, Instagram, and Threads, and reading all our work at HudsonRiverBlue.com.

New York City FC made it two straight home wins by beating New England, but it wasn't the prettiest or easiest win over the Revolution at Yankee Stadium. That gave us lots of angles to explore as we discussed this work-in-progress NYCFC team.

Hosts John Baney and Mark Radigan and producer Andrew Leigh praise the performances from players like Julián Fernández, Alonso Martinez, and Keaton Parks, plus they touch on the adversity the team overcame in the win, namely the early double-whammy of a Thiago Martins own goal and an early injury to fullback Nico Cavallo.

Episode 30 then shifts to some news updates, including NYCFC being down four players due to international call-ups and promising young winger Malachi Jones facing a second surgery to try to correct his broken right leg.

We wrap things up this week by previewing the trip to Columbus, Ohio, which NYCFC will make without star striker Alonso Martínez, one of those four international call-ups. Is the match at Lower.com Field a golden opportunity for Mounsef Bakrar to prove his worth to new coach Pascal Jansen? Will NYCFC get its first away win vs the Crew since back in April 2017, given that Columbus will be missing multiple key players due to international duty, suspensions, and injuries?

All that and more gets covered on this Hudson River Blue Podcast, and when you're done listening, make sure you’re following Hudson River Blue on Bluesky, Instagram, and Threads, and reading all our coverage at HudsonRiverBlue.com.

The first New York City FC win of 2025 arrived at the home opener and it gave us plenty to discuss.

We start with a rundown of all the festivities at the home opener meant to mark the 10th anniversary of NYCFC's on-field debut, with pod producer Andrew Leigh providing a boots-on-the-ground perspective on the nostalgic night at Yankee Stadium that included visits from Andrea Pirlo, Kwadwo Poku, and others.

Then it's time for hosts John Baney and Mark Radigan to review the much-needed 2-1 win over Orlando City, which was heavy on the storylines. Mark was impressed by Hannes Wolf scoring the match-winning goal and thinks this will be a turning point for the Austrian, while both he and John rave about the Player of the Match performance in the midfield from 17-year-old Jonny Shore.

The discussion then moves on to Matchday 4's visit to Yankee Stadium from the New England Revolution, a team with zero goals scored in three MLS matches played so far this season. Can New York City build on that home-opener win and maybe target a first clean sheet of the season against New England's struggling attack? Easier said than done in the weird world of Major League Soccer, but confidence is growing with one win now under Pascal Jansen's belt.

Listen to the full episode and then make sure you’re following Hudson River Blue on Bluesky, Instagram, and Threads, and reading all our coverage at HudsonRiverBlue.com.

It's home opener week for New York City FC and that means it's a time for anticipation and nostalgia on the Hudson River Blue Podcast.

Before getting into all the excitement and build-up to the first NYCFC home match of the 2025 season, hosts John Baney and Mark Radigan break down the 1-0 away loss to LAFC. That means attempting to understand the lack of decent NYCFC scoring chances, trying to figure out all that went wrong on that 86th-minute Ryan Hollingshead goal, and focusing on some individual players who stood out for the right and wrong reasons for New York City in its first loss of the season.

Season-opening road trip sorted out, the episode then shifts focus to the big 2025 home opener at Yankee Soccer Stadium in the Bronx. Despite the winless start to the season and the in-flux state of the roster, optimism abounds about the year's first home match. We get into the specifics of the match-up and offer predictions about who plays and who doesn't, but we also get nostalgic about past home openers and past meetings with Orlando City.

Maybe that's because NYCFC has been busy celebrating its 10th anniversary leading up to this game, trotting out Andrea Pirlo and harkening back to the team's inaugural campaign. That the home opener against Orlando City will be played on the same date these teams played the first competitive games in each of their existences back in 2015 will be a nice cherry on top of the nostalgia sundae.

Listen to the full episode and then make sure you’re following Hudson River Blue on Bluesky, Instagram, and Threads, and reading all our coverage at HudsonRiverBlue.com.

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.

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?

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.

Time spent without New York City FC matches means the focus of the latest Hudson River Blue Podcast wanders to some other competitions, namely the Concacaf Gold Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.

Episode 44 starts with talk of the Gold Cup and the United States men's national team, specifically the USMNT's starting goalkeeper Matt Freese. Freese made his first big mistake since becoming the Gold Cup starter in goal for Mauricio Pochettino, handing Haiti a goal in what was still a 2-1 USMNT victory. What will the gaffe do for Freese's place in the Starting XI, and how warranted is some of the criticism being thrown the way of the NYCFC goalkeeper?

Hosts John Baney and Mark Radigan and producer Andrew Leigh have a lot to say about Freese's USMNT status, as well as the divided opinions among USMNT fans about striker (and college buddy of our own Mark Radigan) Patrick Agyemang of Charlotte FC.

Our Gold Cup talk also includes some previewing of the big quarterfinal match that's next up for the United States, a New York City FC Derby of sorts pitting Freese's USMNT against Alonso Martínez and Costa Rica. NYCFC will get one of its two MVPs back after that quarterfinal, but we spend some time wondering who needs a good performance for their national team the most between Freese and Alonso.

The other big non-MLS focus in this episode is the Club World Cup, which is just getting to its knockout rounds but is proving more captivating than we first anticipated. Is this tournament better than we thought, and able to overcome the off-field baggage that's hounded it before and during the matches?

Club World Cup proved pretty difficult to navigate for the three MLS teams who qualified, with Inter Miami CF and their trio of superstar ex-Barcelona players the only MLS squad to escape the group stage. Miami advanced to the knockouts and became the first Concacaf team to ever beat a team from UEFA to get there – and earned some $21.5 million in prize money in the process.

We discuss what Miami's success says on behalf of MLS on the global stage and get into a wider discussion of some of the off-field pros and cons of the Club World Cup – from DAZN to the underdog teams to Saudi Arabia's involvement and beyond.

Finally, after a big stretch without one, there's another New York City FC match to preview. We get you all caught up on what's going on with CF Montréal as New York City prepares to head north of the Canadian border to try to earn a second road win this season. We wonder about Pascal Jansen's personnel and lineup choices for the trip to Montréal, but also all sound bullish on NYCFC's chances in this last MLS match in June.

Listen to our full Cup-centric 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.

Things look to be trending in the right direction for New York City FC after that emphatic 4-0 win over Atlanta United, a result Pascal Jansen's team earned with four regular members of the Starting XI still missing due to ongoing national team duty.

Episode 43 begins with a breakdown of that dominant display by NYCFC in the Ronny Deila Derby, one made more impressive due to it occurring without leading goalscorer Alonso Martínez at striker, nor with the always reliable Matt Freese in goal.

Hosts John Baney and Mark Radigan and producer Andrew Leigh have wondered all season where the non-Martínez goals would come from, and the win over Atlanta added to a growing body of evidence that the team's next best option in attack might be Hannes Wolf, who now leads the team in goal contributions and who could be rounding into the best form of his MLS career to date.

Our Atlanta win wrap-up also includes some more talk about Pascal Jansen's tactical creativity and flexibility, given his defensive line against Atlanta included four players you'd consider center-backs, and given that, on top of the international absentees, Jansen was also missing injured midfielder Keaton Parks.

The New York City coach has been pushing all the right buttons, and he might need to keep doing it, because following a break, we run through updates on how NYCFC's remaining international call-ups are faring, namely the two Gold Cup participants, Martínez with Costa Rica and Freese with the United States, plus Mitja Ilenič at the UEFA U21 Euros with Slovenia's U21s.

Finally, we wrap up this episode by discussing the new soccer circus that came to town in recent days: The FIFA Club World Cup. Do your hosts have growing cases of Club World Cup Fever, or is this whole thing one big mess that we'd rather not get involved with?

Listen as we dive into some of the many interesting, sometimes perplexing, sometimes infuriating angles of the Club World Cup, especially as it pertains to the three participating MLS teams and the matches taking place in our backyard at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

Check out this latest 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.

A very special guest on the show this week: Atlanta United FC's head coach Ronny Deila. The man who guided New York City FC to its first MLS Cup in 2021 joined us before making his first trip back to Yankee Stadium as an opponent.

We covered a lot of ground, like how Ronny feels about coming back to face NYCFC for the first time since leaving the club in 2022, what went into his departure from New York City back in 2022, and what happy memories stick out the most from his time with NYCFC, including and in addition to the biggest one, when his team won that 2021 championship.

After our conversation with Ronny wraps up, hosts John Baney and Mark Radigan and producer Andrew Leigh shift things in the direction of previewing the game Deila's team will play against Pascal Jansen's NYCFC.

Both managers will have to make tough lineup choices given the game falls right during a busy period of international games, with many Atlanta and New York City players called up and active with their national teams and likely unavailable for the rare Thursday night game. We run through all the key absentees and possible absentees on both sides of the game and attempt to guess how New York City might line up while missing key starters like Matt Freese and Alonso Martínez, to name just two.

Speaking of Matt Freese, we wrap up this episode by discussing Freese's debut with the United States men's national team in the friendly against Türkiye, and wonder if he'll see more time during the Gold Cup, especially given how bad the USMNT looked with Matt Turner in goal in the heavy loss to Switzerland.

Listen to our full Ronny Deila 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.

New York City FC hit the exact halfway point of their 2025 Major League Soccer season when they came back from down by two goals to earn a 2-2 draw with Nashville SC at GEODIS Park on Matchday 17.

Episode 41 starts with a review of the big moments from that exciting draw in Tennessee, as well as a look back at the miserable midweek home loss to Houston Dynamo FC that preceded the Nashville game.

Reflecting on the two most recent games, hosts John Baney and Mark Radigan and producer Andrew Leigh have a lot to say about the importance of Keaton Parks, Hannes Wolf's climbing goals total, and what makes the group optimistic heading into the second half of the MLS schedule despite an up-and-down opening 17 league matches.

After the break, we zoom out and take a bigger-picture look at the first half of this season for New York City FC. Andrew runs through a bunch of notable stats to emerge from the first 17 games of the MLS season, and then everyone names their first-half MVPs and discusses players they think have room for improvement in their game during the second half of the season.

Is it crazy to want to see more from Alonso Martínez, the team's leading scorer? Has Matt Freese been NYCFC's best player? We have thoughts on these exact topics, 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 all our work at HudsonRiverBlue.com.

The eight-match month of May is coming to an end and New York City FC has a chance to close out their springtime run through the gauntlet on a high note.

Chicago Fire FC proved no match for New York City on Matchday 15 at Yankee Stadium, and there's now one home and one road match left, against Houston Dynamo FC and at Nashville SC, before a much-deserved break in MLS action.

We begin Episode 40 by revisiting New York City's 3-1 win over Chicago, a topsy-turvy one that saw the Fire take an early lead but then throw the game away thanks to a Brian Gutiérrez elbow to Aiden O'Neill's face and an ensuing red card.

New York City had a man advantage most of this match but still got three different goal scorers and dominated Chicago, so hosts John Baney and Mark Radigan and producer Andrew Leigh have lots of positive thoughts on what the result said about non-Alonso Martínez attackers like Hannes Wolf, Mounsef Bakrar, Julián Fernández, and even substitute Agustín Ojeda.

Speaking of substitutes, New York City will soon need to rely on a few more of them thanks to the looming Concacaf Gold Cup, and the call-ups coming for Matt Freese from the USMNT and Alonso Martínez from Costa Rica. We go through the United States roster situation Freese faces as he joins their June training camp, and also discuss the signing of 17-year-old striker Seymour Reid to a Homegrown contract with the New York City First Team as a likely hedge against Martínez absences while with Costa Rica.

Our final segment in this episode is a double-preview of sorts, looking ahead to the midweek meeting with Houston followed by the quick turnaround on Saturday afternoon in Nashville. How will New York City handle two very different opponents, and will they end their busy May on the highest possible note?

Listen to Episode 40 to find out how we think it will go, and then find all of our coverage by following Hudson River Blue on Bluesky, Instagram, and Threads, and by reading all our work at HudsonRiverBlue.com.

The first Hudson River Derby of 2025 belonged to New York City FC. Their big 2-0 rivalry win over the Red Bulls provided plenty of narratives for our latest episode, which includes plenty of talk about the rivalry game at Citi Field in front of a lively crowd of 30,804 fans.

First, your hosts John Baney and Mark Radigan, plus their producer Andrew Leigh, discuss the importance of the Hudson River Derby win given the context of New York City FC's recent struggles without any goals scored in hundreds of minutes played, and given the fact that the Red Bulls knocked New York City out of the playoffs at this same stadium some months ago.

Then we're into analyzing the nuts and bolts of what was NYCFC's best performance of the season, the first game they've won all season by more than one goal, and the first time they've managed to score more than one goal since way back on March 29, a streak of eight matches. We spend time talking about that incredible early Alonso Martínez goal, strong recent play from New York City's defensive backline while anchored by Thiago Martins and Justin Haak, and what this overall showing in the highest-pressure game of the season to date tells us about the 2025 edition of New York City FC.

The Hudson River Derby sufficiently covered, we briefly discuss the news that James Sands is staying with FC St. Pauli in Germany's Bundesliga through the end of their upcoming 2025-2026 season. Among us, there's a unanimous approval for his continued stay in Germany, mixed with some concern about the severity of the ankle and leg injury that's sidelined Sands since February.

Then our attentions turn to the next NYCFC opponent, Chicago Fire FC, who enter Sunday's afternoon matinee at Yankee Soccer Stadium riding a streak of four consecutive wins across all competitions. Our preview of the Fire game also leads us into a discussion about new New York City signing Aiden O'Neill, with John particularly impressed by what the Australian midfielder has shown in his early games in MLS.

It's a loaded episode. Listen to the full show 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. 

All is not well with New York City FC after losing back-to-back matches against teams they were expected to beat. The positivity is lacking among our usual trio of hosts John Baney and Mark Radigan and producer Andrew Leigh following two straight 1-0 losses, first away to Pittsburgh Riverhouds SC to crash out of the US Open Cup, then at home to the previously winless CF Montréal.

Mark Radigan called the loss in Pittsburgh "one of the most frustrating games" while lamenting that a rotated New York City lineup still, on paper, looked to have enough firepower to get past the USL Championship's Riverhounds – but couldn't.

As for the match against Montréal, it left us wondering if something's up with Alonso Martínez who suddenly can't buy a goal, and if the New York City midfield can cope with the injury absence of Keaton Parks, even as Aussie Aiden O'Neill made his MLS debut.

DC United is up next for NYCFC and we preview the latest away day, including the challenges of dealing with imposing striker Christian Benteke and balancing the midweek trip to the nation's capital with the huge home game that awaits back in Queens this weekend.

Yes, the Hudson River Derby returns to Citi Field and our final segment of this episode is all about the Red Bulls and this latest chapter in the cross-river rivalry. We talk to Michael Battista, Hudson River Blue's senior writer and resident New York Red Bulls expert, who catches us up on everything new with the red side of the rivalry in 2025. How legit was that recent 7-0 blowout of the LA Galaxy, how potent is the Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting and Emil Forsberg attacking duo, and who will bring the spice to the table in this usually testy affair now that John Tolkin is gone?

It's a jam-packed episode that's got lots to say about four different NYCFC matches. Listen to the full show 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.