There are starter roles available for NYCFC depth players | OneFootball

Unless New York City FC signs a big-name player out of nowhere before the start of the 2025 season, a good portion of the Starting XI is established for the Pigeons. Of course, anyone, either a returning or new player, could come in and win a starting role. This is especially true with the new head coach, Pascal Jansen, leading the team.

So far, NYCFC only has a few new players, with some expected to be depth pieces or play with NYCFC II. Then, there are questions about whether any of the Homegrown players who were assigned to the MLS Next Pro team in 2024 will feature more with the first team in 2025.

Of course, fans know late signings are common for the team, so there should be a few more new players over the next four to six weeks. The Major League Soccer transfer window is from January 31 through April 23. As always, players can be brought in prior to the transfer window, as they have been around the league, but will not be officially registered until the window.

Still, there are a few players on the team who could chase after a starting role. Homegrown player James Sands' loan and the questions about the winger positions mean some players might find themselves as the starter on Opening Day.

Some NYCFC players could become starters in 2025

As mentioned, Sands' departure via a loan means a midfielder spot is up for grabs. Currently, it is expected that Keaton Parks will remain in the midfield while Maxi Moralez and Santiago Rodríguez should switch with one another in the ten role.

Therefore, Jansen could go either way with replacing Sands. He could go with Justin Haak as the defensive midfielder like Sands. He could also go with a more offensive option in Andrés Perea. Both can play well in the midfield and have had great performances with NYCFC when they started. At the same time, perhaps one of the younger Homegrown players could shock everyone in the preseason and earn the starting role, like Máximo Carrizo or Jonny Shore.

Then, the starting roles for the winger positions are up for grabs. Now, Rodríguez will probably play as the left-winger when Moralez starts. Moralez was re-signed for the 2025 season since he can still play and start. One should assume he will be in the Starting XI less this year, but then again, the Argentine has proved people wrong before.

So, the young wingers like Julián Fernández, Malachi Jones, and Agustín Ojeda can compete to start when Rodríguez is in the central-attacking midfield. Moreover, the right side should be available too, for Hannes Wolf struggled in the second half of the 2024 season. Truthfully, the forward should not have started as many matches as he did, but former head coach Nick Cushing did not develop the young wingers and give them the proper chances in the Starting XI.

Throughout the preseason, any other spot could be up for grabs. Any NYCFC player could perform well enough to push out a usual starter from last year. It will be interesting to see what happens, and who Jansen will start when the season begins.