Hudson River Blue Podcast

There's so much going on in the world of New York City FC right now and Episode 58 of this podcast does its best to keep up with all the spinning plates. First order of business: Those two most recent NYCFC matches, first the heavy loss at Citi Field to Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF, then the Hudson River Derby triumph over the Red Bulls on the road in Harrison, New Jersey. Hosts Mark Radigan and John Baney and producer Andrew Leigh discuss what went so wrong against Miami, namely that New York City missed injured striker Alonso Martínez, and that Pascal Jansen's roll of the dice to remove Thiago Martins and try Aiden O'Neill at center-back failed spectacularly in the second half. We spend less time on that bad Miami loss and more time discussing the dramatic win in the Hudson River Derby, with New York City all but eliminating their hated rivals from playoff contention on their home field. There's heavy praise for Nico Fernández Mercau's work filling in for Alonso Martínez at striker, and for the work of a resilient NYCFC defense to see out a close win despite losing star goalkeeper Matt Freese to injury in the second half. Match discussion done, we turn our attention in the second half of the episode to the shock departure of New York City FC Sporting Director David Lee. What will it mean for NYCFC to see Lee switch MLS sides and take over Sporting Kansas City, and what might his departure do to the club's general approach to building a competitive squad? We also make first attempts at summing up Lee's legacy with New York City, touching on some of the big successes he enjoyed while criticizing his handling of some of the talent that passed through NYCFC's halls but didn't yield anything in the way of transfer profits. Finally things wrap up this week with a preview of New York City's trip south on I-95 to play Philadelphia Union in the regular season's penultimate game. Can a possibly injury-depleted New York City squad play spoilers and keep the Union from possibly clinching or all-but-clinching the Supporters' Shield? Listen to our jam-packed hour of powerful takes, then find more of our coverage at HudsonRiverBlue.com or on social media via Bluesky, Instagram, and Threads. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It's one podcast episode, but it's about four different New York City FC matches. That's the name of the game at this busiest of busy part of the MLS season, though the fixture congestion isn't doing anything to slow down a scorching-hot NYCFC team that's now won three straight matches and climbed way up to 4th Place in the Eastern Conference. This episode kicks off with hosts Mark Radigan and John Baney and producer Andrew Leigh reviewing the club's two most recent wins, both at Yankee Stadium and both over Eastern Conference playoff rivals, Columbus Crew and Charlotte FC. We talk about Hannes Wolf's best season ever continuing in the form of another brace, the Columbus win representing his fourth two-goal game of 2025. The at-the-death winner from Julián Fernández and the pair of assists from Agustín Ojeda against the Crew also has us marveling at how much deeper the roster feels now compared to the start of the season. The good run would continue a few days later when NYCFC beat Charlotte FC 2-0 on Kids' Day in the Bronx, a game partially won by the goalkeeper with a new long-term contract extension, Matt Freese. Our Charlotte review includes talk of Freese's penalty-kick heroics against Wilfried Zaha, the defensive domination of a potent Charlotte attack, and what the win does for New York City FC's chances of finishing even higher up the Eastern Conference and Supporters' Shield tables. After diving deep on those wins, we shift into preview mode and try to figure out what we'll see across the two matches the team will play this Wednesday and Saturday night. How will the one visit to New York City by Inter Miami this season, for a Wednesday night game in NYCFC's second-choice home venue, compare to the hugely-attended spectacle that occurred at Yankee Stadium late last season when Messi first landed in New York City? The sheer volume and frequency of matches has us wondering when the lineup rotation from Pascal Jansen will arrive – though at least one of us, Andrew, is adamant that rotation shouldn't be happening during the second and final Hudson River Derby of the regular season. The derby might just be one match, but it also could be the result that pushes the Red Bulls right to the very brink of playoff elimination, a result that might be as close as NYCFC can get to exacting real revenge for the loss to the Red Bulls in the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs. There's so much ground covered in this episode, which you can listen to in full here, then find more coverage on Bluesky, Instagram, and Threads, and by visiting HudsonRiverBlue.com. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Spirits are high and confidence is high on the pod this week on the heels of New York City FC's dramatic 3-1 win on the road over the Chicago Fire. Any pessimism that lingered from the disappointing loss to DC United before the international break got washed away by those three New York City goals scored on the shores of Lake Michigan, and your hosts Mark Radigan and John Baney plus producer Andrew Leigh kick off Episode 56 by diving into the team's big win over the Fire. That includes discussing the potential for Nico Fernández Mercau and the NYCFC attack to reach new heights now that the team's new Designated Player finally bagged his first goal, scoring the equalizer at Soldier Field. It also includes analyzing the debut of new defender Raul Gustavo, and wondering how the pieces will now fit together for Pascal Jansen, given he might have some tough lineup decisions to make with the Brazilian center-back's arrival and integration. The Chicago win gave us plenty to cover, but it also leads into two more NYCFC matches set to be played this week in quick succession at Yankee Stadium. The second half of this episode is a preview of both the Columbus Crew and Charlotte FC games, with all three of the gang surprisingly optimistic about New York City's chances against the Crew at midweek – maybe in part due to the key absences of players like Diego Rossi and Sean Zawadzki, and due to the Crew's poor recent form in MLS play. We're collectively less optimistic about Charlotte FC coming to town this weekend, given they're entering on a nine-match winning streak, and given that they're something of a bogey team for NYCFC, who own an unsightly 1W-1D-5L record in head-to-head meetings with the team from North Carolina since they joined the league. Will our optimism for Columbus and pessimism for Charlotte prove accurate or misguided? Listen to the full episode for each of our predictions for this two-match week, then find more of our coverage on Bluesky, Instagram, and Threads, and by visiting HudsonRiverBlue.com. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The biggest game of the season – so far – approaches for New York City FC on the other side of the international break. That international break meant there's no NYCFC match for us to recap, but the important games just keep coming from now through the end of the season, beginning with the weekend trip to the Windy City. Matchday 28 will see NYCFC travel to face the team one spot and two points below them in the MLS Eastern Conference standings, Chicago Fire FC, in what's not hyperbolic to call a playoff-like match-up. Host John Baney and producer Andrew Leigh begin Episode 55 by breaking down all the qualities of Gregg Berhalter's Fire team and how red-hot they've been over their last seven matches, pulling themselves up above the playoff line and onto the heels of NYCFC in 8th Place. New York City FC heads to Soldier Field looking to wash away the disappointment of the home loss to DC United that preceded this international break, and they're now into the final stretch of seven games that all really do have a playoff feel about them, given that six of the seven teams NYCFC has left to face this season currently sit in the Eastern Conference playoff field, if the MLS Cup Playoffs began today (sorry, 10th Place Red Bulls, not sorry). Taking another step closer to the playoffs for New York City FC will mean stopping the likes of Fire attackers Philip Zinckernagel, Jonathan Bamba, and Hugo Cuypers, meaning New York City will hope Matt Freese returns feeling healthy and ready to step back into the MLS grind this weekend now that he's wrapped up his responsibilities with the United States men's national team while on international duty. Speaking of the USMNT, the second half of our episode is all about the Stars and Stripes, with Andrew recapping his trip to Sports Illustrated Stadium to cover the big friendly between the USMNT and South Korea. That was yet another loss for the United States while playing in Harrison, NJ, and yet another troubling performance during the somewhat rocky tenure of Mauricio Pochettino, USMNT Head Coach. Our USMNT conversation ranges from questioning Pochettino's approach to the South Korea game and the limited windows of games he and the team have left before the World Cup, to wondering what his performances this September will do for Matt Freese's standing on the goalkeeper depth chart. Listen to our full split NYCFC/USMNT episode below, then find more of our NYCFC/USMNT coverage on Bluesky, Instagram, and Threads, and by visiting HudsonRiverBlue.com.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.