Todd Dunivant has the busiest winter of anyone at New York City FC. The sporting director, hired in December 2025, has to find a new head coach after Pascal Jansen’s departure and rebuild key parts of the roster, all before the 2027 Sprint Season starts in February.
Job one: the head coach
Everything else follows from this decision. A new coach will have his own ideas about formation and personnel, so the club’s biggest signings will likely wait until he’s in place. Dunivant has said the search “begins immediately.” The sooner it ends, the more time the new coach has to shape the roster.
Need #1: a starting center midfielder
NYCFC lost midfield depth when Justin Haak left for the LA Galaxy at the end of 2025, and the club didn’t add a starting central midfielder during 2026. The result was a team that struggled to control games and protect its back line. A midfielder who can win the ball and move it forward quickly would help both ends of the field.
Need #2: a clinical finisher
NYCFC created chances in 2026 but didn’t finish enough of them. Bénie Traoré, signed from Basel in June, and Agustín Ojeda give the team speed and creativity. What’s missing is a reliable goalscorer who turns those chances into goals. The club needs someone who can deliver that output every week.
Other areas to watch
- Depth: Jansen blamed poor availability for 2026’s decline. More quality depth means injuries hurt less.
- Defense: the club added experienced center-back Matt Miazga in September and Kai Trewin in January. Whether they’re long-term starters is a question for the new coach.
- Loans: NYCFC has several players on loan elsewhere and brought in Luighi on loan from Palmeiras. Some decisions will be about who comes back.
The constraints
- Roster rules: MLS limits Designated Players and budgets, so every big signing has to fit the cap.
- Timing: the European winter window opens in January, leaving a short run before the Sprint Season.
- Selling Etihad Park: ownership will want recognizable, exciting players for the July stadium opening.
Our take
This window will define Dunivant’s first real season in charge. Getting the coaching hire right and landing a midfielder and a finisher would give NYCFC a real chance to bounce back. Getting it wrong could mean a slow Sprint Season and a new stadium opening with a team still searching for answers.
Header photo: Srhansen1985, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Sources: MLSsoccer.com: NYCFC name Todd Dunivant sporting director · MLSsoccer.com: NYCFC part ways with Pascal Jansen · Wikipedia: 2026 New York City FC season
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