Stadium Dreams and Striker Woes: The Outfield's 2023 Year in Review
Stadium Dreams and Striker Woes: The Outfield's 2023 Year in Review
A bad year for NYCFC, but a great year for The Outfield. What's next for 2024?
Let’s be honest, 2023 was a year to forget for New York City Football Club. However, as editor of The Outfield, I am incredibly proud of the work that our staff produced and grateful for the support our loyal readers have shown this year. We more than doubled the number of articles we published from 2022, dropped some killer merch, and are envisioning even greater plans for 2024.
Our mission at The Outfield has always been to deliver intelligent, in-depth, and independent long-form journalism on NYCFC that is beholden to no one, a unique offering that cannot be found elsewhere. Below are our 2023 highlights and our plans for the upcoming year.
Soup’s Coop Scoops
Before delving into the depression that was 2023, the unquestionable highlight of the year was witnessing the progress of NYCFC's stadium project, with The Outfield's Chris Campbell the undisputed champion on the stadium beat. While others started covering the story and attended meetings near the finish line, Chris provided unparalleled depth and nuance, a feat made even more remarkable considering he operated from an undisclosed location in Wisconsin.
Chris was the first to break the target opening date for the Willet Point stadium and confirm that Etihad Airways had received preapproval as the stadium's name sponsor.
Chris also did an incredible job simplifying the City of New York's development approval process. He adeptly balanced breaking down complex bureaucratic procedures and parking controversies, making the information accessible to anyone with the depth of research and refinement that only Chris' years covering the stadium beat could provide.
Chris already has some exciting stadium content lined up for 2024, making it clear that The Outfield will be the go-to source as NYCFC races to secure approval for The Coop before any Eric Adams indictment.
Saying Goodbye
Pigeons worldwide had to grapple with the dismantling of the core of the 2021 MLS Cup-winning team this season, and The Outfield made every effort to assist you through whatever stage of grief you were experiencing.
Paul Harvey, who in my opinion might be a time traveler sent from the future on a clandestine mission to guide humanity toward better soccer insights, wrote about the unprecedented roster rebuild that NYCFC attempted in 2023. He accurately anticipated the challenges that the team would face during the season with an incomplete roster.
Anton Tinnerholm was good at soccer, and Chris argued that the Swede wasn't just a club legend but the best fullback in MLS history.
One of NYCFC's significant challenges this year was figuring out how to replace Alexander Callens. Kevin Nelson explored the uniqueness of Callens and the reasons why finding a suitable replacement proved to be a daunting task.
I wrote about Maxi Moralez and how the pandemic revealed his significance to NYCFC extended beyond his on-field production. Clearly, the club concurred, as evidenced by his return this season.
I also chronicled Taty Castellanos' challenges during his loan spell at Girona and highlighted his redemption as he secured a permanent move to Serie A by scoring his way through Real Madrid and the rest of La Liga.
The Struggles
Taty's transfer brought NYCFC a substantial fee, yet the club's struggle to sign a striker hindered them for most of the season. Kevin delved into the tactical impact the absence of a striker had on the team.
Paul formed a posse with NYCFC Tactics to craft an engaging preview of the challenging summer stretch that ultimately proved pivotal in breaking NYCFC's season. It was one of the most enjoyable articles I've had the pleasure to edit.
With Nick Cushing on the hot seat, Paul elaborated on how the Englishman's conservative tactics and a reduction in the counter-press contributed to NYCFC's failure to make the playoffs.
The Hope
While the lack of urgency in making signings ultimately spelled doom for NYCFC's season, what I was most proud of were the profile pieces that The Outfield crafted for the exciting young players eventually signed by the team.
Paul wrote an absolute banger breaking down U22 signing Mounsef Bakrar. The remarkable impact he had on elevating the performances of Santi Rodriguez and Talles Magno was a revelation that did not come as a surprise to anyone who read the piece.
Kevin’s also nailed his Birk Risa profile, highlighting how his vertical passing could pose a dangerous threat and explaining why David Lee was so keen to acquire him. Anticipate more goals like this in 2024.
After Gabriel Pereira's surprise big-money transfer to Qatar, Chris examined the incredible potential of his replacement, Julián Fernández, personally leaving me very upset that Cushing did not start the frontline of Talles-Bakrar-Fernández until the last game of the season.
Your Support
The Outfield was incredibly blessed by your financial support in 2023. We were able to accomplish remarkable things this year because of those who purchased merch and paid subscriptions to Substack.
The most crucial use of the funds was a Wyscout subscription, providing us with video and data that significantly enhanced the value of the content we produced. The honest truth is that pieces like the profiles on Bakrar, Risa, and Fernández would not have been possible without Wyscout. As we enter 2024, our top priority is to renew that subscription, and any contributions you can make or continue you make in that regard will be greatly appreciated.
Another exciting expenditure was hiring a designer to bring our New York City Wanderers US Home Tour T-shirt concept to life. It brought us immense joy to witness numerous people purchasing and wearing the shirt in the wild. We've brainstormed some killer ideas for 2024, and our plan is to allocate most of the remaining funds after the Wyscout subscription renewal toward funding that merch development.
Finally, instead of beer, we opted to make a significant contribution to the Hudson River Derby Foundation for their crowdfunding campaign to fund a trophy worthy of the intense rivalry it represents.
Twitter is Dead. Long Live Substack.
One of the most disheartening developments of 2023 was the significant negative impact Elon Musk has had on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. Twitter, where a substantial portion of our audience originated, has seen a drastic decline in the visibility of our content due to changes Musk made to the algorithm. Consequently, while we may not entirely exit Twitter, you can expect a considerable reduction in our use of the platform.
Given the current uncertainty in the social media landscape, we are considering just doubling-down our focus on the community we've cultivated here on Substack. There are tentative plans to shift much of the traditional gameday and video content from Twitter to this platform. Subscribers can anticipate more chances to engage with us through subscriber mailbags, as well as the opportunity to join our upcoming Discord community.
If you haven't already, make sure to subscribe to The Outfield so you don't miss out on any of our content. It will always be free and never behind a paywall.
How Can You Support Us in 2024?
Besides subscribing or purchasing merch, there are other ways you can support our operations in 2024. We are always on the lookout for like-minded individuals to join our team.
If you have a compelling take on something NYCFC-related, pitch us. We welcome contributors with various skill sets as long as you have a good take.
Do you think you can assist us in shaping a social media strategy? We're admittedly navigating uncharted waters here and could use some guidance. If you have expertise in this area, we'd greatly appreciate your input. Please don't hesitate to reach out.
Do you have a podcast? Invite us on.
Do you work for a MLS team? You probably stop reading this and hire Paul Harvey before someone else does.
Does none of this apply to you? Spread the good news by word of mouth.
Regardless, please know how thankful we are for your support and how excited we are for a big 2024. Happy New Years from all of us an The Outfield.❧
Image: Edward Hopper, Office in a Small City
Thanks for everything you do. Happy New Year.