It's an episode of comings and goings as the New York City FC preseason gets started.

Episode 72 starts with a discussion of legendary midfielder Maxi Moralez coming back for another season in 2026, still going strong as he nears his 39th birthday. Was it the right move to bring back Moralez for another season, and can we expect him to still be as ever-present in 2026 as he was in 2025?

While Maxi will be there next season, it increasingly sounds like fullback Mitja Ilenič won't be with NYCFC much longer, as the 21-year-old Slovenian was left off the club's traveling roster for preseason and is reportedly getting loaned out to a club in Poland. Hosts Mark Radigan and John Baney and producer Andrew Leigh wonder if Ilenič got enough opportunities during his time in New York, and wonder if a move to Raków Częstochowa, reportedly only a loan with an option to buy, is the right one.

Preseason is prime time for player rumors and the Ilenič chatter isn't the only transfer talk this episode, as we also cover a report that winger Julián Fernández is wanted on loan by São Paulo FC in Brazil. Do we buy this as a plausible move, and are we ready to give up on Julián after parts of three up-and-down seasons in New York?

We wrap up this week's show by talking through the highlights from NYCFC's traveling preseason roster, namely that prodigal son Talles Magno is back with the team and officially taking part in the 2026 preseason. For a second straight episode, we wonder: Will this Talles-NYCFC reunion actually stick, and might he contribute in MLS this season? We also each shout out NYCFC players we're excited to keep tabs on throughout this preseason, from an injured midfielder making his comeback to a promising teenaged striker possibly filling Alonso Martínez's shoes.

Listen to the episode, then find more of our coverage at HudsonRiverBlue.com or on social media via Bluesky, Instagram, TikTok, and Threads.

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New York City FC can now say that the club has produced multiple Premier League players. That's a fact because of former NYCFC striker Valentín Castellanos and his big-money transfer from Lazio to West Ham United FC of the English Premier League.

Hosts Mark Radigan and John Baney first turn to the resident West Ham expert, producer Andrew Leigh, to paint the bleak picture of where things stand with the Hammers as Castellanos joins the club: West Ham is staring down relegation and has had a terrible recent track record signing strikers and getting them up to speed in the Premier League.

Taty going to West Ham also nets New York City FC millions more dollars, reportedly over $5 million, in transfer profits thanks to the sell-on clause they retained when selling Castellanos to Lazio. How should NYCFC spend its newfound Castellanos money?

The transfer mill is active in Major League Soccer, even if it's been quiet for New York City FC in the earliest days of new Sporting Director Todd Dunivant's reign. While the moves have yet to materialize, we still have thoughts on what positions NYCFC should most prioritize most on the transfer market before the 2026 season begins.

One on-the-fringes NYCFC player with an uncertain future: Talles Magno, who just ended his time out on loan to Corinthians in his native Brazil. Is there any chance we see Talles make a triumphant return to NYCFC and MLS next season? The pod crew is split on that possibility, but we talk through all the potential next moves that might be on the table for Talles Magno as he tries to find a next place to play.

Listen to the episode, then find more of our coverage at HudsonRiverBlue.com or on social media via Bluesky, Instagram, TikTok, and Threads.

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It's our 52nd and final episode of 2025 and it begins with the sad business of discussing the official split between Justin Haak and New York City FC, following the Christmas Eve lump of coal that was the report, now confirmed and official, that he'd sign with LA Galaxy.

Hosts Mark Radigan and John Baney and producer Andrew Leigh get into some of the reasons why New York City FC ended up letting their third-ever Homegrown go as a free agent, and on a one-year contract to a team within MLS. The crew also attempts to make some early guesses as to how NYCFC and its new Sporting Director will replace the versatile and elite defensive presence of Haak.

Haak's departure was preceded by two new Homegrown players entering the fold for New York City, so there are introductions made to Cooper Flax and Kamran Acito, as well as a conversation about the recent approach taken by NYCFC to making Homegrown signings.

Flax and Acito are officially on the roster, but four new 2026 MLS SuperDraft selections who may or may not sign and play for New York City FC. Two of the four SuperDraft picks, including First Round choice Ransford Gyan, get picked out as possible future MLS standouts, with the caveat that it's hard to know if the team's fourth and final pick in the draft will end up signing and playing for NYCFC.

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