Less than 24 hours after the end of the 2026 season, New York City FC announced it parted ways with head coach Pascal Jansen, and hosts Mark Radigan and John Baney and producer Andrew Leigh have their say about the big move made at the very beginning of the offseason.
The conversation touches on how much responsibility or blame for NYCFC's failed 2026 season should rest on Jansen's shoulders vs sporting director Todd Dunivant's shoulders, and why all three pod voices agree that a change was needed after two years of Jansen's leadership.
There's general talk of what New York City should look for in its next coach, and how important the hire will be given Etihad Park's imminent opening, but John also compiled a long list of names who may or may not get connected with the NYCFC vacancy, featuring some very familiar to MLS, others who are members of the City Football Group coaching tree, plus a few more wild cards to consider as the coaching speculation begins.
Beyond the Pascal Jansen and head coach position talk, there are international call-ups happening even as the NYCFC season ends, and the biggest two to discuss are Malachi Jones getting his first Sierra Leone call, plus Matt Freese once again linking up with the United States men's national team, this time for Concacaf Nations League.
The show closes out with good bit of Gotham FC discussion. It's about them reaching the NWSL semifinal by beating Seattle Reign FC 1-0 in gritty, no-shots-on-target fashion, but it's also about the absurd stadium situation that's unfolded during and after the Seattle game.
Gotham will host its leg of the NWSL semifinal at 5,000-seat Icahn Stadium on scenic Randall's Island, thanks to a playing-surface crisis inside Sports Illustrated Stadium, usual home of Gotham plus Red Bull New York of MLS. Both the Seattle and Gotham players and coaches harshly criticized the state of the brown, patchy playing surface at Sports Illustrated Stadium after Gotham's quarterfinal win, as the pitch in Harrison, New Jersey, suffers from heavy use by two host soccer teams, plus extra recent events like rugby.
It's a venue saga that feels relatable after years spent seeing New York City FC bounce around between stadiums, and Gotham's plight should serve as a cautionary tale for the schedule-makers at Etihad Park while they look to prioritize keeping the soccer playing surface usable.
Listen to the full episode embedded at the top of this post, or find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts.
