Road pain and roster change

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.