Sharp-eared Blue Ballers will know: we never expected to be here after last week. But after a 3-1 victory over visiting Cincy, we've got ourselves a three-game series and the extra motivating factor of a cross-town rival in the postseason. Could NYCFC actually make it to the second round of playoffs? Or was the defensive devastation we saw on Saturday just a flash in the pan? Jake and Trey break it all down for you: Kevin O'Toole and Justin Haak's all-timer performances, Thiago Martins'...

Rough week for New York, Blue Ballers! Jake & Trey hop on the mic to break down one of the most disturbingly toothless performances by NYCFC in club history, in a moment which needed anything but. We talk Santi self-sabotage, Trayvon’s late-game drama, Cushing’s tactical malpractice, and more. Plus a little on the state of the league, the state of the Yanks, and the state of our married friends — and even a mini precap of game two of this first series. Check your Halloween bucket for the...

Blue ballers, a 0-2 loss against Montreal to drop your boys to 6th has Jake and Trey feeling restless. So we've got another short one that turned out to be a long one on our hands. Your boys in blue break down the disarray to pull some positives out and keep the faith; we talk offensive ineffectiveness and playing-up / playing-down action. THEN: Cushing... out???, getting aggro about the MLS awards, and a little precap of the bizarre round-of-three playoff stretch with Cincy. Cash out your...

Ahoy Blue Ballers and welcome back to another edition of your least-favorite favorite soccer pod, and boy did we miss you. After a bye week for both the boys and pod boys, Jake and Trey dive into the last two games of the team's current mini-streak. We talk Santi and Alonso's white hot run, how NYCFC can (or can not) hold it together to end a match, and what feathers we can bless some lesser appreciated pigeons with. Then, Trey asks Jake for some sage MVP voting advice, the inevitable journey...

Sunnier skies for us, Blue Ballers! An explosive 5-1 victory against New Jersey’s not-quite-finest has Jake and Trey feeling cautiously optimistic about the end of NYCFC’s season. But have Cushing’s children found their form? Or did the adrenaline of a Hudson River sweep give us a power boost we’ll be paying for heading into the end of the 2024 season? We break down the details, including star making performances across the board and every glorious goal, then chat the implications for the...

Blue ballers! We’re coming off an EVENTFUL two matches and ready to piece it all apart. Your Boys in Blue were in the press box for both the historic inaugural 5-1 shellacking by Philadelphia AND the GOAT’s visit to Gotham and the single secured point of the week. Is a last minute equalizer from James Sands enough to buoy our spirits? Or is a continuing winless streak in a clutch moment sending us into fits of depression? PLUS: an insider look into the luxury boxes of the new stadium and a...

Welp! It's another dropped-points-from-a-first-half-lead show! Hope you guys enjoy it! Jake & Trey talk disappointments in DC, then pivot to crest chat, club identity politics, stadium renderings, and of course the briefest of double precaps for two marquee matches at home. Call your girlfriend, it's time you had the talk: you've got Blue Balls!

Blue Ballers, we're just as grouchy as you but the content mines need excavating and your Boys in Blue are here to break it all down for you. We talk: Fernandez getting fooled around with by an uncomfortably touchy Unkel, Barraza's big shoes to fill, overlaps, possession, and penetrating passes galore, and also all the bad stuff. Plus: a little banter on the state of the international break, a frank appraisal of the impact of the injury list, and more. Then: a lighter-than-air precap of DC...

Welcome back Blue Ballers, as we've missed you truly and dearly and need to catch up. Jake and Trey conquer a ticking computer battery time bomb to talk all things dog days of August. We first embark on the journey of this past weekend, gleaning the small, medium, and big picture takeaways from an epic Chicago collapse. Then, a Leagues Cup recap and silver lining, Maxi Moralez' achilles heel, Alonso's golden feet, and the dynamism of the yet-to-be-nicknamed Santi/Maxi system. Lastly, again,...

Listen to this one quick, ballers, because your boys in blue are here to recap NYCFC's stint in the two-leg Leagues Cup group stage! Do we talk extensively about the 0-0 draw and the hair-raising penalty shootout that put us in the knockout round? Not at all! Instead we talk about what we can and can't learn from the bizarre and at turns brilliant match against Cincinnati that ended with one of the most humiliating experiences in franchise history! We talk Jovan's first joal, the Santi-Maxi...

Good tidings BBers. We're back in the saddle after a week off and how oh how are we gonna cover all these damn matches. Your boys in blue get into it on the Chicago, Atlanta, and Orlando draws, pulling noticeable performances out of each. We talk McFarlane's steady seventeen-year-old hand, the Santi-Maxi Paradoxi, and Talles Magno's sudden and opportune surge in value. Plus: Vieira whispers, Olympic national team blisters, and a precap for any Leagues Cup hipsters. Don't fall out of that...

The dog days of summer are upon us, Blue Ballers, and this week in Austin we felt it! After an encouraging 2-0 victory over Montreal at home, your boys in blue were humbled by Austin FC and Gyasi Zardes. Jake and Trey break down all the eastern european reasons why that happened, plus the struggles we're enduring as our beat up boys nurse their wounds,. Then: speculation about Greggo's replacement on the national team and Talles' departure on the homefront. Plus: a Chicago precap so hot...

Bonjour Blue Ballers, and welcome back to another (short) week of your silly boys making silly noise. Jake is sick and he's much better at writing these things than me, so we're Swede-ing this episode description. (Remember "Be Kind, Rewind"? A relic of another time to be sure). This week we talk New York City FC's thrilling, yet not always satiating, victory over our expansion bros Orlando. Then, we check in on our poor Wonderboy's broken bones, a quick Talles Magno update, a quick Copa...

From third to sixth, from winning streak to losing streak, from hot to cold, NYCFC are back to their old tricks of dropping points to the low block and pinging balls anywhere except on-target. Jake and Trey break down two more losses to Nashville and the LA Galaxy this week, what they tell us about the team's strategic woes, and what bright spots may still remain (hint: they rhyme with Shmayvon Shmay). Then: the Mango Man has spilled his Talles Tea, and we chat about what comes next. Plus a...

A frustrating match that began with a rain delay and ended with a 1-goal deficit, and that's the end of our winning streak! Your boys in blue are back to break down each play in this match — but because we do them all 48 times, the episode is 37 hours long. Have fun! We talk the early Mit-jection, goals not-quite-disallowed, continued Maxi-mum brilliance, and the debut of the second young Christian to nab some first-team minutes. Plus MLS All-Stars and a bunch of stuff we ran out of time to...

Do we even need to introduce this week's pod? Jake & Trey bask in the glory of a five-one victory and the return of Maxi "Miles" Moralez, the spiderman himself, the min-maxed maestro, the five-foot nothing colossus. But outside of Maxi's 24 minutes of play, there's plenty else to break down and your boys cover a feckless first half of tactical adjustments, Alonso Martinez' record-breaking hat-trick, Tayvon's positional fearlessness, and much more. THEN: a look back at the Baby Blues'...

Blue Ballers, it's been a hell of a May! Your Pigeons have been stacking up points and with three more in the pocket coming home from Massachusetts, there's a lot to celebrate and a lot to break down. Jake and Trey dig in to Big Bird's big score, NYCFC's rock solid centerbacks, Gray growth and gravitas, Gil-turns, and more. Then: casino drama at NYCFC's future home, prognostications on the depth charts, and a solid San Jose preview of NYCFC's glorious return to the Bronx. Drop those fat...

Buona Settimana blue ballers and what a settimana it has BEEN. Your boys in blue have come off a triumphant and historic 9 point week, finishing up with a win in the provincial first Hudson River Derby in Queens. We are ready to cover it all, and by "we" we mean half of us as Jake couldn't make it to this one. But FEAR NOT as we brought on noted twitterati, podcaster, and blogger John Baney (aka @ThePigeonsNYCFC) off the bench to help break down the dubs. We talk a thrilling showdown versus...

Blue Ballers, we are feeling FRESH AND FROSTY after our first road win in — a year?? against a feisty Toronto FC with a lot to say. Jake and Trey waste no time in breaking down the Toronto Tunnel Tiff in as much grisly detail as we've got — which is to say, not much! Then, some actual soccer. A 3-2 victory away gives us much to celebrate and MUCH to analyze with major showings from ascendant Pigeons. Plus a bonus recap of NYCFC II's latest Open Cup upset, and precaps of Philly and Red Bulls...

Folks, NYCFC crashed into a soggy wall out in Queens this weekend to fall to a hobbled Colorado 0-2. Jake and Trey don't want to be talking about it, but talk about it they do — complete with all the segments you've come to expect. Freese praise, Bakrar banter, a Santi survey, Jovanvestigations. Your boys in blue are playing the hits! PLUS: a Maxi-valuation on the Spiderman's return, and an eye towards ascension for the insurgent Baby Blues who take the field TONIGHT against another Colorado...

With three wins and five unbeaten, NYCFC just might be back folks — and your Boys in Blue are here to tell you how, why, and when it all happened. Jake and Trey break down a messy but massive 2-1 redemption win over Charlotte that saw goals from a gorgeous Big Bird header and wunderkind Alonso, plus our usual Freese flowers, nods to the wings, and some love to Bakrar stretching ever closer to the end of his dry spell. Plus: an overdue review of the Blue Twos, some not-quite locker room talk,...

Wonder of wonders, is NYCFC good now? A 2-0 victory against DC United would seem to press the question as Nick Cushing extends his lossless streak and Santi Rodriguez and Julian Fernandez both expand their accounts. We talk both goals, of course, plus effective team play, a broken-hearted Bakrar, Martens mania and the defense that contained the uncontainable in Benteke, and much more. Plus: Trey Goes To The Mayor, a site visit to the Valley of Ashes, and a goodbye to a wunderkind NYCFC...

INCOMING! Something different on the pod this week? Jake & Trey wake up to find they have a WIN to celebrate and deconstruct, and some actual NYCFC momentum to analyze and ballyhoo. Your boys in blue talk Agustin Ojeda's nasty little account opener, a deepening defensive fight, Big Bird's bedrock balls, and much more. Plus: Open Cup prognostications, Concacaf Champions conversations, and stadium vote machinations. Then: a dirty discussion of the District before this weekend's Acela...

Draw 2, back in the habit, and Jake and Trey are here to make it sacreligious with a savvy and incisive recap of a 1-1 draw against a threatening Atlanta at home. We talk stretched midfields, Katy Perrys, whiffs of goals and wiffs at goals, and so much more. Plus: tales from the press box, mumbles around Mijatovic, and of course a prompt precap of fellow basement dwellers New England. Invest in some Gen Z baggy jeans — you’ve got Blue Balls.