"It makes sense for us to have a signature player or players on the team in this new era for us," NYCFC CEO Brad Sims told GOAL. That's not a vision statement — that's a club announcing it's tired of being the third-best team in its own conversation.
NYCFC have a $780 million stadium, Etihad Park, opening July 17, 2027. They've been linked to Christian Pulisic, Mohamed Salah, and Romelu Lukaku. And with 30 days left in the current MLS transfer window, Sims is still hunting. "It just depends on when a player is available and wants to come," he said Tuesday.
Salah signed with Trabzonspor. Lukaku is reportedly headed to Atlanta United. So the marquee names haven't landed in New York — yet. But Sims was clear that Pulisic remains a genuine target, and that others in that tier are being considered. A club privately financing one of the most expensive soccer-specific stadiums ever built doesn't build that infrastructure to keep fielding a roster headlined by a goalkeeper.
The real problem MLS still hasn't solved
Stars and stadiums are the visible part. The structural challenge is the broadcast deal.
MLS's agreement with Apple runs through the 2028-29 season. When that negotiation reopens, the league's leverage will depend almost entirely on how many people actually care — and right now, that number is smaller than the sport's growth narrative suggests. Sims didn't dance around it: "It's really the one hole we have."
North America just hosted a 104-match World Cup that generated record FIFA revenue and viewership. MLS should be riding that wave harder than any league on the planet. Instead, it's still working out how to get casual fans to actually find the games. That's the challenge new commissioner Larry Berg inherits when he takes over from Don Garber in 2027 — MLS's first leadership change in nearly 28 years.
Sims expects media rights to be "way high on the radar" for Berg. It should be. Because Etihad Park, Pulisic, and whatever other moves NYCFC make only matter if people can watch.
Where NYCFC fit in the new MLS power structure
Since joining MLS in 2015, NYCFC have been competitive — regularly contending, leaning heavily on the City Football Group scouting network they share with Manchester City. David Villa, MLS MVP in 2016, remains the defining star of the club's first decade. That's a long time to go without another name that moves the needle.
The ambition now is different. Sims isn't talking about contending. He's talking about being mentioned alongside LAFC and Inter Miami — the clubs that have figured out how to combine on-pitch results with commercial and cultural weight. That's a harder thing to manufacture than a transfer window signing, but a nine-figure stadium and a genuine push for Pulisic-level talent is at least a credible starting point.
From a betting perspective, NYCFC's MLS Cup odds have rarely reflected their underlying quality — they've often been priced shorter than their results warranted. Add a marquee forward to that squad and the calculus shifts considerably. The gap between "good MLS team" and "destination club" is exactly what Sims is trying to close.
"We've talked about Pulisic before, and there are others [like him] that I think would be interesting," Sims said. Thirty days left in the window. The stadium opens in two years. NYCFC are in a hurry.
