New York City FC has parted ways with head coach Nick Cushing, the club announced on Tuesday morning.
Cushing's last game in charge of NYCFC came in Saturday's Hudson River Derby, where his team fell 2-0 to the New York Red Bulls in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
After initially taking over as New York City's interim head coach in June, 2022, Cushing's interim tag was dropped in November, 2022 following the club's run to the Eastern Conference final. In two full seasons with Cushing in charge, NYCFC missed the playoffs once (2023, 11th in the Eastern Conference) and finished sixth in the East (2024, eliminated in the conference semifinals).
“Whilst we are incredibly appreciative for all he has done for the club, at this current time, we believe it’s best to move the team in a new direction as we plan for the 2025 season and beyond," NYCFC sporting director David Lee said in a statement. "We would like to sincerely thank Nick for his contributions and wish him and his family all the very best in their future endeavors.”
New York City FC will begin searching for a new head coach.
Joe's perspective:
Cushing did a fine job in New York City, finishing fourth in the East in expected goal differential in 2023, despite the team's poor final spot in the standings, and fifth in that same metric in 2024, according to FBref. His version of NYCFC generally looked like one of the better teams in MLS. Understandably, that wasn't good enough for Cushing's higher-ups.
