New York City FC is making a major change to begin its offseason, firing head coach Nick Cushing after two and a half seasons and a playoff run in 2024. NYCFC announced the change on Tuesday, just days after their elimination from the MLS playoffs with a disappointing 2-0 loss to rivals the New York Red Bulls.
Cushing joined the organization since 2020 as an assistant coach to Ronny Deila and was part of the team’s run to the MLS Cup victory in 2021. Cushing became interim head coach in 2022 after leaving of Deila mid-season and was promoted to permanent head coach ahead of the 2023 season.
5 years, For The City.
Thanks Nick 💙
– New York City FC (@newyorkcityfc) November 26, 2024
The team reached the MLS semifinals during Cushing’s interim year, but missed the playoffs last year after a late-season slide.
This season, NYCFC finished in sixth place with a record of 14W-8L-12L. Prior to the loss to the Red Bulls, NYCFC had upset third-seeded FC Cincinnati in the first round, forcing a third game for the best-of-three series, then winning 0(6)-0(5) on penalties.
Before heading to New York, Cushing coached the Manchester United women’s team for seven seasons. In 2016, he led the team to a Women’s Super League title and an FA Women’s Cup title in the same year.
Cushing’s firing is just the latest head coaching change, even among teams that made the playoffs this season. Monday, the Vancouver Whitecaps fired Vanni Sartini after three seasons with the teamdespite qualifying in the first round of the playoffs. Head coach of Inter Miami FC Tata Martino announced her departure for personal reasons after leading the team to a record Supporters Shield, and was replaced by Javier Mascherano, a former teammate of Miami star Lionel Messi.
