The MLS arrives in less than 20 days. New York City FC will have a tough debut in the competition, facing Lionel Messi and Inter Miami.
However, besides the challenging debut, the Blues face more bad news.
The market has been running hot this last couple of days. Many teams suffered crucial departures before the start of the season.
Columbus Crew sold Cucho Hernandez, their goalscorer, meanwhile, LA Galaxy sold Dejan Joveljic to Sporting Kansas City.
And now, the Pigeons are about to do the same thing. Botafogo is in the final stages of acquiring Santiago Rodriguez. The midfielder will sign a four-year deal with the Brazilian club.
One reason why this is a bad deal for New York City
Santiago Rodriguez is a crucial piece of Nick Cushing’s scheme. The midfielder played 32 out of the 34 games of the season. The two missing games were because of a coaching decision and having multiple yellow cards.
Being placed as an offensive midfielder and left-wing, Rodriguez was involved in multiple goals. Last season, he came in second in the race for the team goalscorer. He was behind Alfonso Martinez, who scored 16 goals.
Nick Cushing depends on Santiago Rodriguez to play both in the middle and on the left side of the field. According to BeSoccer, Rodriguez played 50.2% as an offensive midfielder and 48.8% as a left wing.
Most plays came in hand with Santiago Rodriguez’s performance. His passes between the lines and how he distributes the game make the Pigeons attack a threat for every team.
When he is on the sideline, his dribbling and 1v1 duels make him a danger to every defender.
Even though the deal will be closed with a large sum of money, New York City is losing a crucial player. The Uruguayan proved to be one of the offense’s backbones.
Santiago Rodriguez’s stats with the Pigeons
Santiago Rodriguez arrived at the Boys in Blue for the 2022/23 season. During his two seasons with the club, Rodriguez played 144 matches, which amounted to 11,117 minutes on the pitch.
Among those 144 matches, the midfielder scored 34 goals and delivered 28 assists. Adding 42 yellow cards and zero red cards.
According to Transfermarkt, the Uruguayan has contracted with the MLS team until the end of 2027.
