We kick off the first episode at the Etihad City Football Academy joining long-serving kitman Danny LaRoche who is preparing all of the squad’s gear for the preseason, before checking in on the 2020 Staff Summit in Lower Manhattan as CEO Brad Sims and the Club’s leadership team outline the strategy for the year ahead. In the episode’s final scene, new Head Coach Ronny Deila meets his players for the first time at the airport and veteran defender Maxime Chanot greets the Academy youngsters hoping to catch their new manager’s eye on preseason in Florida.
It’s Media Day for New York City FC as the team takes turns to shoot photography and video which will be used in broadcasts and in promotional material throughout the 2020 season. The team’s new secondary uniform, The Gotham Kit, is the main topic of conversation and the Club’s Director, Brand Marketing and Creative Services Milo Kowalski talks through some of the cues taken from the city for the design. Back in New York, City Members have their first opportunity to get the new kit at the 2020 kickoff event at Pele Soccer in Times Square where Sporting Director David Lee, Head Coach Ronny Deila and CEO Brad Sims also take questions in a live Q&A hosted by YES Network Announcer Ian Joy.
Youth Leadership Council member and Bronx resident Chelsea Quito is the subject of this episode as we follow her through a busy week in her role bringing soccer to underserved communities through City in the Community. As well as Chelsea sharing her personal story on how she came to be involved with soccer and NYCFC, we go behind the scenes on 2020 YLC training in Mott Haven, as well as taking in scenes from the People’s Park where the week culminated with a festival of soccer for the 40+ participants.
We take flight to Costa Rica for Episode 5, joining the squad for NYCFC’s first-ever Concacaf Champions League match vs. AD San Carlos. One of the club’s first-ever fans Omari Soulfinger (AKA NYCFC Pigeon) is able to find his way to the match despite some significant difficulties (flying to the wrong San Jose in California), so we join him and the flock of pigeons in the bleachers to watch Héber and company seize the continental stage in style.
NYCFC were two games into their MLS season when the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown the world. A brief homage to the city and how the NYCFC Family came together in this moment starts the episode, before we join Ismael Tajouri-Shradi and discover how a pro footballer remains fit in quarantine through Ramadan. The final segment of the episode shows the team’s return to training.
Preparations for the return to play at the MLS is Back Tournament are in full swing as we pick up with Dr Ahmad, the team physician, at Etihad CFA NY. Following examinations, the squad depart for Orlando and get to work in the Dolphin Hotel ahead of Thursday’s opening match vs. Philadelphia.
NYCFC returns to the field for the first time in 123 days at the MLS is Back Tournament at ESPN Wide World of Sports. Before the opening game, Sebastian Ibeagha and several NYCFC teammates made a statement, taking the knee and raising a fist for eight minutes and 46 seconds to protest systemic racism in society and sport. As well as pitchside views on the opening game vs. Philadelphia, we check in on Maxi Moralez, who is on the comeback trail from a quad injury sustained vs. the Union.
In episode 9 of 2020 presented by EA Sports, we take a look at the staff that bring the fans closer to the players. NYCFC Media Relations Manager, Woody Wilder, gives us an inside look at how media interviews are conducted in the bubble. Club photographer, Katie Cahalin, gives us a detailed look at how she prepares for and approaches a match.
In episode 10 of 2020 presented by EA Sports, Taty Castellanos transforms his room into a barber shop and gives Maxi Moralez a haircut. Daniel Fradley, Head of NYCFC Performance Analysis, brings us into the coaches meeting the day before the match against Toronto. Daniel gives us a full breakdown of all the preparations that went into the match against Toronto, and details how he is supporting with real-time video on the bench during gameday.