New York City FC have fired head coach Nick Cushing after the team were dumped out of the MLS Playoffs by their rival New York Red Bulls.
The Eastern Conference giants – who this week announced more details about their stunning new stadium in Queens – finished sixth in the regular season, before dumping No 3 seed Cincinnati out of the playoffs in a best-of-three series.
They then faced their New York rivals in a one-match shootout to make it to the Conference Finals, but fell short and lost 2-0 at Citi Field.
In a statement, sporting director David Lee said: ‘We would like to thank Nick for his incredible dedication to the Club and this city.
‘During his time at New York City FC, Nick has been a true professional, playing an important role in delivering the Club’s first MLS Cup as an assistant coach and then leading the team as Interim Head Coach to a Campeones Cup victory in 2022.
‘After being appointed as Head Coach for the 2023 season, Nick built a collaborative, high-performance environment at the training facility that has allowed us to continue to evolve as an organization.
‘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. We would like to sincerely thank Nick for his contributions and wish him and his family all the very best in their future endeavors.’
Englishman Cushing was recently linked with the Arsenal Women’s job after Jonas Eidevall quit less than a month into the new WSL season.
Renee Slegers is currently in interim charge, and while Cushing previously distanced himself from the role, rumors are now likely to intensify as he prepares to move back his home country.
Cushing moved to New York in 2020 after seven years in the women’s game as manager of Manchester City, first assuming the role as assistant coach at NYCFC.
In 2022 he took interim charge of the team after Ronny Deila’s exit and guided the team to a third-placed regular season finish and a run to the Eastern Conference Final, where they lost 3-1 to Philadelphia Union.
In 2023, NYCFC failed to make the playoffs after finishing 11th, and after their latest playoff failure Cushing has been let go.
