New York City FC (NYCFC) head coach Nick Cushing put to rest any questions about his potential departure from the MLS club on Thursday.
“I can confirm that I will be back here next year,” Cushing said as his team prepares for a winner-take-all first-round, Game 3 playoff matchup against FC Cincinnati on Saturday.
The 39-year-old has recently been linked to jumping back to his native England to coach the Arsenal women’s team. He had spent seven seasons as head coach of Manchester City’s women’s side from 2013-20 before making the jump to NYCFC — the sister club of the Premier League giants owned by the City Football Group — as an assistant. With Manchester City, he won the Women’s Super League in 2016, the FA Women’s Cup in 2017, and the FA Women’s League Cup in 2014 and 2016.
After Ronny Delia departed the club to join Belgian side Standard Liege, Cushing was elevated to interim head coach during the 2022 season. He was made the club’s full-time head coach the following year.
He failed to lead New York to the playoffs last season, finishing 11th in the Eastern Conference, but has helped author a considerable turnaround. The club finished the regular season in sixth place and is pushing the favored FC Cincinnati to a decisive third game in their first-round playoff matchup.
