Oliver Strand

New York

Freelance Writer at Freelance

Staff Writer at Time Out New York Kids

Chief Spellchecker at Hudson River Blue

Author @TheFilterXYZ, chief spellchecker @HudsonRiverBlue. Bylines in @NYTimes, @VogueMagazine, @BonAppetit, @FoodandWine, @Fool_Magazine, @WSJ, @TimeOutKids.

Articles

New York City FC vs CF Montréal payer ratings

3 days ago | hudsonriverblue.com | Oliver Strand

New York City FC player ratings are determined by Hudson River Blue readers: Here are your NYCFC player ratings after the 1-0 home loss to CF Montréal in The Bronx. It was only the fourth time that Montréal beat NYCFC, and the first time they did it in New York City since 2015. It was a classic trap game: After New York City had dispatched a conference-best Cincinnati FC in Queens, surely they could handle a league-worst CF Montréal in The Bronx.
Pascal Jansen sets new mark for Homegrown, SuperDraft debuts

6 days ago | hudsonriverblue.com | Oliver Strand

Deep into stoppage time in Wednesday's US Open Cup match against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, New York City FC head coach brought on Drew Bariera, an 18-year-old defender who came up through the club's academy. Things didn't go as planned – the Hounds headed in the game-winner one minute later – but with that substitution, Bariera made his First Team debut, becoming the 12th NYCFC Homegrown to play with the First Team, and the fourth see minutes this year.
New York City vs Pittsburgh player ratings

6 days ago | hudsonriverblue.com | Oliver Strand

New York City FC player ratings are determined by Hudson River Blue readers: Here are your NYCFC player ratings after the 1-0 cupset loss to Pittsburgh Riverhounds at beautiful Highmark Stadium. Another US Open Cup, another loss: The player ratings are miserable after New York City were eliminated from the tournament after just a single game for the sixth time in eight appearances. This year, NYCFC fell to Pittsburgh Riverhounds, the 6th Place team in the Eastern Division of the USL Championship.
The 50 most valuable soccer clubs in the world: 2025 Update

1 week ago | hudsonriverblue.com | Oliver Strand

Steady as she goes: For the second consecutive year, New York City FC is the 20th most valuable football club in the world according to Sportico. This comes after the sports publication valued NYCFC at $1 billion earlier this year. It's significantly more than the $875 million valuation made by Forbes in February. NYCFC is one of 19 clubs from Major League Soccer to make Sportico's Top 50.
New York City vs Cincinnati player ratings

1 week ago | hudsonriverblue.com | Oliver Strand

New York City FC player ratings are determined by Hudson River Blue readers: Here are your NYCFC player ratings after a thrilling 1-0 win over FC Cincinnati played on a rainy Sunday afternoon in Queens. Another matchday, another 1-0 win: The player ratings are strong after New York City took down the hottest team in MLS, snapping Cincinnati's five-game winning streak by holding them scoreless at Citi Field.
What to Eat at Citi Field: 2025 Update

1 week ago | hudsonriverblue.com | Oliver Strand

New York City FC will play just five Major League Soccer games at Citi Field this year, but the place feels like home. It's more intimate than Yankee Stadium, the club is building Etihad Park across the street, and the food at Citi Field is exceptional by the standards of overpriced ballpark fare, a curated bazaar of vendors who have something for everyone. That is, if you know where to look — which is why we're here to help you figure out what to eat at Citi Field.
Fast-Tracked: The rise of Jonny Shore

2 weeks ago | hudsonriverblue.com | Oliver Strand

On September 16, 2017, James Sands made his Major League Soccer debut for New York City FC. The 17-year-old midfielder, who was the club's first Homegrown signing, came on for the final 17 minutes on Matchday 29, a 1-1 draw with Colorado Rapids, after spending the previous two games on the bench. It was the only First Team appearance he made that year.
New York City vs Toronto player ratings

2 weeks ago | hudsonriverblue.com | Oliver Strand

New York City FC player ratings are determined by Hudson River Blue readers: Here are your NYCFC player ratings after a professional 1-0 win over Toronto FC played on a blustery afternoon in the 51st State. The player ratings are strong after New York City's first away win of the 2025 season. The Starting XI is mostly made up of 7s and 6s, and the team average of 6.4 is the fourth-highest of the year.
Will New York City act before the transfer window closes?

3 weeks ago | hudsonriverblue.com | Oliver Strand

With the 2025 primary transfer window set to close tomorrow, many of the sickos and pundits out in soccerland might be wondering if New York City FC will add any players to reinforce a young and imbalanced squad that has struggled in recent games. To go by the club's transfer history, the answer is yes. The club tends to be more active in the primary transfer window at the start of the season than in the secondary transfer window in the summer.
New York City FC weaknesses exposed by New England Revolution

3 weeks ago | hudsonriverblue.com | Oliver Strand

New York City FC had to like their chances heading into this game. It's not easy to get a result on the road, but they were facing a New England Revolution that scored just four goals in the seven matches they played so far this season – one of which was an own goal courtesy of NYCFC defender Thiago Martins – and managed to log just two wins despite a roster packed with big signings. But any hope that New York City could control the tempo of this game faded quickly.