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

2025 Midterm Report Card: Jonny Shore

6 hours ago | hudsonriverblue.com | Oliver Strand

Jonny Shore is the most surprising player on a New York City FC squad that is having a surprising season. From his unexpected start on opening day against Inter Miami at the tender age of 17, to his masterful performances in the wins over Orlando City on March 8 and Philadelphia Union on April 12, Shore has shown why he deserved to be promoted from NYCFC II to the First Team. The Homegrown midfielder is easily the biggest revelation on the NYCFC roster this year.
2025 Midterm Report Card: Justin Haak

2 days ago | hudsonriverblue.com | Oliver Strand

Justin Haak's future with New York City FC at the end of the 2024 season was unclear. The midfielder, who signed his first professional contract with the club in 2019 at the age of 17, was frustrated with his lack of playing time with the First Team. He told the press that he was ready to be an everyday starter, and wanted to be with an organization that felt the same.
New York City vs Houston player ratings

1 week ago | hudsonriverblue.com | Oliver Strand

New York City FC player ratings are determined by you the Hudson River Blue readers: Here are your NYCFC player ratings after the soggy 3-0 midweek loss to Houston in The Bronx. Boy, are these ratings bad. How bad? So bad, that not a single player is above a 6.0 — Matt Freese's poor 5.8 is the best on the team. So bad, that the Starting XI has an average rating of 4.5 — and all 16 players who saw the field have an average rating of 4.4, a new low.
Advance Man: Justin Haak, NYCFC's attacking center-back

1 week ago | hudsonriverblue.com | Oliver Strand

It's no accident that New York City FC's Justin Haak logged his first Major League Soccer assist in the win against New York Red Bulls on May 16, then added another in Sunday's win over Chicago Fire. The 23-year-old Homegrown earned a starting role this season under head coach Pascal Jansen in a center-back pairing with Thiago Martins, and the two have anchored a defense that has given up just two goals in the last five league games played. But in recent matches, Haak's role has evolved.
Gotham FC advance to Concacaf W Champions Cup

2 weeks ago | hudsonriverblue.com | Oliver Strand

A hot-and-cold Gotham FC found their form tonight in Mexico City as they defeated hosts Club América 3-1 in the Concacaf W Champions Cup Semifinal. The Bats scored three goals inside of 12 minutes in the first half, then they withstood the attacks from an improving América to end the rainy evening with a well-earned road win. This match was a scheduling oddity, coming a little more than six months after Gotham's most recent game in the tournament.
The Hudson River Derby in 12 numbers

3 weeks ago | hudsonriverblue.com | Oliver Strand

The Hudson River Derby is back, and in anticipation of Saturday's matchup between New York City FC and New York Red Bulls, we added a derby page to the HRB Database. It documents not just every game played, but every goal scored, every hat trick and brace, every red card flashed, every foul whistled. 1. 16 11 WinsNew York City has 10 wins in the 30 games played in the Hudson River Derby in all competitions, while the Red Bulls have 16.
New York City 0 - 0 DC United: 5 Thoughts

3 weeks ago | hudsonriverblue.com | Oliver Strand

New York City FC was the better team tonight, but they were held scoreless by DC United on a damp night at Audi Field. Rather, they were held scoreless by Luis Barraza: The former NYCFC goalkeeper joined DC in the offseason, and he put in a season-best performance against his old team. Barraza's six saves earned him a stellar 8.9 rating on FotMob, and he was easily the best player on the field. But New York City will be disappointed not to find a way to get the ball past him.
56 Best Animated Movies for Kids, From “Flow” to “Minions”

3 weeks ago | timeout.com | Oliver Strand |Andy Kryza |Matthew Singer

Courtesy of Warner Bros. PicturesCourtesy of Warner Bros. PicturesThe best animated movies for kids will keep the whole family entertained—these movies are great for adults and children!Thursday 15 May 2025FacebookTwitterPinterestEmailWhatsAppWritten by: Matthew SingerAdvertising‘Isn’t every animated movie family-friendly?’ you might be asking. Oh, definitely not. Truth is, it’s pretty rare to find a cartoon that’ll both entertain the kids and keep parents from getting antsy.
New York City FC vs CF Montréal payer ratings

3 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 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

4 weeks 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.