Newly-appointed New York City FC sporting director Todd Dunivant views replacing the goals of the injured Alonso Martinez as a “big priority” as he looks ahead to the upcoming 2026 MLS season.
Martinez, who finished as NYCFC’s top scorer last season with 19 goals across the regular season and MLS playoffs, ruptured his ACL while on international duty with Costa Rica in November and is expected to be sidelined until after the 2026 World Cup.
NYCFC rallied after Martinez’s injury to beat Supporters’ Shield winners Philadelphia Union in the Eastern Conference semifinals, but played without a recognized striker in that game and the subsequent meeting with Inter Miami, which ended in a 5-1 loss.
Dunivant, who was appointed as the club’s new sporting director in December following the departure of his predecessor David Lee last season, is now looking to replace Martinez’s goals for the upcoming season.
“We’re going to have to make sure that we find replacements,” Dunivant said. “Alonso scored a lot of goals, and we’ve got to make sure we find that within the team.
“Alonso is going to be out for a good chunk of the year. We have to make sure that we are finding goals somewhere, and that means we need to look into the market and be able to add attacking help. I mean, there’s no doubt about that. So I think that’s priority number one.”
Dunivant added that he will be open to signing players in either the winter transfer window or the mid-season summer window. He also re-emphasized the need to find goals in the market.
“There’s certainly a need for goals and attacking help, and I think that’s something we’re keeping a close eye on in the market,” Dunivant added. “Whether that’s now, whether it’s in summer, we need to be ready when an opportunity presents itself.”
Dunivant said the club is looking for players of a similar profile to Justin Haak, who departed the club for LA Galaxy in the offseason, and said Talles Magno has “hit the ground running” after rejoining the NYCFC squad following a loan spell at Brazilian club Corinthians.
Magno, one of the club’s designated players alongside Nico Fernandez Mercau and Thiago Martins, faces a “blank slate” following his loan away from New York, Dunivant added.
“Talles has been back with us in preseason now, and has been really, really good integrating in with the group,” Dunivant said.
He also spoke of the importance of finding success on the field in order to improve attendance in the stands, affirming that “New York expects winners.” He noted that the club has reached the Eastern Conference final in three of the last five seasons and said fans have become accustomed to the club as a “perennial play-off team.”
Dunivant further asserted that it is essential that NYCFC continues to post positive results so that it can establish itself in a major city with a number of high-profile teams in each of the Big Four sports.
“All of that speaks to who we are and kind of the history that we’ve established,” Dunivant said. “We need to continue to do that. Want to build on that. We’ve got a great foundation we’re going to build on. And ultimately, being in a big market like New York, you do have a lot of eyeballs, but that’s opportunity.”
