Before New York City FC could win the national title, it had to sell its best player.
On December 17, 2020, NYCFC made the surprise announcement that club captain Alexander Ring was traded to Austin FC for $1.25 million in General Allocation Money. Seventeen days later, defender and starter Ronald Matarrita was traded to FC Cincinnati in exchange for $600,000 in GAM. At the time, the departures of both players came as a shock, especially as their nominal replacements weren’t signed until much later—left-back Malte Amundsen joined NYCFC on February 12, 2021, while midfielder Alfredo Morales was signed on April 17, 2021, just 10 days before the season opener.