At the end of the 2020 MLS season, after a playoff defeat to Orlando City that exposed a true lack of cutting edge along the front line, NYCFC fans spent the entire offseason wondering what would come of their once fearful attack.
The only true forward on the roster, Héber, was out indefinitely with a torn ACL. Taty Castellanos had filled in admirably, but there were doubts as to whether or not he was a true striker. On the wings, Gary Mackay-Steven and Jesus Medina struggled for form while Ismael Tajouri-Shradi struggled to remain fit.