Jesus Medina, new season to impress

Although Jesus Medina didn’t necessarily reach the expectations set upon him by fans fully, there was plenty of promise shown. Signed as a Designated Player ahead of the 2018 MLS season, Medina would go on to certainly contribute throughout the year, scoring six goals and tallying seven assist, however there was a lot more wanted from him.

The Paraguayan winger showed glimpses of extreme quality in games but lacked the ability to continue that for an entire 90 minutes. Competition with teammates Ismael Tajouri-Shradi and Jo Inge Berget saw Medina make several appearances off the bench during the season and a hamstring injury left him sidelined for six games.

Although the departures of David Villa and Berget certainly see Medina locking down a starting spot, there are two more candidates for the winger position. Other than Tajouri-Shradi, Jonathan Lewis and recent signing Alexandru Mitriță are also running for starting time. The former is not only impressing for the USMNT, but is earning interest from other MLS sides while the latter’s price tag could do the talking for him.

If Medina is able to pick up form and link with City’s other forwards, the team’s attack will have no problems. With a year under his belt, Medina has adopted NYCFC’s style of play and consistently pairing with the likes if Maxi Moralez and Ismael Tajouri-Shradi would not only benefit his game, but the team’s as well.

The competition on the wings for New York City FC will force players to impress when they take the field, which is a good problem to have indeed.