Who was NYCFC Source?

The primary transfer window for Major League Soccer closes today, and with it ends the trickle of speculative posts and articles about player movement. 

It also marks the end of NYCFC Source, the anonymous account of a 16-year-old New Jersey high school student who consistently broke transfer New York City FC news and rumors — often quicker than legacy outlets could hit publish, and long before clubs and players issued their official statements.

Source first started posting in 2019, and over the years he both enlightened and antagonized New York City fans who followed him on X and Instagram. At times, Source posted valuable insider information that other journalists simply didn’t have. But Source could also echoed facts that were widely available on the internet, and he sometimes got into heated exchanges with readers that were less like the to-and-fro you see with news outlets and more like, well, the impulsive responses of a teenager.

All things told, Source was a valuable part of the New York City ecosystem, and essential reading when the transfer windows rolled around. He provided depth, breadth, and speed that no other news organization could match: He was a fire hose of information, and it was up to his readers to figure out what was worth tracking.

Now he's retiring the anonymous account. Hudson River Blue reached out to him via direct message to find out why, and to look back at how a young student with an anonymous account could scoop professional reporters.

Note: This interview was edited for length and clarity.

Hudson River Blue: Earlier, you posted that you're ending NYCFC Source.

Source: Ye I'm done with the page. I'm on a new journey, onto bigger things in my personal life.

HRB: Why did you start Source?

Source: I was a little kid and just posted random stuff about NYCFC because I really liked them, and then I saw all these news pages and always wanted NYCFC news and would always searched and barely ever found anything. So then I was like, Why don't I try this? We need someone doing news for us.

I just tried it out. I went from just a fan page to a news page and a fan page.

I thought I could've gone much farther, but a lot of the good news I would get, I always had to keep private. I could barely disclose much. I'd dig for hours on specific things to target, and find out from hundreds of sources. It was very difficult, and in the end, most of my work wasn't really too appreciated. So I thought it'd be best to step away.

HRB: You didn't feel appreciated?

Source: Not really, that wasn’t even my concern and it didn’t bother me. But it was like people expected me to provide news and wouldn't really do anything with that. And if anything, it would be negative or toxic.

I'm not sure how to entirely describe it, but it felt like it was becoming more like a chore based on how people treated my work, and not something fun. Although it never became not fun for me, I love the club more than anything.

People always told me to step away. I didn't mind the haters, I knew I had LOTS of insane news to drop and become a top reporter, but I had the opportunity to do what I want to do so I stepped away.

I had to sacrifice hundreds of scoops and top news to keep relationships. I still get lots of news, and I had probably the most and best news at the time and period of me leaving and stopping. Lots of club workers, players, agents I had close connections to who were very reliable to me and were never wrong about stuff that I would even have to keep private.

But I think I've finally turned the page and settled with the idea that this is no longer my role or responsibility.

HRB: We started keeping close tabs on your posts this year. Sometimes they were legitimate exclusives. But sometimes they seemed like retreads of stories already out there.

Source: Sometimes fans would ask me if something was true, and I'd check, and I'd post about it. So I never really knew what was already out there.

The thing is, I don't go on Twitter to search news. Most of the time I had the news before the posts were out, pre-planned and all. Just waiting for a confirmation to post screwed me over a lot.

HRB: Your sources came from the club? Players? People close to players?

Source: Staff, players, people close to players for certain things, and reliable agents.

HRB: How do you contact them? X, Instagram? You reach out and they reply?

Source: Yes. I don't ask for info, just welcome players to the city and give them tips on where to go, etc.

You develop relationships as friends, not connections. People will be there for you whenever, if you treat them right and don't just beg for news, or only dig for news and nothing else. But in the end, I'm left with good relationships and connections even after ending my page.

HRB: Did you want to become a Fabrizio Romano?

Source: I wanted to become widespread, and grow. I thought I could become a top reporter and eventually put my name and face on it.

It just sucks that as I was deciding to leave I began clicking with some insane staff.

I wanted to do a big pod, and had huge things planned. I wanted to turn my site into something legit, but it was kind of hard, and then I slowly drifted away from all this.

HRB: Looking at a few of your posts, you said Jovan would get the #7 kit, and you were 100% right.

Source: Yes. I knew for a while. I got told by a few people. Staff and players.

HRB: You were also right about Thiago to Shenzhen. But you said Justin Haak would be sold, and that didn't happen.

Source: He's going to leave soon. They couldn't figure out a deal. I can't say much more. I'm no longer in the reporter game and don't want to comment much more on news.

The Transfer Window is unpredictable. Anything can happen, even if a deal is a signature away. Neymar was very close to happening.

HRB: You kept saying that on X, but that's hard to believe to be honest.

Source: At the last second he changed his mind and chose Saudi money. "You can't say no to Saudi money," word-for-word what they told me.

Not sure if you know or not, but I'm now a scout and junior agent at a top agency.

HRB: Can a 16-year-old high school student hold a job?

Source: I requested a three-month internship to begin, so I can finish the school year. I had over 10 offers from top agencies.

I'm really happy. I think I can become a top agent. I have lots of stuff coming, and already talking with top young talents, and I'm going to be soon working with top pros.

I'm actually in the middle of a deal for a player right now. A USL Championship team badly wants this player I presented to them.