When Nick Cushing swapped Manchester City for New York City FC, things were supposed to be quite straight-forward.
His final few weeks in England went to plan: the 36-year-old won five of the six games that followed the announcement of his departure, setting the team up to retain their Women’s FA Cup title and claim yet another Women’s Champions League spot.
In his new role, as an assistant coach to Ronny Deila, he then flew to Costa Rica and helped NYCFC secure their place in the quarter-finals of the CONCACAF Champions League.
But that’s where the normality ended. As the Covid-19 pandemic swept across the globe, Cushing had a 24-hour period to get his family across to New York, while the MLS season was suspended.
Even when it resumed, the chaos continued, his first year in the States ending with the craziest sequence of events in MLS history.
NYCFC will kick-off their 2021 season this weekend, against D.C. United.
As he looks ahead to his second year in the job, a return to normality would certainly be appreciated by a man who had spent 16 years working in Manchester before this switch – a normality that extends beyond little things like continuing to regularly cook classic British Sunday roasts across the pond.
Reflecting on the past 12 months, Cushing tells Goal, “I underestimated [the move] massively. It’s just totally different to what I was experiencing previously.”
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From knowing everyone and everything in his environment, to being the newbie who was wondering how to get through the front gate of the facility, it’s certainly been a learning curve – but that’s not to say it’s been a bad experience.
The Chester-born coach established himself as one of the brightest minds in the Women’s Super League during his seven years in charge of Man City. He won six trophies, showcasing his attention to detail, tactical flexibility and ability to develop young talent.
Despite such an impressive resume, he has always come across as a coach who wants to learn – and he’s done exactly that in New York.
“I worked in my own head as the head coach for seven years,” he explains. “Then, I come here and work with Ronny, who's got a different view of the game because he hasn't been involved with the [City Football] Group.
“He taught me so much about the game, so much about the way he sees the game. I feel I'm a better coach now, because I've seen it through his eyes – and then Efraín [Juarez] has played in Mexico, Spain and here. Mehdi [Ballouchy] was a player in MLS.
“All of those different minds and seeing the game in different ways, I've definitely developed in my understanding of the game and in the way that I see the game.”
One of the benefits of lockdown has been his ability to grow those relationships with his new colleagues, albeit via video calls. Another has been that he has watched every single game his old Man City team have played.
“I was the head coach of Manchester City Women for seven years. I won six trophies in seven years. I pay £2.99 ($4) to watch the games on City+ now. They didn't even give it to me for free!” he laughs. “I’m only joking, but I pay!”
The side are currently second in the WSL ahead of a potential title-deciding clash with leaders Chelsea on Wednesday, having had a strong first season under Gareth Taylor, whom Cushing assisted in the academy.
“Gareth is he is an incredible coach,” Cushing says. “We still bounce ideas off each other and just keep in touch, because he's a good friend.
"I think he's doing a really good job. They've had some really good performances and the squad is really strong.”
As a coach who always invested time and energy into the development of young talent, Cushing name-checks plenty of promising players throughout the conversation.
He mentions the likes of Esme Morgan, who is now establishing herself as a first-team regular after being given her debut by Cushing, but also those who have since secured regular football away from City, such as Ella Toone at Manchester United and Bristol City's Emma Bissell.
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“That’s probably one of the proudest parts of the seven years,” he adds.
That passion of developing talent can continue in New York. Justin Haak, Andres Jasson, Tayvon Gray and James Sands are just some of the exciting homegrown players the club can boast, as well as the recently acquired Chris Gloster.
Mix them with some of the vast experience on this roster and the team are positive about improving on last season’s first round play-off exit.
“This club has built every year and we feel that we're progressing every year,” Cushing adds. “We set up to win every football game. The way that we play and our methodology is all about playing attacking football and trying to win football games.
“I think, initially, the aim is to start better than we did last year, because we had a slow start. Then, if we can start to pick up points on the road, and we can start to make sure that we retain our strong home record, then we can start to develop some momentum.
“We're definitely ambitious. That's one thing I can say for sure.”