Welcome to Skyscraper Blues!

With the 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs now firmly underway following the team’s 2-0 First Round victory over Atlanta United, it’s an exciting time to be a New York City FC supporter. It’s also an exciting time to be a consumer of NYCFC-related media, as more and more outlets and pundits for the club pop up with more and more frequency as the years and seasons go by. With this newfound high demand for content comes an equally high demand for quality, and we’re proud to announce that as of now, Skyscraper Blues has officially relaunched and will be bringing you content that you, the fandom, can be proud of.

To anyone in the know, this isn’t my rodeo. From March 2018 to this past September, I — Christian Smith — served as Managing Editor for Hudson River Blue over at SB Nation covering NYCFC. It was a long, fun, and wild ride that I’m thankful for, but it ultimately came to an end due to me receiving better opportunities elsewhere. When I first left HRB, it was highly unlikely that I was to re-enter the space in any kind of consistent capacity with my current work schedule. But after receiving a message from the lovely folks at FanSided a few weeks ago about relaunching the long inactive Skyscraper Blues platform, it was an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up. NYCFC runs through my bloodstream, and any job that involved me continuing to cover the team, and allowed me to offer my specific brand of coverage, was almost too good to pass up.

Needless to say, I’m officially back in the NYCFC media space. And it feels great to be back. I’m sure you all have some questions about the future of the site, so here’s some essential details regarding the relaunching of Skyscraper Blues.

What is Skyscraper Blues?

Before we get into the details of our plans for the future, first things first — Skyscraper Blues is not a new site. As a matter of fact, Skyscraper Blues was founded in August 2014 by FanSided and continued to be a good source of NYCFC news and opinions under former writer John Tollis until FanSided decided to merge all of their Major League Soccer coverage to MLS Multiplex in 2016.

In order for us to create the future, it’s important we acknowledge the past and whose back the site was built on. To John Tollis and everyone who ever contributed to Skyscraper Blues, thank you! Even five years later, we will become whatever we will become because of your contributions.

Skyscraper Blues is back! So now what?

Anyone familiar with my past work knows what kind of NYCFC coverage they’re going to get. As the ‘Site Expert’ for Skyscraper Blues, I intend on bringing much of the same over to FanSided. We plan on continuing the classic “As It Happens” live game articles, player grades, recaps, hot takes, and more.

And I won’t be alone. Joining me will be fellow HRB alum Jack Blanchard, and Cavalier Daily writer/UVA student Aidan Baller. Jack joined HRB over the summer and played a huge part in rejuvenating the site’s NYCFC coverage, offering strong and spicy takes over Twitter and on the site. Aidan is also a prevalent member of the NYCFC community, and previously covered the club while still at Sleepy Hollow High School. Both bring something unique to the table, and I know you’ll love their content!

For as long as we’re allowed to, we will be here, covering the club and all the happenings around it. Also, just to put this out there — ALL BIRDS ALL WELCOME! Whether you like the Pigeons moniker, or have a place in Night Owl Nation, your opinion matters and we look forward to hearing from you!