This might be two days after the fact, but we’re still as dumbfounded as we were on Sunday.

Hey, You Never Know

I never really understood this ubiquitous lottery slogan until now. Going into this match, the most I was hoping for was a decent performance and a likely loss. MAYBE a tie. But a win? An AWAY win? No way.

Yet, with a hell of a lot of luck and 20-something-thousand irate Toronto fans to witness, NYCFC won two nil.

Our Game Plan

If you watched the full game on Saturday and didn’t see the penalty nor TFC’s giveaway which lead to our second, you would’ve noticed two things: First, that Toronto are a much more skilled team, and second, that NYCFC were out for blood.

The physical, aggressive nature of NYCFC’s plan reminded me of one of Jose Mourinho’s first Clasico’s versus Barcelona. In this game the role of the diminutive, seemingly unstoppable magician was played by Giovinco, and instead of Pepe, the man tasked with hacking at Messi all night was Jason Hernandez.

Luckily, NYCFC managed to shut down Giovinco in truly expert fashion. The whole team, 33-year-old David Villa included, ran themselves into the ground, and if there was a lack of skill present, there certainly wasn’t a lack of desire.

Good Us Or Bad Them?

This is really an age old footballing question that’s difficult to assess every time it’s addressed. Did NYCFC manage to concoct a formula to shut down one of the most potent attacks in the MLS? Or did one of the most potent attacks in the MLS fall flat on its face?

The answer, as always, is a little of both. My inherent cynicism towards NYCFC dictates that I saw Toronto lose that game, not NYCFC win. But we did win, after all, and thus I’ll only spend a bit talking about how Toronto shit the bed.

They did shit the bed, though. It just wasn’t their day. Michael Bradley wasn’t really on his A-game, and even when he did manage to send in one of his glorious, searching long balls, Giovinco uncharacteristically took a poor touch and squandered the opportunity. Cheryou’s handball was not a handball, and the fact that MLS officials called it as such is worrying. More worrying is that the commentators slowly convinced themselves it was the correct call. Toronto stupidly gave away possession which led directly to our second goal. And DP Jozy Altidore was completely useless when brought on, adding little to nothing to their attack. Toronto have a really talented squad who really messed up this game.

We Won

Despite Toronto’s shortcomings, NYCFC were the ones who had to put the ball in the back of the net. And we did, twice.

We looked really solid on the counterattack and our defense held up tremendously well. Shay Facey is becoming a godsend with his efforts at center back and playing five midfielders, rather than two strikers, allows us to compete against more technically skilled sides. We scored, we won, another three points. Well played.

On To The Next One

Ohhhh and what a “Next One” it is. NYCFC will host the Red Bulls for the first time at Yankee Stadium, and with the Red Bulls on their worst run of the season and NYC on its best run of the season, it’s hard to think of a better time for payback.

Granted, anything can happen. NYCFC has been winning, and playing a little better, but we’re nowhere near where we could be. And, this being a derby match, form often matters a lot less. When you’re playing in front of what should be somewhere near 40 thousand fans, with both teams knowing what this game means for their clubs, there’s no way to predict the outcome. All we know is it’s going to be a spectacle, and almost certainly another piece of history for soccer in New York.

Come Sunday, though, most people will forget what this game might mean for the further advancement of footie, and will focus more on sending the Red Bulls back to the pit of a home they call Jersey. Unless they get stuck in traffic on the George Washington Bridge on the way back. Boom, Jersey roasted.

On to the fuckin’ next one.