Well that was unexpected.

I stand by my earlier theory that the existence of NYCFC is just some cruel, cruel joke concocted by bored billionaires from the Middle East. How else do you explain how, after playing like idiots against Montreal and then getting easily beaten by Red Bulls, do we manage to beat the statistically best team in the league, quite comfortably? Bored billionaires, I’m tellin’ you.

Mr Suck Goes to Washington

Perhaps the most astounding aspect of the game was just how mediocre DC United were. It must be said that this is my first game watching DC play a full match, and most of the other research I had done was reading other people talk about them. Suffice to say, I was generally confused by the end of last night’s match. They had been alright, they’ve got a great ability to retain possession of the ball and make menacing runs. But they never really looked like threatening. Sure, they had some very close chances, but who doesn’t against our sad excuse of a defense? What was amazing is they really looked ok with losing. Was it complacency? Perhaps it’s the fact that they know they’re probably into the playoffs and didn’t expect much from NYC. Maybe it was just an off night.

Whatever the reason, DC looked like one of the easier teams we’ve had to play. Far more teams have come into Yankee stadium and had oodles of chances, better organization, and much more desire. For some reason, DC United didn’t. So from all of us here in the Big Apple, I’d like to say: Thank you for sucking.

No Pirlo, No Party? No Lampard, No Problem

With Lampard picking up an injury midweek, Kwadwo Poku slotted into his attacking midfield role.

There’s just too much to say about tactics and individual player performances last night. David Villa actually played decently well, inexplicably scoring the second goal and often times sending Poku some great balls.

But, if someone had not seen the lineups, they’d guess that Villa was playing left mid. And that seems to be his game. But it’s not that he merely drifts out wide, he hugs the touchline and spends most of his game there. The problem? No center forward to aim for. We send way too many balls into the box and there’s no one there. Thus, with Poku playing under Villa, he ends up playing as a central striker almost, yet he does well to get back on defense. Poku had an interesting match. Without him, we’d have been screwed. His ingenuity, his directness, and his stunning ability to retain the ball in tight spaces made him the X-factor for last nights game. Yes, he did miss some easy chances and was a little rusty, but he always made up for it. And that’s the real difference between Poku and whoever else we want to play. Maybe Poku is young and inexperienced and is prone to making the wrong decision in the box, but at least he has those decisions to make. That is to say, the fact that Poku looks a bit rusty in the box is also a testament to his ability to get in amazing positions. With consistent playing time and a mentor like Villa, Poku could, nay, will, become one of the top player in the MLS. But Kreis will probably bench him once Grabavoy’s fit. Motherfucker.

On To The Next One

We play the Columbus Crew away on Wednesday. It’ll be fascinating to see what lineup Kreis chooses, specifically whether that lineup include Poku and/or Lampard. It’s odd to say, but we looked a better team without Frank. Sure, he’s a world-class player who, when he’s really fit, could make amazing things happen, but out DP policy has been Real Madrid esque: buy a bunch of superstars not caring about which position they play or if we really need them and force our manager to figure it out. And there’s a few problems with that policy.

1. Jason Kreis is not Carlo Ancelotti. The MLS vet is out of his depths at NYCFC and does better when coaching a team like DC United, full of MLS seasoned players who work for each other as a unit.
2. No legs in the midfield. With both Pirlo and Lampard expected to play in the middle, with Villa right on top of them, most pundits have been asking the simple question: who’s doing the running? While it was seems childish, it’s been a good point. Against the Red Bulls, having both Pirlo and Lampard in the center of the field meant that the other players had to do way more running and defensive work than they should. And not even that, we lack any pace, any cutting-edge up top. With Poku instead of an older gentleman, we fix that problem. But Lampard has to play. So we shall see.

Anyway, Columbus are a top team who’ve been playing some decent enough football in this league. They’ll be a good test, and we’ll see if we can build off this win or if it’s just a flash in the pan.

On to the next one.