Tag: Chris Dobens

A Concerned Cityzen

“A Concerned Cityzen” is a segment in which a friend of NYCFootie, Christopher Dobens, discusses NYCFC and the world of football.  

Before our home opener against New England, my only experience at the new Yankee Stadium had been in the press box. And for a soccer game, those seats really suck. So I was eager to arrive early that day and have a look around. A baseball stadium is undeniably far from an ideal venue for soccer, but I have to say that they certainly made the best of it.

We were fortunate enough to snag front row seats in Section 206 for the season. Though they’re far from center pitch, our seats offer some of the best sightlines in the stadium. We’re fairly close to the action yet have enough elevation to see the full field of play. How did we get such good seats? We panned ahead, and acted early.

But not everyone was as pleased with their Yankee Stadium experience as we were – especially those who failed to plan ahead or arrive early. In fact, some fans sounded quite irate. So as we prepare for our second home match, I thought I’d take a look back at some of the complaints – and offer a few suggestions.

Getting to the Game on Time

Knowing that this was NYC FC’s first game, and a large crowd was expected, we opted to arrive extra early. We got off the subway around 3:15 PM or so and had a short wait to get in. I’ve waited in much longer lines for World Cup matches. And compared to those, there was surprisingly little chaos at Yankee Stadium.

Now if you arrived any time after 4:00 PM, you probably deserve whatever hassle you got. You’ve had two years to plan for this day. And all day to get to the stadium. Rather than complaining about the consequences of your own decisions, I encourage you to plan better for our next home match. Anticipation, my friends. Expect the unexpected.

Food for Thought

Another grumble has been about the lines for food and bathrooms. After finding our way into the stadium around 3:30 PM, we made two laps – one on the lower level and another on the second level – before taking our seats. Halfway through our circumnavigations, we stopped to stuff our face at Parm. There was no line when we arrived. There was no line when we left. And it was glorious.

The truth is that there are some things you can do during halftime at a soccer game, and there are some things you cannot do during halftime at a soccer game. The interval is only 15 minutes long, and that’s a much shorter time than most realize.

It is enough time to stretch your legs and have a look at the people around you. It’s plenty of time to reiterate your argument about the referee’s incompetence to your friends. And you can easily call or text people who couldn’t make it to the game, or who are sitting too far away in the stadium to visit in person.

However, it isn’t enough time to get something to eat or drink in any stadium, except maybe for a Chivas USA home game last year. Nor does it offer sufficient time to walk over and see some friends on the other side of the stadium. And, in most cases, it isn’t even enough time to hit the bathroom.

Put on Your Big Boy Pants

Now if you are 15 or under, I’ll give you a pass on not realizing this. But everyone else should know better. And if this does come as news to you, I recommend designating someone in your group to play the mother role, asking everyone before the game if they need a snack or need to make potty. And if you are old like me, then be smart and don’t drink beers during the game or you may struggle to make it for the full 90 minutes without needing to take a leak.

Remember, you are supposed to be there to watch the game. This isn’t a day at the mall, full of shopping, eating, and drinking.

Sure, you can get up and head to the concessions before the first half is over. That’s how a lot of fans in England manage to get a pie or a cup of tea. And a lot of them still fail to make it back to their seat in time for the start of the second half. But that is their choice. Just as it’s your choice. So don’t whine about the club or Yankee Stadium failing to meet your feeding schedule.

We’ve got our second home game coming up this weekend. Plan ahead. Be realistic. And come to terms with what matters most – the action on the field, not in the food court.

A Concerned Cityzen

“A Concerned Cityzen” is a new segment in which a friend of NYCFootie, Christopher Dobens, discusses NYCFC and the world of football.  

Tinkering with the Team

Looking back on our first two games, as well as our pre-season performance, I’ve been wrestling with what can be done to fine-tune our team. New York City FC clearly has talent and potential, and earned four out of six possible points so far, but there’s plenty of room for improvement.

The Midfield Muddle

While a lot of people have turned their attention to our back line, I’m more concerned with our midfield. Yes, defenders Josh Williams, Chris Wingert, and even Jeb Brovsky have looked a bit confused when they had the ball. But I think the real problem is that they have so few options with the ball at their feet. They’re looking for an outlet, but no one is showing for them. So they end up passing it back to goalkeeper Josh Saunders, booting it upfield for a 50/50 ball, or trying to force a pass into the crowded midfield for what often results in a turnover.

After the New England game, I watched a recording of the Real Madrid match against Levante. Two very different teams, of course, but they were playing the same game. Madrid’s back four were able to move the ball laterally until Luca Modric or Isco found a gap in the Levante midfield. If they were quickly closed down, they either passed it back to the defender or squared it to another midfielder. If they had space and time, they would turn and attack.

Far too often NYC FC’s midfield has been static. The need to find space – or create it. And if they can’t find any space in the center, then they need to give their defenders an option out on the flanks.

Of course this requires some technical ability. You can’t have sloppy passes, sloppy traps, or take too long with the ball. And, frankly, our midfielders were doing all of that (as were our defenders as well), which led to turnover after turnover – especially when the sides were still even, before New England went down a man.

The one exception was Sebastian Velasquez. He kept the ball close, though he often held onto it for too long or tried to dribble through one too many opponents. We need quicker decisions, and quicker passing. And we also have to quit bunching-up like a U9 squad. All too often we were passing to someone so close that the opponent only needed to take a step from one player to the other. It’s a narrow field, but we should be using a lot more of it.

A Simple Solution

Fixing our midfield mire is simple in concept. Spread out. Find the pockets. If they’re not there, create some space. Move for the ball. Make tight traps and then good passes. No extra touches. Let the ball do the work. And knock it off with the footvolley; bring the ball down and control it. In a nutshell, be smart, not sloppy.

The challenge is in the execution. Even for a coach as respected as Jason Kreis, it won’t be easy to instill this kind of discipline in what has proven to be a surprisingly erratic and inconsistent midfield.

As I mentioned, Velasquez demonstrated his value behind the tandem strikers during his performance against New England. And Ned Grabavoy has certainly made some key contributions, including his role in the give-and-go on David Villa’s goal in that same game. But, despite Kreis’ confidence in the MLS veteran, I’m still not entirely convinced. The same could be said of Andrew Jacobson in the holding role. I’d be curious to know how many times he turned over the ball compared to how often he won it for NYC FC.

But the real question, and the toughest one for Kreis, has to be Mix Diskerud. He did net a golden goal against Orlando, the first in the franchise’s history, but he’s certainly struggled beyond that. For a man who is supposed to be our playmaker, he’s giving away far too many balls. I’m a big fan, but at times he’s looked genuinely lost out there.

I’ll also be the first to admit a bias towards Kwadwo Poku. What I like about the Ghanaian midfielder is that he’s strong. Like Adam Nemec, he isn’t easily muscled off the ball. More importantly, though, he has a habit of making those little power turns – like Alexis Sanchez – that can create enough space to get him out of trouble. Those two qualities, along with ample technical ability, make him one of our midfielders least likely to turn the ball over cheaply. And unlike Velasquez, who is the only other midfielder showing a similar gift for possession, he knows how to get rid of the ball before it’s too late. Plus, when Poku did get sufficient time in pre-season matches, his service was unparalleled.

If I had to make the call, I’d put Poku in with Mix – or maybe even for Mix. Pairing him with Velasquez in that advanced role. Though it would be hard to bench a star like Diskerud, even for Kreis. I’d also give Khiry Shelton the start at right midfield with Grabavoy on the left. Or maybe Connor Brandt out there instead of Grabavoy, since the rookie seems have a better appreciation of the importance of staying wide.

Don’t Scratch the Nemec

In addition to the aforementioned gripes about our back line, there’s also been plenty of grumbling about Nemec up top. I don’t want to sound condescending to people who think he’s a waste of space, but such an assertion really reveals a poor understanding of the game. The Slovakian international has actually been playing quite well. The problem is his finishing.

As a striker, you need to either find the pockets of space or create them for a teammate. Nemec has been doing both, very well. If you watch him play, he’s almost always there as an option, whether that be from a Brovsky cross, a Velasquez through ball, a Villa square pass, or even a long ball from Saunders. In fact, Nemec was the only workable option for Saunders on goal kicks. Villa wasn’t winning anything in the air, nor were our midfielders.

Did Nemec fail to convert his chances in this match? Yes, he did. Some were saved, others were brutally squandered. And the same can be said of his performance against Orlando. But Nemec is consistently there, finding those chances. And that’s more than I can say for New England’s Charlie Davies – and a lot of other strikers around the league.

So to dismiss the big Slovakian striker because he didn’t put the ball in the back of the net show’s a certain naiveté about the game. He did a lot more on that field than miss shots. And if he continues to miss them, then it will indeed become a problem – and eventual grounds for benching him. But writing the guy off after two matches in which he’s found chances but failed to convert is as short-sighted as writing off Chris Wondolowski for missing a few golden opportunities for the US National Team.

Remember, Nemec is new to the league and still finding his way. Give him time to adjust his sights and gain a little confidence. He’s finding space, he’s making runs, he’s creating opportunities – and that cannot be underestimated (just ask Jozy Altidore, or – better yet – anyone who has coached him).

Plus, Nemec has proven to be our only player capable of consistently winning those 50/50 long balls in the air. If he wasn’t on the field, our possession would have dropped dramatically.

Once Nemec does start finding the mark, given his physical strength and aerial ability, he will also start drawing defenders away from Villa. And that will make our attack all the more potent. Give the man some more time.