Tag: David Villa

The Day After (Orlando)

My lord. 5-3. Another 8-goal thriller. Where to begin?

Yes Pirlo, Yes Party

Amazing.

We all knew that Pirlo was a world class footballer, but he’s also proven to be a real gentlemen when most footballers act like children. In the weeks leading up to this game, there was so much talk about him, and he was always quick to sidestep it all. He was asked about age, about heat, about travel, about physicality, and his answer was always the same: People can say what they like, you’ll see on the field. And we did.

While warming up, Pirlo was as relaxed as possible. As he was about to come on the field, he was casually stretching as if it were practice. And when he came on the field, there was no smile to the crowd, no rushed first touch or tackle, just relaxed composure. It was truly ridiculous to have watched this team play for the past season and see just how much better Pirlo really is.

Every pass looked like it had been rehearsed to perfection prior to the match. His touch was gorgeous, gently cushioning the ball into his path. And his measured passes over the top made all of our players look better. That’s really what he brought last night, he made everyone look good. Even when players weren’t in great positions, he made them get into those.

When we’re watching a match on TV or in the crowd, we have the luxury of seeing the entire field, thus we’re constantly disappointed when a player doesn’t pick the right pass. It’s kind of unfair of us, seeing as they’ve got top athletes running full-speed at them and they’ve gotta make a split second decision with a much, much worse view of the pitch, but we do it anyway. What’s truly remarkable, what’s really fucking amazing, is that Pirlo makes every pass that we can see, and even ones we can’t. Case in point was a pass to Mix last night. Mix was lost in a sea of three defenders, and there were several other options that looked better to pass to. But Pirlo saw it even though we didn’t, and he chipped a ball over the top for Diskerud, who did well to try and control and almost won a pk.  But you get the feeling that afterwards Mix was a little surprised the ball even got to him in that position.

Unlike Villa, Pirlo doesn’t have a temper and doesn’t feel the need to dribble the entire team. Unlike Lampard, he plays and hasn’t had the biggest PR shitshow since Urban Outfitters decided to be nazis/Kent state shooting advocates. Simply put, Pirlo is already the best player on our team. And probably the best passer of the ball in the MLS. Holy fuck.

Villa

For all the shit we give him, he managed two goals last night. Granted he made me scream like a wildebeest on several other occasions for just general stupidity, but he made up for it. Particularly the goal where he received a ball over the top from Angelino, took a great touch, and brilliantly smashed it into the near corner, giving no chance to the keeper.

But still, he’s not completely impressing me. How ’bout that great run by Mix where he played it to Villa in the box and he hit it over the bar? Or the countless occasions where he’d hold the ball too long for no reason? Or how he doesn’t seem to understand hold up play, and on the rare occasions when he wins a ball in the air he decides to run at the back line by himself and lose the ball rather than wait for the rest of our team to help out? Goddamit.

But that’s a whole ‘nuther problem. How the flying fuck are we still kicking the ball upfield and hoping for the best? Seriously, at this point in the season it’s painfully obvious that Villa CANNOT WIN AERIAL DUELS. Every single damn time he just fucking HOPES that the defender will make a mistake. Seriously, watch Villa every time a ball is sent to him high in the air. He just waits BEHIND the damn defender and prays to some higher power that the guy will fuck up. But it’s not even his fault. Aerial duels are not his game, they never have been. He’s just forced into this because we’ve still got fuckheads like Chris Wingert who’s dumbass American coaches told him to kick the ball as hard as he can every time he sees it. Motherfuckers.

The good news is, Pirlo is here. And he didn’t ply his trade a St. John’s. With him on in the second half, there was almost no kick & pray mentality. And that will help us more than we know.

A Team In Transition

There are so many new faces on this squad. Mena played a decent game, but will look to improve. It’s crazy, actually, our back line after the poor excuse for a footballer named Wingert came off last night had no players from our first match.

Point being, building a team takes time. And while we’re all getting our panties in a bunch for Pirlo & Co., don’t expect anything real until next year. Shit takes time and patience in a virtue. We might make a last ditch run for a playoff spot, but that depends on a lot of things. Will Kreis bench Poku for Ned “I’m so useless that soccer blogs have stopped coming up with fictional nicknames for me” Grabavoy? How will he accommodate all his new toys?  Is McNamara actually good or does he manage to keep scoring while doing little else? Will Kreis ever play Mix as a winger? So many questions, time will tell.

On To The Next One

We play Montreal at home on Saturday. We’ve already beaten them twice, and that’s without Pirlo and possibly Lampard. While they recently signed Drogba, we doubt he’ll play by Sunday. And even if he did, Montreal may have gotten a win this weekend, but they’re a really poor squad. We should be able to beat them easily.

Well, maybe not easily. It is NYCFC, after all.

On to the next one.

NYCFC vs Orlando City: Preview

On Sunday, July 26th, Orlando City visit Yankee stadium for the second meeting between the two 2015 expansion teams.

Form

Orlando’s has been poor, but as we saw versus New England, poor form doesn’t mean that NYC will do anything. To be fair, though, Orlando have lost consecutive matches at their home stadium, both losing two-nil. Not the best form we’ve ever seen.

NYC are alright. Still adjusting to all the fresh faces on the pitch, NYC are very much a work in progress. With Iraola and Angelino starting to gel with their teammates, it will take time for Pirlo and, if he ever decides to play, Lampard to settle in. However, progress is better than the shit we had only a month ago, and every game should improve for us.

Lineups

Orlando SC (4-2-3-1): Hall (GK), Ashe (LB), Collin (CB), Hines (CB), Ramos (RB), Avila (CM), Ceren (CM), Rivas (LM), Kaka (CAM), Neal (RM), Larin (ST)

-Cyle Larin was supposed to be suspended with a red card from the previous match, but Orlando have successfully appealed the decision, thus making him eligible.

-Brek Shea has been a staple in this Orlando team since their inception, yet after successfully undergoing sports hernia surgery he will be out for a chunk of the remaining season, including this match.

NYCFC (4-4-2): Saunders (GK), Angelino (LB), Wingert (CB), Facey (CB), Iraola (RB), McNamara (LM), Poku (CM), Jacobson (CM), Ballouchy (RM), Mullins (ST), Villa (ST)

-With Grabavoy suspended (woohoo!) Poku should get the nod at centre mid, unless Pirlo is somehow ready to start after training for only a few days, which is always a possibility, seeing as Pirlo is all-powerful.

-Hernandez is suspended for yellow card accumulation and Diskerud is still out with the Gold Cup crew. Let’s go fourth place!

-Lampard won’t play, which is something we’re used to by now.

Final Thoughts

The high probability of seeing Pirlo at some point on the Yankee stadium pitch is enough to make the most cynical of fans at least consider deleting their angry-nycfc-reddit post.

But the main focus of this game should be beating the other expansion team so that 1. we get a valuable three points and tie them for sixth and 2. show that we’re the cool expansion team and their purple-colored-Orlando “SC” bullshit can go back to fuckin’ Universal Epcot Sea World or whatever the shit they do in that fucked up place.

The Day After (Toronto)

Holy crap. 4-4. For neutrals that game was up there for game of the season. For fans of either team that just took off 3-5 years in life expectancy.

Typical NYC

I feel stupid that after we had gone up two-nil I felt happy. Two-nil! So early on! It was great. We were going to win.

Turns out that wasn’t to be. In what was a crazy game with 4 penalties and 8 goals, what stood out was that NYC blew a perfectly good lead. We talk about passion, desire, dedication so often in the footie world. The fact is, the guys out on that pitch just haven’t achieved the mental toughness to shut games out. We should have scored those two goals, defended as a unit and won a vital three points. And yes, perhaps that would have been a lot less exciting, but Mourinho didn’t win the Premier League by giving the neutrals a nice game to watch, he won it because he knows how to win. Which is something we clearly lack.

Villa & Giovinco

Technically speaking, Villa and Giovinco are two of the best players in the league. If you look at their pedigree, their history, and for Giovinco their age, it’s clear that these players are a class above everyone else.

Yet, I still feel that Giovinco plays much better. There will be those who believe that me saying Villa has played poorly is outrageous, that’s why I don’t allow comments. Yes, he’s finally scoring goals. But look, he scored from a free kick and a penalty. And last week was another free kick. It’s great that he’s able to make something out of nothing, but why can’t he score more from open play (case in point last night’s sitter)?

And even if he is scoring, stats are over-hyped. Trust me, if stats were what they claim to be then Liverpool’s moneyball-esque era of Downing & Carroll would have ended far differently. What I’m saying is, I’m glad Villa is finally scoring goals. And he’s even hustling for the team. But he’s not even close to the $6 million we pay annually. Or even close to what he should be. He still inexplicably dribbles into defenders. He still takes way too long to shoot, and he loses the ball far too carelessly for a World Cup winner. With Lampard and Pirlo behind him I expect much greater things. Otherwise I’m gonna start sending nasty letters.

Spanish Full-Backs

Iraola was rusty last night. But to be fair the former Bilbao man has barely trained a week with the team before being thrust into the starting lineup. That’s how much NYCFC and Kreis rate the right back. It’ll take time for the 33-year-old to really settle, but despite some of his defensive shortcomings it was obvious he was already a step up from RJ Allen. Just look at his positioning. Iraola was doing something no other NYCFC player has ever done: consistently get wide into open space. It’s sort of remarkable that you’re taught to get wide and open space up by mediocre coaches by the time you’ve turned 10 and no NYCFC player has done it well. If you watch Iraola for a match, you’ll see how his hugging the right touchline creates so much space for his players, and his darting runs down the wing always look dangerous.

Plus, there’s Angelino. The blond haired 18-year-old made his debut as a half time sub for the impressively poor Kwame Watson-Siriboe. Wingert was moved to centre back (CAN WE SIGN TEFU PLEASE) so that Angelino could wreak havoc down the left flank. And wreak havoc he did.

Angelino looked dangerous every time he touched the ball. He made a duracell battery hopped up on coke look lazy. His pure skill, his absurd pace, and his abundant energy make him already one of the most dangerous left backs in the MLS, and he’s only getting started. In an interview with NYCFC afterwards he said that he felt he wasn’t at all nervous, but that he lacked match fitness and looks to be much better in the games to come.

If what we saw last night was lacking match fitness and there’s better skill to come then we’re in for quite a treat.

On To The Next One

Remember when Frank Lampard was supposed to play? Yeah, well he’s supposed to play next weekend. But maybe it’ll be a few more weeks if he decides to extend his loan with some team. BOOM, roasted.

But real talk we’re lucky to have a player of his caliber, despite his age and his ability to sit on the bench for the second half on Man City’s season. He should make his debut against New England, and we really could use him.

With all this Pirlo & Lampard fanfare, it’s hard to be patient and wait ’till they both are consistent starters. But injuries aside, that day should be coming soon. Until then, let’s get Tefu, let’s learn from Iraola, let’s learn how to hold a lead, and maybe, just maybe, we’ll get somewhere this season.

On to the next one.

NYCFC vs Red Bulls: Preview

Ah, the day is upon us. With all the twitter competitions, the meaningless press conferences, and the overrated blogs, it’s easy to forget that this whole schpiel is about a 90 minute footie match. And how enticing this footie match is indeed.

Form

If you had told me that coming into this match NYCFC would be in far better form I’d probably chloroform you, squeeze your body into the back of my trunk, drop you off at the nearest sanatarium and think nothing of it.

But somehow NYCFC have won 3 MLS matches in a row while Red Bulls were winless in 5 consecutive matches before their scrappy 1 nil midweek home win versus RSL. The Red Bulls even lost, AT HOME, to the Philadelphia Union. Not even NYC have lost to the Union at home, and we’ve sucked for most of this season.

In fact, the Red Bulls’ hot streak ended just after beating us 2-1 in Harrison. Weird vibes, man.

Point is, the Red Bulls haven’t played particularly well the past few games and NYC have exceeded prior expectations, occasionally playing quality football. Going into this game at home in the Bronx, this is a pretty good scenario to have.

Lineups

Red Bulls (4-2-3-1): Robles (GK), Duvall (RB), Miazga (CB), Perrinelle (CB), Lawrence (LB), McCarty (CM), Felipe (CM), Zizzo (LM), Kljestan (CAM), Grella (RM), Wright-Phillips (ST)

-Kljestan is back from serving his suspension and should slot into his preferred role right under the striker.

-Lloyd Sam might make it to the bench, but probably still needs another week to recover from his groin injury.

NYC (4-5-1): Saunders (GK), RJ Allen (RB), Facey (CB), Hernandez (CB), Wingert (LB), McNamara (LM), Grabavoy (CM), Jacobson (CM), Mix (CM), Ballouchy (RM), Villa (ST)

-As per usual, we’d love to see Poku instead of Grabavoy. Last time out Kreis opted for Grabavoy, as Poku had played a full match in midweek. That choice ostensibly payed dividends, as NYC won in Toronto. Although Grabavoy had little to do with that win, he will be trusted in this derby match because of his “MLS experience.”

-As with last game, one of Calle or Williams should make the bench. Shelton is recovering well from a left knee sprain, but if he features at all it would be coming off the bench.

Final Thoughts

With a crowd of at least 45,000 people, it’s hard not to be excited for tomorrow’s derby.

One thing to keep in mind is that while form certainly is influential, often what makes derby matches so great is the fact that both teams want to win this game so much more than other regular league games. When this happens, the play from both sides improves and the game becomes impossible to call. Each team puts forth an inspired performance to match the other and we often see some of footie’s finest moments.

Yet, this isn’t a traditional rivalry as of yet. Sure the first game was heated, but right now the fans of the opposition teams are the ones who are making this a “derby” match. Most of the players are using the “oh-it’s-just-another-3-points” PR tactic.

But soccer players are rarely the best speakers, we’ll see on the pitch how both sides feel about this matchup.

Until then, Death To The Red Bulls.

The Day After (Toronto)

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.

The Day After (Philadelphia)

NYCFC broke their 11 game winless streak on Saturday night as we ousted Philly 2-1.

Wait, What?

We won? Really?

Yes, turns out we got 3 points. Frankly I still haven’t really accepted that as fact because it’s just been so long since it’s happened, I don’t know how to react.

While the hype-machine PR douchebags who run most of NYCFC’s website will herald this win as a massive stepping point, we’d like to put things in perspective before everyone gets their panties in a bunch.

Nothing Changed

The sad truth of that match was that we got very lucky. This was no tactical marvel, no newfound spark from the team, and not even the hardest fought game. There was very little we can point to that contributed to our first win in ages.

David Villa still dribbles too much and overthinks every move he makes, our defense gets caught making stupid tackles, and we struggle to get players wide. Our passing and movement off the ball are poor. We just didn’t play a good game.

If anything, we owe that win more to Philly than ourselves. The amount of chances they wasted and mistakes they made almost looked as bad as us. We would not have even been able to compete in that game had the Union not been so bad themselves.

Yet aside from all this brutal cynicism, there was a positive to take from this game.

Shay Facey

My man. I’ve always been excited about Shay, from the first day the young English lad got subbed on at right back in Yankee stadium. To me it was simple: would I rather have a young American player who’s been playing at college level, or a young Brit who was raised through the Man City youth system? No matter what, he’s going to know things that it will take years for his counterparts to learn, that’s just the reality of the gulf  between youth development in Europe and the States.

Much to my chagrin, however, Facey has had a rough start to life in the MLS. In his first start for the club he managed a red card in the first half and he’s had some really shaky defending. But after getting a rare start at center back against the Houston Dynamo, Facey has impressed, even being named man of the match against Philly.

Facey looked like vintage fuckin’ Vincent Kompany against Philly. He just had that beautiful intangible aurora about him where you just knew he wasn’t going to lose the game. Every cross into the box he managed to clear, he ran tirelessly, his positioning was spot on, and his high field pressing would force mistakes from the opposition attackers.

Though he did have some “training wheels” moments, most notably when his poor excuse for a cross fell invitingly at the feet of a Union player only for him to fuck up. But, as the case was, Philly made us look good. And Facey looked good.

If Facey can keep up this run of form he could be the rock in the back we thought Hernandez would be early in the season.

On To The Next One

At the end of the day, we did win. Which is pretty big. I’ve never played professional footie (…yet) but I believe that this win could have the power to instill real self-belief within our players. And that’ll be important considering the run of games we have coming up.

Looking ahead, we’ve got El Clasico versus the Red Bulls on June 28th. If we can maybe get another win between now and then we might have a real shot of competing. But that’s looking ahead and asking a lot.

For next week we’ve got the Montreal Impact at Yankee Stadium. Montreal are an eclectic team to say the least. They made it to the CONCACAF Champions League final all the while coming in dead last in the league. Anything can happen with those guys, but they’ve been playing some fairly good footie lately. Let’s hope we build on progress and don’t regress.

On to the next one….

NYCFC vs Houston Dynamo: Preview

Tonight Yankee stadium will host the Houston Dynamo as NYCFC try to do something, anything, to prove they are still a real team.

Interestingly enough, this is not the first time NYC have faced the Dynamo. While it was only a preseason match, we have played against these lads in the Carolina Challenge Cup back in February.

We played a fairly poor game then, losing 2-1, with the only consolation a sweet back heel from McNamara to set up Mix’s emphatic finish.

Ahhhhh, February. We had the whole world ahead of us: “back heels”, “emphatic”, “finishes,” no knowledge of Ned Grabavoy’s consistent mediocrity.  Granted, playing as we did should have been a stiff harbinger for the future, but hey, it was February.

Form

If there’s one thing that can be said about Houston’s season thus far it’s that is has been far from boring.

They’ve had only four wins, two of which have come in the past three games. They tied Sporting KC at home in a 4-all eight goal thriller. Their last match was set to be a tie against the Galaxy in California until a 92nd minute winner by Alan Gordon, giving LA the late victory.

Houston haven’t played all that poorly this season, they’ve just had a lot of unlucky moments. Watch out for British striker Giles Barnes who’s got 5 goals already and holding mid Luis Garrido. Also if you think you see a certain 33-year-old former US international playing left back, you’re not dreaming: it’s the man, the myth, the legend, DaMarcus Beasley.

NYC keep losing. They’ve lost for a while. There’s a few tied games in there. Mostly losses. That’s all.

Lineups

Houston (4-4-2): Deric (GK), Beasly (LB), Taylor (CB), Horst (CB), Rodriguez (RB), Lopez (LM), Clark (CM), Garrido (CM), Garcia (RM), Bruin (ST), Barnes (ST)

-Poster boy Brad Davis caused NYC a whole mess of trouble in that game back in February, so Yankee Stadium will hope that the left midfielder’s right knee bruise doesn’t heal up before this match. He could start, though, if the doctors give him the green light this morning.

-Center back Horst has a slight knee sprain, but is expected to start.

NYCFC: (4-4-2): Saunders (GK), Brandt (LB), Watson-Siriboe (CB), Hernandez (CB), Facey (RB), Ballouchy (LM), Mix (CM), Jacobson (CM), Shelton (RM), Villa (ST), Mullins (ST)

-It’s possible that NYCFC are using the same medical staff as Arsenal have been using for the past few years. There are SIX players who could possibly not play, FIVE of those defenders.

-Left back Calle and right back Williams are both certainly out, with a right quad strain and left adductor strain, respectively.

-Wing backs Brovsky and RJ Allen seem to be forming some type of chemistry, as both are questionable with right quad strains. Twins!

-Center back Wingert looks doubtful with a right hamstring problem.

-Ned Grabavoy is our final name on this list, with a pelvic injury (HA, loser!) having kept him out of a few matches. We’d usually be celebrating another match without him, but at this point it doesn’t even matter.

Final Thoughts

I think we could get a tie. But then again I also thought Pluto was a real planet, Arsenal would finally win the league this year, and NYCFC had a chance of making the playoffs.

Maybe try to play well? I don’t know. I really don’t know.

The Day After (Real Salt Lake)

FAITH NO MORE: RSL Dispenses NYC 2-0

Confidence. It’s the “patriotism” of the sports world…the last refuge of a scoundrel.

When your team’s coach and paid commentators start saying that your team needs confidence. When one of the Tri-State Ford’s Keys to the Match is “BELIEVE!” That’s when you know you are in trouble.

And, boy, are we in trouble.

Even without the 10-billion-ton burden that is Ned Grabavoy, we looked clueless and incompetent last night. Sure, Khiry Shelton is still a kid, a 21-year-old rookie. Maybe he and the 20-year-old Manchester City’s youth academy product Shay Facey might lack confidence, and Facey certainly showed it last night with some costly blunders, but the rest of these clowns are professional athletes. They get paid to do this, for a living. They are MLS veterans. Heck, some of them are even World Cup-winning record holders.

I could, like the match commentators, argue that David Villa isn’t getting the service he used to back when he was a world-class superstar. And I could even cling to their other claim, that MLS is a tough league with permissive refs and brutal center backs. But Villa has played against tougher, stronger, and faster opposition. And no matter what league you are playing in, if the ref isn’t giving you the calls, then you’ve got to stop going to ground and find a way to beat your opponent.

Mix Diskerud did strike the crossbar. That was our one shot on target. And our one match highlight. Which is why you won’t hear a lot of people talk about how useless he was for the other 89 minutes and 37 seconds. I hate to single him out, but – like Villa – the gap between his promise and his performance is hard to ignore. Diskerud is like a spinnaker that’s flapping loose.

In the field, Mehdi Ballouchy was our best player last night. The guy, long a posterchild for mediocrity, is even our top scorer this season. Mullins showed the occasional spark. And Jacobson wasn’t an embarrassment, though he did miss one of our few opportunities (Villa, who put one decent effort over the bar, pathetically squandered another opportunity).

Define “Defense”

Our defense really stood out. Brovsky was out-blundered by Facey, but he certainly can’t hold his head up high. Our two center backs, Hernandez and Wingert, were as effective as orange traffic cones on the side of the freeway.

The only exception to NYCFC’s failure has been and continues to be Josh Saunders. He made some huge saves. So many saves that it’s harsh to question his performance on the second goal. Without him there surely would have been more.

I look at the stats from last night’s game and the two teams appear even. Possession, passing, tackles, crosses, corners – all nearly identical. The only significant differences were in shots on target and clearances – both of which were in Real Salt Lake’s favor. Yet even MLS.com, notorious for proclaiming the league’s parity, declared that it was a “comprehensive victory” for RSL.

Jason Kreis…

I have to blame Jason Kreis. Yes, he did make some changes in the 66th minute, bringing on Velasquez for Shelton and McNamara for Mullins, and we did start to show some signs of life. And then he got bold in the 81st, bringing on Brandt – his first appearance as a professional – for Wingert. But stats aside, there looked to be one competent team on that field, and it wasn’t ours.

I blame Kreis because he picked these players, most of whom are proven entities. Sure, some of them are failing to perform, but a lot of them look completely incapable of performing – at least not at the professional level.

We’ve earned 7 points in 12 games…rock bottom of the table. 

Even without Grabavoy, we continue to chase the ball around the midfield. We lose our shape as soon as the whistle blows, leaving opponents with all sorts of space – and limiting our passing options when we do have on the ball. And our back line is exceedingly subpar. These are all issues Kreis can and should address, though it doesn’t seem like he’s even aware of them.

On the attack, Villa always has his back to the goal. Or he’s dropping back into the midfield to get the ball. That’s not his strength. That’s not his skillset. That’s not his game. That’s what Diskerud should be doing. He should be the playmaker sending through balls to Villa. Or, better yet, put Poku out there – a proven passer. And Nemec, the one strike partner who has demonstrated an ability to receive and hold the ball with his back to the goal.

I blame Kreis because he should see these challenges. And he should be working to address them. I’ve seen little improvement in our play over the past 12 games. Each week it’s the same problems. And each week he attributes them to a lack of confidence, and bad luck.

Maybe the player’s don’t believe in themselves, as Kreis claims. Or maybe they don’t believe in him. Either way, I hope I don’t have to wait 12 more matches to find the answer.

On To The Next One

We play Houston Dynamo at home. Whatever.

NYCFC vs Real Salt Lake: Preview

On Saturday, May 23rd NYC will travel to Salt Lake to take on Jason Kreis’s former club at 10 p.m. ET.

Form

RSL haven’t exactly set the world on fire with their play this season. While managing some impressive away wins at San Jose and more recently the Chicago Fire, Salt Lake have only won 1 of 4 games in their home stadium and have suffered heavy defeats such as 4-0 and 4-1 to the hands of New England and the Montreal Impact.

NYCFC have been worse, though. After an opening night win over the Revolution, NYC have seemingly forgotten what 3 points feels like. Unlike RSL, however, NYC always seem to compete for every game, never losing by more than 2 goals. We love barely losing. Yet, after a massive morale-boosting 2 goal comeback draw with 10 men last weekend, all of NYC will be hoping that game can kickstart the season.

Lineups

RSL: (4-4-2) Rimando (GK), Beltran (RB), Olave (CB), Vasquez (CB). Phillips (LB), Beckerman (CM), Gil (CM), Stertzer (LM), Mulholland (RM), Saborio (ST), Sandoval (ST)

-RSL have a host of niggling injuries to Okwuonu, Plata, Morales, and Jaime. While not necessarily guaranteed starters, RSL would benefit from having a few of these guys fresh and on the bench.

NYC (4-4-2): Saunders (GK), Brovsky (LB), Wingert (CB), Hernandez (CB), Facey (RB), Jacobson (CM), Mix (CM), Shelton (RM), Alvarez (LM), Mullins (ST), Villa (ST)

-With RJ Allen suspended, Brovsky will move to left back and Facey will slot in at right back, as Williams is out with NYCFC’s favorite injury, the famous left adductor strain.

-Both Calle and Grabavoy are questionable but one could make the bench.

Final Thoughts

This could be an important game for both sides. We both need the win.

Furthering the plot line is that Grabavoy, Watson-Siriboe, Velasquez, Wingert, Saunders, and as we all know, head coach Jason Kreis all used to play at RSL. It will be very much a homecoming for Kreis & Co. Let’s hope we can spoil the party.

May the force be with you. Or at least a win. Maybe even a tie. Good luck, basically.

The Day After (Chicago)

Last night NYCFC earned a well fought point against Chicago Fire at home. Here’s our thoughts.

David Villa? More like David Suck!

That’s not entirely accurate. He’s a fantastic footballer who holds the top goal scoring record for the Spanish national team and has won almost every trophy that a footballer can earn. He came to MLS to either: A) Get one last hefty paycheck living in our lovely city or B) Give himself one last challenge.

Presumably it’s a Mix of the two but if option B was at all on his agenda he’s doing quite poorly.

Granted, he’s only been here for a bit and he’s had some injury trouble, but it’s kind of unsettling how hard he’s finding life in MLS.

Sure, he doesn’t have Xavi or Iniesta giving him passes. Which in all honesty is exactly the reason he’s struggling. But you’d hope a player of such high caliber and talent would be able to do something on his own. Yet he often looks at a loss for ideas.

He keeps losing the ball when he runs with it at MLS defenders. Let me repeat, MLS defenders. 

And while his off the ball play is rather commendable, he’s slow and indecisive on the ball (Mix Diskerud too, maybe that’s what they learn in training?).

Villa will get the ball in a dangerous area and often slow the tempo, allowing for the opposition to get more men behind the ball, and then he’ll shoot from the same position he was in earlier yet now it gets blocked.

But forget all that. Villa is a goddamn world-class footballer. He shouldn’t only be finishing every single chance he gets in the box, he should be creating chances, he should be a game changer. A Designated Player, if you will.

So far he hasn’t really done that. He’s been good in patches, takes some nice shots like the one that allowed Mehdi Ballouchy another goal for this season, but he really isn’t doing anything special. We’d like that to change. Or another DP. Both work.

The People

As our results have been poor to say the least, I’ve been wondering how long will this team continue to get support.

Losing to the Red Bulls, playing like crap, being a bad team, all these factors add up to what should be a substantial loss of an excited fan base.

Of course the diehards would stay and the casual supporter would go, but it’s those in the middle, the slightly interested, who have presumably been jumping ship after this suck-fest we call our first season.

Thus, at Yankee Stadium this summer night I was surprised to see 23 thousand fans in attendance. There were many seats vacant, which makes me question that number, but a lot of people are still showing up. What if we were good? Imagine the possibilities!

Yet as the game progressed my positivity from the fan support was quickly overshadowed by what’s becoming an NYCFC trademark: poor play, red card, giving up a goal.

Once the second goal went in, the crowd (myself included) started getting angry.

“You guys are idiots” one fan screamed down to the team. “How could you make that pass?”, “What’s wrong with you guys?” “Does anyone want my season tickets? Please? I’m begging you!” were only some of the less than supportive shouts during the first half. It looked as if we were in for another long night.

Then, Mehdi Ballouchy did what he does best: Inexplicably score yet another goal. Fans clapped and cheered, but it wasn’t enough to bring us back from the disapproval we held.

Second Half

NYCFC love the second half.

We always play better. And for some reasons teams end up playing worse. Really odd.

Last night was no different. We played far better in the second half, and ended up with a goal to show for it.

Went Shelton sent that miss-hit shot wobbling into the far corner, Yankee Stadium erupted. As the game came to a close, most fans were on their feet, applauding the efforts of our team.

True, we were a man down for an hour on the match, but it’s quite incredible we were all clapping for a tied game at home. Maybe one day we can clap for a really good performance and even, dare I say, a win.

Shelton

It’s a shame, but Khiry Shelton looks the be the Chicharito of the MLS. We’ve started Shelton for many successive games after his breakout into the team, yet despite his best efforts, he hasn’t really had the offensive impact we’d hope he would.

Normally I’d be livid if he were benched, but last night I felt he sort of deserved it. And the truth is his pace and raw force are better utilized later into the match when the opposition are tired.

It’s so simple! He kept having such a positive impact on the game off the bench earlier in the season, naturally we assumed he’d be just as effective given 90 minutes.

Yet, we were wrong. Shelton is at his best two-thirds into a match when the opposite defenders are starting to get weary and he can run at them full steam. He may not want to admit it, but at this point in his career, he’s best only playing 30 minutes a game. But what a 30 minutes he gives us.

On To The Next One

Shelton’s late goal can only propel us towards a brighter future. It will give the team renewed confidence and a belief that maybe they aren’t the worst thing to happen to New York since some European douchebags brought pigeons here on a boat.

But let’s not get our panties in a bunch. Sure Kreis and Co. will be lauding this miraculous result, but we’re still making the same stupid mistakes and not playing up to our potential.

We can hope that this comeback will inspire us to get a result against a Real Salt Lake that were just humiliated 4-1 by last placed Montreal Impact, but only time will tell.

On to the next one.