Tag: New England Revolution

The Day After (New England)

The Day After (New England)

The day after? It couldn’t have come soon enough. NYCFC traveled to New England on Saturday, full of hope and potential. And if you listen to the pundits, momentum as well. But being “unbeaten” isn’t the same as winning, and when people start celebrating the act of not losing, then you know you are in trouble.

One could argue that we were off to a good start. We had some bright spots in the opening minutes. Angelino was a revelation. The man’s like a death ray. Utterly fantastic. Which, of course, only exposed the rest of our squad as being so much less so.

We did enjoy a slight edge in possession, which somehow lasted throughout the entire game, but that proved about as meaningful as being unbeaten. In the 12th minute, New England had a moment of clarity that coincided with a moment of quality to produce a well-earned goal from Lee Nguyen.

Yes, it was the result of nice passing, but our defense looked a tad feeble on the play. Both Andoni Iraola and Jason Hernandez rushed out to challenge Diego Fagundez, leaving Ngyuen wide open behind them. Mehdi Ballouchy tried to recover and shut down Nguyen in the box but it was too late. If I had to blame someone, it’d be Iraola, as Hernandez had more of a right to push up on Fagundez. Iraola should have been marking Ngyuen. And it certainly wasn’t the first time the Spanish vet, only two games into his NYC FC run, has been suckered out of position like that.

Things started to roll downhill from there. We had the ball, but we couldn’t do a damn thing with it. So sad.

Changes Coming

Our midfield is still getting comfortable with full backs that can play the game. By that I mean they are starting to realize that they have a position to play, with responsibilities to fulfill. This includes providing coverage on the overlap.

And with Shay Facey starting to play the ball out of the back, with the help of Angelino and Iraola, the midfielders are also discovering that they need to provide them options as well. The days of simply running around in hopes of picking up a loose ball from defensive clearances are hopefully over, along with the default setting of having keeper Josh Saunders regularly booting the ball as far up field as possible.

And our forwards? We don’t get many opportunities the way we’ve been playing, and these guys squandered the few we had on Saturday. In fairness, Patrick Mullins worked his ass off. But David Villa needs to do better. Are the balls used in MLS that much more attractive than those in La Liga? They seem to be, because Villa’s always looking down at the ball and never up at his teammates. And I can understand his frustration at the poor service, but he’s also throwing tantrums when he’s not even bothered to get open. Could the 33 year-old need glasses?

I hope Frank Lampard and Andrea Pirlo, our two other designated players, have a better attitude than Villa has displayed. We’ll know soon enough.

Hungry or Fed Up?

It’s strange that, given the introduction of five new players in the middle of the season, no one on the current squad looks even remotely interested in fighting for their place on the team. You’d expect them to be digging deep to prove they deserve a spot out there, but that didn’t appear to be the case this weekend.

And if it were only one or two players looking like that, I’d place the blame on them individually. But since everyone lacks that sort of hunger, I have to blame Coach Jason Kreis. Where’s the leadership? Where’s the man management? And has anyone spotted Jurgen Klopp “vacationing” in New York City this summer?

All in all, it was a fairly timid performance from a team that should be – needs to be – doing a lot better. We’re more than halfway through the season and we’ve still got too many poor touches, poor passes, and poor positioning.

More Changes Needed

With the addition of Lampard and Pirlo, things should change in the midfield. We’ve already seen some change in the back. And hopefully that will translate to a change on the attack as well.

For example, with Angelino and Iraola advancing up the flanks, along with precision passing from Pirlo, might we see more of Adam Nemec and his aerial ability in the box? And what about Khiry Shelton? Sure, he’s been battling an injury, but he practiced this week, not even a spot on the bench? What’s up? His pace will be a welcome alternative on the attack. Tommy McNamara couldn’t outrun an armadillo.

The good news is that Ned Grabavoy won’t be available to play next week. He earned a straight red in the 55th minute for doing a poor Nigel de Jong impersonation. The saddest part is that it was the first and only time his name was called all evening.

Hernandez will have to sit as well, thanks to steady stream of yellows. Will Kreis give Jefferson Mena a start? The Colombian center back was only recently signed, but I don’t think anyone is interested in seeing what else Kwame Watson-Siriboe can do wrong.

And what about Lampard and Pirlo? Will Kreis start either – or both – of them, especially with Mix Diskerud still away on national team duties?

Kreis has shown some faith in Iraola, but he took Angelino off after 70 minutes, replacing him with Chris “Wing and a Prayer” Wingert. He also took off Mullins and brought on Kwadwo Poku shortly after Grabavoy’s dismissal, though the Ghanaian talisman proved unable to work his magic. He did have a few nice connections, though, including a late-game link-up with Pablo Alvarez, who replaced Ballouchy in the 77th.

What lessons, if any, will Kreis learn from this flatulent performance? Will he give the new guns a shot or cling to his familiar failings? Only time will tell.

And time is running out on this season. So far we’ve earned a measly 21 points in 20 games. At this rate, we’re not going to make the playoffs. We’ll need to at least double our 1.05 points per game average over the next 14 fixtures if we hope to have a shot at the post-season this year.

On To The Next One

We play Orlando at home on July 26th.

I don’t know why, but I hate Orlando as much as the Red Bulls. Maybe even more. Perhaps it’s the whole “the other expansion team” thing, or the choice to name it Orlando City SOCCER Club, or the purple fucking color, or most obvious, the fact that it’s fucking Orlando.

So yeah, I’d like to win. With Lampard hopefully playing and perhaps, perhaps, Pirlo, we could have a better midfield. Which means we’d actually have a midfield. And some of the infamous NYCFC mediocrity may have to sit down and never see the pitch again.

Ned Grabavoy is suspended for us and star Canadian striker Cyle Larin is suspended for them. Both great news for us.

While this game will be billed as Kaka vs Lampard & Pirlo, the truth is that the rest of our team need to vastly improve, or at least try, to give us a chance this season.

Anyway, on to the next one.

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.

The Day After

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Today we begin our first edition of “The Day After”, a segment which will be posted after every NYCFC match, with some thoughts and observations.

The People and Their Children

After so many difficulties leading up to this day (Frank Lampard enjoying the bench at Man City, no soccer specific stadium announced, and a horrendous music video) it was impressive to see 43,507 people fill up Yankee Stadium for this match. What’s more, most people came to the game early, walking around the stadium and reveling in the excitement that was NYCFC’s first ever home match.

As far as demographics were concerned, it was encouraging to see so many children. If you watch a English Premier League or La Liga match, you see a plethora of young kids with their parents at the games. This is vitally important for NYC. Those of the pre-Guliani era will be the first to tell you that New York has become overrun with families that used to live in the suburbs. Truth is, New York has now become a safe and desirable place to raise a family. The children who put on a sky blue t-shirt and saw World Cup winner David Villa in the flesh will be the future of this club. Because after all the fanfare and the supporter clubs’ memberships and exclusive scarves, NYCFC will need to attract the youth. If yesterday is any example, we’re on the right track

Will People Show Up Again? And Again? And After That Time???

It was nice to see over 40,000 people for a footie match, yet the real question is: Who’s going to be there 3 months from now?

The first few matches were always likely to have large support. They were inaugural, they were special. But after the special games are over, and aside from the local rivalry games against The Team Who Must Not Be Named, it will be difficult to get people to come out every few weekends for MLS soccer.

NYCFC say they have sold over 15,000 season tickets, which is encouraging. Presumably, there will be at least 15,000 people at every home game, if everyone always shows up. The real question becomes the rest of the people. Yankee Stadium will have space for just over 27,000 people for normal, run-of-the-mill MLS matches. There is a big difference between a stadium with 15,000 and one with 20,0000 or 25,0000.

In order to keep getting those extra 10,000 fans, NYCFC has to play some good footie.

Let’s Talk About Some Footie

NYCFC did not play well.

Head coach Jason Kreis has told the media that NYCFC wouldn’t be playing its best footie for a while, as this is a brand new team which needs time to gel.

That said, the 2-0 headline was more than flattering towards the home team. After an energetic first 15 minutes, David Villa grabbed a well taken goal. Yet, after that, the rest of the first half was better off forgotten.

The midfield was non existent. Rumors spread that from the 20th minute until halftime, Mix Diskerud was getting his hair done at a local Bronx salon. The game plan seemed akin to what it was for opening day: Kick the ball up the field to 6’3 Slovakian powerhouse Adam Nemec and hope for the best.

Maybe Jason Kreis has tried to instill a more fluid, possession based style into his team, but it seems as if that will take quite some time to take effect. Granted, a large criticism of American footie is the focus on strength and fitness rather than skill and possession, which has been evident in the first two games of NYCFC’s season.

So, after what became a dismal first half, NYC was more than lucky to go into halftime winning the match. After 90 minutes, there were at least 4 clear cut chances that New England failed to score .

The second half was more encouraging, and ESPN reported that Kreis told his players to be more “aggressive”, which translates to, “try and actually play some soccer.” There were many nice interchanges between Mix, Villa, and Velazquez. But all too often the final pass was lacking. More worryingly, NYC often turned over possession in their own half. Against stronger opposition NYC will be made to rue those mistakes. It’s only the second game, though, and expect NYC to improve each week.

On To The Next One

NYCFC just beat the 2014 MLS Cup finalists 2-0 in front of 43,000 fans. NYC is now in first place in the Eastern Conference.

One Yankee Fan who had bought tickets to the game remarked: “We never get 40,000 people to come to our games, and we’ve won 27 World Series!”

NYCFC don’t have any championships, history, or Babe Ruth memorabilia. But we do have something special. To quote everyone’s favorite New York City person, Jay-Z, “On To The Next One.”