Tag: NYC Soccer

The Day After (Red Bulls)

I’ve been contemplating a theory for some time that seems more and more likely with each passing game.

Sure, it makes sense that City Football Group would spend literally hundreds of millions of dollars for a quality MLS team which would play in New York City. That’s possible.

But the more likely story is that this is merely a billionaire’s social experiment. I can see the conversation now: “Let’s pretend to actually build a soccer team, acquire some people who can reasonably pass for professional players, and see how long the masses keep watching before they realize this is simply a very expensive practical joke!”

Damn billionaires.

Passing

Forget that Red Bulls were down to 10 men for almost AN HOUR of that match, and forget that as soon as our two poster boy players were taken off the field we scored a goal, we can’t fucking pass.

For those of you who don’t know, which in this case is NYCFC coaches and players, passing the ball is important in soccer. It’s how you get the ball from one guy with a shirt to the other guy with a shirt. But remember kids, he’s gotta have the same color shirt as you!

Seriously, I usually try to stand up for our boys in blue after mistakes but I am at a loss for words with some of the passing that occurred. I just can’t believe that these guys get paid to do some of the crap that went down last night. Horrible communication between players and a ridiculous amount of misplaced passes. It hurt me physically and emotionally to watch that game.

Damn Ned Grabavoy.

(on to the next one)

Where do we go now? What is the rest of this season look like for us? Will they give us a discount on our season tickets? Will be buy a desperately needed 3rd DP? Would anyone even come at this point? Is Frank Lampard hoping he tears his ACL so he doesn’t have to partake?

I’m not entirely sure what the future holds. But I’m just a guy writing a blog, I can only watch so many shitshows before I lose my mind.

on to the next one.

NYCFC vs Portland Timbers: Preview

NYCFC play their second match in a span of 4 days against the Portland Timbers this Sunday at 7pm.

Form

The Timbers have had an odd start to this year’s MLS season. After 3 consecutive draws against tough opposition (RSL, LA, SKC) they were beaten by the ever impressive Whitecaps. They then bounced back from that loss at home to beat the strong Dallas FC team 3-1, yet lost two-nil at home seven days later against the shaky outfit of Orlando City.

They aren’t playing particularly poorly, but they are certainly struggling for consistency (as with nearly every MLS team). After beating Dallas at home they must have been furious to have lost to Orlando in their own stadium. Some good form would have helped them tremendously for the next few away games. They’ll be coming to Yankee stadium hoping for a win that they can undoubtedly get, but they’ll have to play to their potential.

NYC played some of their best football this season against the Union on Thursday, yet they gave up a stupid goal after some generally lethargic play in the last 20 minutes.

Which leads us to ask: If NYC couldn’t keep their energy up for a full match, will they be able to have any energy for a game with only 3 days rest?

We hope they can. This season is becoming a tricky one for Kreis to maneuver and a home win would do him and the team a world of good.

Lineups

Portland: (4-2-3-1): Kwarasey (GK), Powell (RB), Borchers (CB), Ridgewell (CB), Villafana (LB), Chara (CM), Jewsbury (CM), Asprilla (RM), Nagbe (CAM), Wallace (LM), Adi (ST)

-Nagbe will be a constant threat, as he weaves together the attack of this Portland team. Portland have created many more chances than NYC this season and in order to win this game NYC will need to make sure Nagbe has no space to work.

NYCFC (4-2-2): Saunders (GK), Brovsky (LB), Hernandez (CB), Wingert (CB), Williams (RB), Jacobson (CM), Mix (CM), Grabavoy (LM), Ballouchy (RM), Nemec (ST), Villa (ST)

-Please, dear god, bench Ned Grabavoy. Kreis probably won’t ever do it, but he’s been playing really poorly. He offers no width, no pace, no tricks, his passing has been off, and even his much lauded work rate has dipped as of late. But Kreis loves the guy. Oy vey.

-It’s a shame that Ballouchy scored on Thursday. With Mix back from an impressive display with the USMNT he’ll move into center mid, pushing Ballouchy out right, effectively forcing the ever energetic Shelton to the bench. Which is a shame. Expect him off the bench quickly, he may even start if Villa’s niggling injury keeps him out.

-Poku was brilliant last match and we expect him off the beach early into the second half as well, especially if things aren’t going our way.

Final Thoughts

It will be a very difficult game for NYC, seeing as the past two games against one of the worst teams in league resulted in a loss and a draw.

The team will be tired and will need something special to beat this Portland outfit. We expect a draw.

But expecting anything from NYC is a fool’s errand, as their level of performances fluctuates so greatly that we really have no idea what will happen this Sunday night.

All we can do is wish them luck, hope for the best and maybe a tear of the meniscus for Ned Grabavoy.

Let’s see how it goes.

Footie in the States, Part 2: AMERICA!!!!

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There’s two things most Americans love more than anything: Masturbation and America itself.

So, when the US has any involvement in an international sporting event, we go apeshit. Our infatuation with watching America beat the rest of the world on TV is actually really simple. We’re masturbating TO America. It’s our two favorite things!

Thus, the United States national soccer team was always likely to be the biggest selling point of soccer to the general public. Now that it’s so easy to watch these international games on TV’s in pubs and households, World Cup fever spreads faster than Ebola never did.

But aside from that being a witty joke about American media’s amazing ability to scare the shit out of everyone for profit purposes, it highlights another phenomenon. World Cup “fever” is actually very similar to fake disease outbreaks. They happen every four years or so, the media gets all crazy , and then we hear nothing about it until the next time one comes around.

Similar to soccer counterculture, footie in this context is more about the social aspect than the sport itself. People leave work early and gather in local bars and scream if they see a goal scored by the US. I’ve gotten far too many texts from people who never watch footie asking me what I’m doing for the game. If you ever learn the name of one foreign player who’s not Messi or Ronaldo I might join you.

But they usually don’t.

I’ve been to the past 3 World Cups. What really kills me is going to USMNT games. Don’t get me wrong, I love seeing our boys play against the world’s best, but it’s the fans that kill me. There are a ridiculous amount of US fans that spend 90 percent of the match organizing chants, doing the wave, and making sure their face paint looks good. I’ve seen people with their fucking backs to the game in order to set up chants.

That’s fucking ridiculous. You spent all this money to come all the way down to Brazil, spent money to go to this match, and you care more about the bullshit than the beautiful game.

The focus during the World Cup is on America, not footie. That’s the issue.

Yet, I should stop bitching for a little. There was a time, only a decade ago, when soccer was still a sport for “pussies.” That stereotype certainly exists today, but to a far lesser extent. And in major urban areas, that stereotype is quickly being eradicated.

Those friends who were annoyingly texting me to go hang out at some bar to watch the US didn’t even know the US had a soccer team in the World Cup in 2006.

Perhaps despite all my bitching, there are positives to be found. Take, for example, NYCFC.

When NYCFC was first launched, it was on the coattails of the most recent World Cup. When asked, a large amount of supporters said that they hadn’t been footie fans before, but the WC piqued their interest and they decided to give their new, cool, local footie team a shot.

That, ladies and gentlemen, is progress.

Maybe one day we’ll graduate from “I believe that we will win” to winning.

Footie in the States, Part 1: Soccer As Counterculture

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“Footie in the States” is a series of articles which take an in-depth look at soccer’s past and future popularity. 

Last summer I got off at Bedford Ave on the L line to get to Smorgasburg, a food market which is basically the best thing ever. I was sporting a favorite jersey of mine, the 2014 Real Madrid home kit with Sergio Ramos on the back.

As I walked along, some guy in trendy clothing and some hip hat commented on my jersey as he walked by. He proceeded to tell me that he didn’t know who Ramos was and asked “why I didn’t get Ronaldo” on the back. Thanks, fancy hat guy.

I was surprised, though, that some random young dude recognized a Real Madrid kit. Granted, Madrid are literally one of the most famous and successful clubs in the history of footie, but I’ve worn that kit a bunch of times with no comment.

So I realized that somewhere along the way, soccer became “cool.” American football, basketball, and baseball were just too mainstream. This trend was mainly in large urban cities, such as NYC, Chicago, Boston etc.

European footie is relatively unknown. Wearing a footie kit is akin to wearing an obscure band t-shirt. In fact, footie as counterculture in the States centers more around fashion than it does the sport itself. Countless occasions I’ve run into someone donning a Liverpool or Arsenal kit who can’t name a single player on the team, nor have they ever watched a game.

Furthermore, footie is representative of youth. Most people who partake in footie as counterculture are aged 25-35. They view the more established sports as part of the old, and soccer is the new. It’s a form of rebellion, which is inherently tied to youth.

Most of these people aren’t fans of the sport itself, rather they are fans of the idea of the sport. They want to be nonconformists and feel that the other sports available are too commercialized or generally popular. Footie seems a viable option.

Thus, what has been a way of life for so long in Europe becomes a trend in the United States.

It’s hard wanting soccer to catch on in the US. After being so desperate for people to recognize the sport as legitimate, it seems counterintuitive to dismiss any newcomer to the sport, no matter how silly their reason for becoming a fan is. And trust us, we’ve seen some morally deplorable reasons for fandom.

Some guys just want to be part of the cool sport in an effort to be different. A staggering amount just want to buy all the merchandise and show everyone in the world just how big a fan they are. Some believe footie is the “next big thing” and want to jump on the bandwagon. Some guys just want to start blogs that no one reads.

The value of footie as counterculture is unclear. On one hand any new fan is encouraging, but how beneficial is a fan that doesn’t really care about the sport itself?