Tag: NYCFC

All NYCFC

The Day After (DC United)

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.

NYCFC vs DC United: Preview

Tonight we play the best team in the Eastern Conference. After a poor loss to Red Bulls and United’s top form, this game looks to be very difficult for our sky blue team.

Form

NYCFC are as eclectic as ever. After coming out swinging in the first 10 minutes of the Hudson River Derby, we sank into our normal mediocrity for the rest of the match. After Wright-Phillips hit that first goal, we all knew the game was ostensibly over, unless we had a miraculous change of form. Which we didn’t. Point being, NYCFC are playing ok, and expect nothing more and nothing less tonight.

DC are in great form, currently sitting atop the table having a laugh. For all the money spent on superstars and foreign talent below them, DC have put together a team of MLS veterans who all work hard for each other and have been playing quite well. It’s not the sexiest football ever, but when everyone does their job, it’s a well-oiled machine.

Lineups

DC (4-4-2): Hamid (GK), Kemp (LB), Boswell (CB), Birnbaum (CB), Korb (RB), Rolfe (LM), Arnaud (CM), Kitchen (CM), DeLeon (RM), Arrieta (ST), Saborio (ST)

-Fabian Espindola is out with a sprained knee, while Michael Farfan is a doubt with a hamstring injury.

NYCFC (4-5-1): Saunders (GK), Angelino (LB), Mena (CB), Facey (CB), Iraola (RB), Jacobson (CM), Pirlo (CM), McNamara (LM), Poku (CAM), Mix (RM), Villa (ST)

-Lampard picked up a quad injury in training Wednesday and is a doubt for tonight’s game. He could rebound quickly enough to start, but will most likely feature on the bench. Poku should slot in nicely.

-Chris Wingert is still out with a hamstring injury.

-The good news? Ned Grabavoy still has the NYCFC “classic”, aka a right adductor injury. The bad news? Khiry Shelton somehow STILL is injured with a left quad problem. Will he ever make the bench? Who knows. Oh dear.

Final Thoughts

Hey, we could pull off an upset. Right? RIGHT?

Oy vey. At least we get to see what’s supposed to be the best team in the conference. That should be nice.

The Day After (Red Bulls)

Well, there goes our season. With all three of our DP’s starting for the first time ever, Lampard started brightly, but ultimately failed miserably, Pirlo looked at a loss, and our team succumbed to another loss to our neighbors.

Season Of Discontent 

We’ve mentioned this before, but this is our inaugural season. Add onto that the fact that we constructed a practically new lineup in June, and it makes sense that we’ve had some trouble this season. After that 11 game winless streak, the additions of superstars was supposed to kickstart our season, and in certain ways it has, but we looked really out of sorts against Red Bulls.

Despite a bright start, we failed to take our limited amount of chances and lost to a team that’s just plain better than us. Maybe not in individual quality, but certainly in team play. We’re just not there yet. It’s the sad, sad truth.

Where’s The Pace?

Villa, Pirlo, Lampard, Mix, McNamara. Those are all our players who are meant to score goals, or be directly involved in doing so. The fact is, most of those guys are slow, and not one possesses any real pace. ‘Balance’ is a term that is thrown around in European football for good reason. You can’t have a team of only pacy tricksters or only playmakers. Our attack not only lacks pace, it’s depressingly void of it. Our counterattacks are simply too slow, but it’s not their fault. Who is Pirlo supposed to aim for? He kept overhitting passes to Villa, but maybe it wasn’t entirely either of their faults. Villa simply doesn’t have the pace to catch those long balls, but Pirlo has literally no other options. Pirlo is used to playing on teams that know how to posses the ball, on teams where you’ve got 20-something-year-olds future Balon D’or winners sprinting to get on the ends of your passes, rather than 33-year-olds and whatever Tommy McNamara is.

It’s at times like these where we miss the presence of a player like Khiry Shelton, or even Poku in a more advanced role. Yet, this entire season we’ve hypothesized over who should be starting and who Kreis is leaving out, but we’re nearing the end of this season and the plain fact that it really wouldn’t change that much. The team we fielded was pretty good, and we need more time, and hopefully a different manager, to take us into the new season. But, in that new season, someone who can actually run would be a welcome addition.

We have a long end to this season ahead of us, but we’ve gotta stick by them, and who knows, something might click. The positive from having our playoff chances diminished every game is there is more liberty to experiment. Often times when teams have nothing on the line, no threat of relegation but no chance of anything else, they let their young players get a run out, experiment with different lineups, and plan for the next season. It would be well advised for us to partake in some of those activities. With Kreis, we never really know, but maybe with nothing on the line he’ll loosen his tie, grow some nuts, and give us some reason to trust him.

On To The Next One

We play DC United on Thursday. Did we mention DC are top of the league and in stellar form? Yeah, that’ll be fun.

(on to the next one)

NYCFC vs Red Bulls: Preview

The season is nearly ending. Well, the regular season, that is. And if NYC don’t get their shit together then these 12 games will be the only ones left.

Frankly, it’s probably better we don’t make the playoffs. This team isn’t quite ready to compete for a title, and throwing us in the playoffs could just be depressing. Better off we have the break, flesh out who the hell is playing for this team, and figure it out.

But we also have three DP’s who aren’t getting any younger. Oh well.

Give It The Best You’ve Got

At this point, we’ve lost to the Red Bulls twice this season, quite comprehensively (in terms of quality of play) on both occasions. This derby could start becoming like Manchester United vs Man City, in the days when City were fielding such legends as Jo and Roque Santa Cruz, before the money came in. Which is ironic because they own us. Shouldn’t all this money we’ve invested have us doing better? Ah, the perils of an expansion club. As QPR know all too well, you can’t just blindly throw money at footie and expect results. But then again, QRP never had Pirlo.

Point being, let’s give ’em a run for their money. Sure, we desperately need the win, the three points, and some semblance of local dignity, but most of all we just want to play the best football we can against a side that is doing pretty well right now.

Lineups

NYRD (4-2-3-1): Robles (GK), Lawrence (LB), Miazga (CB), Perrinelle (CB), Lade (RB), Martins (CM), Dax (CM), Grella (LM), Kljestan (CAM), Sam (RM), B. Wright-Phillips (ST)

-Bradley’s brother, Shaun, could start wide, but manager Jesse Marsh has made it fairly clear that the players in this lineup have earned their place and Shaun will have to do the same.

-New DP signing Gonzalo Veron is not expected to start, but will likely come off the bench. The 25-year-old Argentine winger is an interesting prospect, with certain talent and creativity, yet his sub-par goalscoring record and injury concerns throughout the years means it will take time to convince the Red Bulls faithful that he’s worth a coveted DP slot.

-Defender Ronald Zubar is out with a quad injury.

NYCFC (4-2-3-1): Saunders (GK), Iraola (RB), Mena (CB), Facey (CB), Angelino (LB), Pirlo (CM), Jacobson (CM), McNamara (LM), Lampard (CAM), Mix (RM), Villa (ST)

-While Lampard surely doesn’t deserve a starting berth over Poku from last weekend’s performance, it’s Lampard and he’s gotta play. It’s possible we’ll see Lampard come on in a holding role as he did as a sub, thus allowing Poku to play. The issue arises, then, who’s the defensive cover in the midfield?

-Wingert’s got a hamstring problem so he won’t play. Khiry Shelton somehow is STILL injured, with a left quad problem. MAYBE he makes the bench, but don’t count on it. Oh, how we do miss him.

Final Thoughts

As mentioned eariler, this is a big game for NYC for all the obvious reasons. It’s the last Hudson River Derby of the year, so let’s hope NYC can give us something to cheer for.

PS If Ned Grabavoy plays at any point, I quit.

The Day After (Montreal)

Oh dear.

The First Half

After much anticipation for this match, the first 45 minutes was some of the worst we’ve seen. Where to even begin?

Kreis started an interesting team, to say the least, but we’ll get to that later. Our first half reminded me of some long lost memory in the freezing cold of March where our players couldn’t pass to each other and mediocre opponents waltzed past our defenders with stunning ease. Unfortunately, I was not dreaming as I saw our back line humiliated on several occasions in the first half.

Look, Mena and Hernandez tried pretty hard, which is nice. And Mena even managed to stick a foot in and steal the ball from the attackers, which was a welcome surprise. But none of that can make up for such poor defending aerially. I mean, honestly, it was impressive how easy it was for Montreal. All they had to do was kick the ball in the air towards our center backs and their strikers would easily be open, control the ball, and beat our guys for pace. It looked like high school. And it happened over and over again. It even lead to two first half goals. How can we be so helpless?

But it wasn’t just the back line. After finally being able to bang in goals (5-3 Orlando, 4-4 Toronto) our offense this game was abysmal. Pirlo and Jacobson were actually quite nice as a duo again, but there’s only so much the holding mids can do.

Calle offered little to nothing, McNamara worked hard and passed back, and Grabavoy was moving into useless positions right in front of the center mids, all of which gives Pirlo very limited options. Granted, Pirlo had an off day, hitting poor corner kicks and sending wayward passes, but he didn’t have much to work with. Often his long balls should have worked but Calle, Grabavoy, and McNamara didn’t really know they had to be there. The first half was typified by shitty passing, almost no shots on goal for us, and schoolboy defending.

The Second Half

I guess the second half was better. Poku and Mix came on and did what they could. Poku was good every time he was on the ball, making smart passes and taking people on, but he just didn’t have much opportunity to do so.

Mix was a similar story. He got into good positions on the right flank and looked dangerous but we need more from him. Most of the time he’d get the ball on the wing and just pass it back, not much forward-thinking play. Maybe if Kreis had started him he could have done more.

Oh, Lampard came on. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt, since he hasn’t played a competitive match for a bit, but he looked worryingly out of sorts. He had a really poor touch, and didn’t seem quite comfortable on the pitch, which is weird for someone of his caliber. He wasn’t great, yet it’s only his first few minutes, we’ll wait until his next match. Let’s just hope it’s better than that.

We’re Not In Salt Lake Anymore

Firstly, Kreis has nearly lost any respect I have for him. Okay, MAYBE Shay Facey had a slight injury (although no reports indicate anything of the sort) so whatever, he’s on the bench. BUT Poku gets 3 assists and Mix scores on his return (at right mid, mind you) and they’re both benched? For NED GRABAVOY and Calle? Have you lost your damn mind sir? The craziest thing is, Kreis seems to understand his error, bringing on both Mix and Poku for Calle and Grabavoy once they were losing in the second half. It’s as if Kreis is 50 percent smart manager and 50 percent MLS-bred twat: half of his mind knows that Poku and Mix should be playing in those positions, but the other half, and thus far the dominant half, have decided that Ned Grabavoy deserves to play soccer. I can remember back to the beginning of the season when Kreis was talking about Grabavoy and saying how fans may not realize his worth, but managers do. His work rate, what he does off the ball, what he brings to the team. It’s only clear to me now, all these months later, that Jason Kreis loves Ned Grabavoy because of the context in which Kreis knew him before NYC.

Before NYC, Kreis was a player-turned-manager for newly fledged side RSL. With some good ol-fashioned American hard work and determination, Kreis built a team of overall decent enough players, that together, as a unit, were able to win. They were built on passing not because Kreis is a disciple of tiki-taka, but rather because you didn’t have DP’s running into defenders. Kreis’ team was built on passing because none of the players were selfish enough to keep it longer. Kreis lauds nice, cooperative personalities because that’s what won it for him in the past.

The issue is, we’re not in Salt Lake anymore. The question handed to Jason in this new stage of his managerial career was: can he handle a team with superstars? Can Jason Kreis, the sweetheart from Utah, handle putting together a team with Manchester City youth prodigies, Villa, Pirlo, Lampard, and a billionaire Sheikh breathing down his neck? The answer so far has been, no.

The fact is, I’ve been defending Kreis for a while. At least, amongst friends. The truth is, I believe in patience, in letting the manager figure things out. And I would be doing that with Kreis, but this game serves as the perfect example. The fact is, for all the patience and waiting for the team to gel, Kreis dropped Poku, a player who had been instrumental in orchestrating a win over Orlando, for Grabavoy, a hard working sub-par footballer who contributed little to nothing in this game and has continued to be picked by Kreis despite consistent anonymity on the field.

Kreis is a nice enough guy, but there’s nothing I’ve seen to serve as evidence that he’s the man we need at the helm. Tactical errors are still made in spades, our defense is pathetic, and half our players seem unsure of what they’re supposed to be doing.

I guess there’s always next season.

On To The Next One

We play the Red Bulls. Let’s hope we can give them a run for their money. Should be interesting, at least.

Whatever.

NYCFC vs Montreal Impact: Preview

On Saturday, August 1st the Montreal Impact will visit Yankee stadium for the second time this year, with kickoff around 2pm.

Form

Montreal are doing unusually well, with a two-game win streak, which is considered something special here in the MLS. They most recently beat the Seattle Sounders in Canada, winning one-nil with a late goal in the 88th minute to seal the win. Granted, Seattle didn’t have Dempsey or Martins and have been on a deeper spiral down than Dante’s inferno, but hey, a win is a win.

If there’s one thing we can say about NYCFC these past few weeks is that it hasn’t been dull. A 4-4 game at home draw versus Toronto. A 5-3 home victory against Orlando City. It’s amazing how many goals we’re scoring, but to be letting in this amount of goals should be making our defensive coaches (if we have any) blow their fucking brains out in the shower. I mean, really. The good news is, we have Pirlo. And if that last 30-something minutes is anything to go off of, we’re in good shape. Our attack has been firing quite well, with Villa enjoying a purple patch, Poku getting playing time and oodles of assists, and McNamara somehow doing good things. Not too bad.

Lineups

Montreal (4-2-3-1): Bush (GK), Gagnon-Lapare (LB), Ciman (CB), Lefevre (CB), Reo-Coker (RB), Bernier (CM), Donadel (CM), Mallace (LM), Piatti (CAM), Duka (RM), Oduro (ST)

-Undoubtedly the biggest question mark over this lineup is whether or not Drogba will feature. While still waiting on his work permit and not having trained with the squad, it’s near impossible that he’ll play.

NYCFC (4-2-3-1): Saunders (GK), Angelino (LB), Facey (CB), Hernandez (CB), Iraola (RB), Jacobson (CM), Pirlo (CM), McNamara (LM), Poku (CAM), Mix (RM), Villa (ST)

-Firstly, this is a pretty cool lineup. The fact that it’s possible that Kreis will play this team is all too exciting.

-Will Pirlo start? Kreis is uncertain. He has, though, been very impressed with Pirlo’s fitness and his training sessions. Pirlo even trained with the subs on Monday, which was impressive. It seems possible he’ll get the start.

-One of the biggest question marks with Lampard and Pirlo in the team is what to do with Mix. On several occasions he’s played for the US team on the right flank, a position where although he feels less comfortable in, he’s excelled. Trusting Kreis to make the correct decision and play him there for NYC is always a tough endeavor, but the fact that he occupied that position as a sub last week, and scored, should be very encouraging. With all three of those guys on the field in good positions, we could have a lot of fun.

-Wingert is out with a hamstring injury (yay!) so one of either Hernandez or Mena will start. While Mena probably has better technical skills, he looked shaky against Orlando, and Hernandez has experience playing with Shay in the center. It’s most likely Mena needs more time to adjust and Hernandez will get the start.

-Oh, by the way, Lampard should make his debut tomorrow. At this point I don’t even believe myself writing that, but it seems true. He’ll come off the bench, a la Pirlo, probably for Poku, which is his natural position. A big wonder is if there’s any way to ever have Poku and Lampard on at the same time. Most likely that’d mean Poku playing out of position, but while the young Ghanaian deserves better for all the work he’s done for this team, the reality is Lampard won’t be benched and Poku’s gotta fight to stay in. We shall see.

-I guess Khiry Shelton just isn’t an MLS player anymore. It seems he’s had a left adductor strain for months, if that’s even possible. I smell a conspiracy. PS in real news, right back Josh Williams has been picked up by Toronto FC, thus freeing up wage space on our team. Mmmm, juicy.

Final Thoughts

Villa has scored three goals in two games versus the Impact. We’ve already beaten them twice, home AND away. We’ve got a far better team than we did when we won those games. For once, and only once, I’m very confident going into this match. We’re just clearly the better team and we will win.

With us level with Montreal on 24 points, this game is crucial to any hopes either side have of making the playoffs. A win here would be crucial, and we’re set up for it. Let’s see if we can make it happen.

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 (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.

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.