Tag: Yankee Stadium

The Day After (Philadelphia)

What a weird weird game.

Javier Calle, a left winger, started at left back. The young Ghanaian powerhouse known as Poku replaced David Villa (slight hamstring injury) at half time, along with Watson-Siribioe replacing Hernandez (calf).

It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Times

I sincerely believe that periods of our play last night were the best these boys have ever played. I also believe that our lethargic final 20 minutes was some of the worst defending we’ve had, which is saying a lot.

The start of the second half was chock full of incisive passing, encouraging interchanges, shots on goal (gasp!) and overall quality. We looked like a real footie team, if only for a while. All of this without Villa. So what happened?

Kwadwo Poku

It is difficult to pinpoint the exact reason why Poku was so influential, seeing as there are so many.

It all comes down to his vision and marauding runs through the midfield. We’ve written before about how Jacobson and Mix are fairly inept at the main attacking focus of center midfielders: transitioning the ball from defense to attack. Far too often this season Jacobson and Mix lack the ability the move the ball forward, beat a player or two, and pick out a player in attacking position.

This is what Poku does. He picks the ball up and immediately picks up his head and looks to push forward. It was exciting watching his close ball control, his strength and speed to seemingly fly past opponents, and his tactical nous to pick out the right player once he’s in the attacking third. Fucking brilliant.

Yet, he waned as the half progressed. Which is worrying, seeing as he came on at half time. The rest of the team seemed to follow that trend.

What Happened

It seems that we went from playing the best football of our nascent season to playing some of the worst in a blink of an eye.

Suddenly it was the 70th minute and Poku couldn’t get his passes right, the team was making dumb fouls, and our game dropped significantly.

Was it fitness? That’s a possibility, as people did look visibly gassed. But that seems odd as guys like Poku and Watson-Siriboe had only just come on.

Was it the pressure? Maybe after such encouraging play they started making a few mistakes and they freaked out? That could be a factor, but we’d hope the team is mentally tougher than that.

Maybe it was just the loss of a commanding presence in the back, in the form of Jason Hernandez. Jason looked distraught to be injured at half, you could tell he wanted to help his team win. Perhaps with him in that back four the defensive collapse near the end of the game could have been avoided.

Regardless, we switched off for those last 20 mins (at home, mind you) and that needs to be fixed. We need to keep our concentration for the entirety of games, not 20 minute increments.

Shelton in the Raw

Khiry Shelton got his much anticipated first start for NYCFC last night. How was he?

He was alright. He was good. He has real pace which will always change the dynamic of any team. But he was a little sloppy in his touch, and a little poor with decision making.

While I fault the 31 year-old Ned Grabavoy for his poor decision making, I’m inclined to cut Shelton a lot of slack. Remember, Shelton was playing college footie only a few months ago. Now he’s getting called up by the Olympic team, starting for an MLS club, and rooming with Mix Diskerud. He’s really moving up in the world.

He’s got an extreme amount of raw talent at the moment, but he needs consistent playing time to properly develop. Often last night he’d have the ball out on the wing and be too indecisive or tentative to really take on the full back 1v1. That lack of confidence is to be expected from your first start, but we could see the potential there. Just take him on Khiry, you can do it.

Also his decision making in passes needs some work. I remember one time he did brilliantly to break out of the back on a counter from a corner kick. He ran the entirety of the field and had Ballouchy wide open to his right and Calle with two defenders on him to his left. For whatever reason he chose Calle. That was the wrong decision.

Yet, that’s not something you learn in training, you can only learn that from competeitve play. Maybe a year from now Shelton would have passed to Ballouchy and it would’ve been two nil.

Even with the poor decisions he made he was still a hugely important player for us last night, which is a testament to his potential as a player. Keep starting him and we will reap the rewards.

On To The Next One

I haven’t been so excited by any part of our game this season than the first 20 minutes of that second half. I’m impressed that we have it in us and we managed to show it on the field.

However, we gave up a stupid goal at the end. And we’ve only got three days until our next game. And we play Portland, a much better team. And realistically Kreis won’t start Poku, who was even lauded by the stream of consciousness tweets that are continuously posted on the screen at the stadium.

Encouraging from NYCFC. Could be better, but you have to start somewhere. Let’s hope we can make that last for more than 20 minutes.

On to the next one…

The Day After (Kansas City)

Yesterday NYCFC lost their first match in their nascent history, falling 1-0 to Sporting KC and Ike Opara’s rising header.

Finally, We Lost

As I was ruminating over this loss last night I came to the odd realization that I was slightly happy.

Granted, no one wants to lose, especially at home, but it’s really about time we lost a game.

Against New England we were more than lucky that they didn’t hit back with a few goals after Villa’s opener. Against Colorado we were awful and were very lucky to leave with a point. We haven’t been playing particularly well, but we’ve been undefeated so it didn’t really matter.

Now that we’ve lost, we can begin some much needed introspection about our play, and realize the changes we desperately need to make. With 14 days until our next match, NYC are in a perfect position to come out blazing for our next game. With all our internationals back, and Facey, Villa, and hopefully Velasquez back, the next two weeks should be used wisely.

The Changes We Desperately Need To Make

NYCFC need to stop making the same mistakes over and over and over.

With Patrick Mullins as lone striker, we repeatedly mistook him for Adam Nemec and kept booting the ball up to him, only for him to be double marked by the center backs and lose the header every time.

An obvious newcomer to soccer at Yankee stadium said it the best: “They keep trying to pass it to him, and it never works! I don’t understand.”

Neither do we, random guy. Neither do we. You’d think they’d stop doing that after the fifth or sixth time it didn’t work, but the problem was they didn’t really have any alternative.

We still struggle tremendously in transitioning the ball out from our defense into the midfield. Mix and Jacobson always check to the ball but almost always pass it right back to the defender, rather than turn and pick their head up. All we’ve really got in our attacking repertoire at present is the “kick and pray” method.

1-800-Left-Midfield

Jason Kreis has repeatedly stated his adoration of Ned Grabavoy. Grabavoy won the MLS Cup with RSL and Kreis says he’s one of the most under appreciated players in the MLS. So, we’ve given him the benefit of the doubt. And yes, he assisted David Villa in the home opener. But we’re really not convinced.

Firstly, it’s his positioning.

Credit: WhoScored.com

Credit: WhoScored.com

If he’s playing left midfield, he’s doing a horrible job. In the heatmap above, not only do you see how clustered our midfield is, you can see how Grabavoy (#11) spends most of his time playing as a central midfielder. Countless occasions last night players turned to their left side, hoping to see a player getting wide, and found that Ned Grabavoy was somewhere in the middle of the pitch.

Add onto this his completely unmarked headed miss in front of goal, and Ned didn’t have a great game.

We’re not suggesting he be immediately dropped. But if he’s playing as a left midfielder, Kreis should really tell him to act accordingly. Furthermore, Ned seems untouchable. He’s played 90 minutes of every match this season. When we’re desperate for a goal, as we were last night, it’s worth pulling him off for a more attack-minded individual.

Kwame & Kwadwo

The biggest positive of this match were the emergences of Kwame Watson-Siriboe and Kwadwo Poku.

Watson-Siriboe was handed his first start of the season as Kreis was forced to shuffle his back line due to the absence of both available right backs. If this was an “opportunity” for anyone to impress, it was him. And he impressed.

Siriboe was dominant in all respects and aside from one lapse in judgment, him and Hernandez were utterly dominant in the air. It’s a testament to these center backs that Dom Dwyer was anonymous for the entirety of the match. Siriboe was tenacious and domineering in his first game for NYC. His impressive chemistry with Hernandez coupled with his brilliant individual display should earn him a starting spot. He was better than Wingert at center back. The defense was better. He should start, it’s really that simple.

With so many midfielders injured or on international duty, Kwadwo Poku was given an unlikely cameo off the bench. All we have to say is: Wow.

Earlier we mentioned Mix and Jacobson’s inability to turn with the ball and carry it with pace. Ladies and gentleman, we give you Kwadwo Poku.

It was exhilarating to see Poku pick up the ball in the heart of the midfield, turn quickly, beat a player or two with some deft touches, and play an attacking through ball. Poku was the catalyst that NYCFC badly needed. Every time he was marauding up the field with the ball, NYC looked like they might score. Truly an inspired performance from the young Ghanaian. He’s said before that he models himself after the Manchester City powerhouse Yaya Toure. After yesterday you can see the potential is there.

We’re yet to see Jason Kreis take too many risks in player selection. Kwame and Kwadwo were shining beacons of hope in an otherwise desolate game from New York City. Will Kreis take notice? We hope so.

On To The Next One

14 days to prepare for the next match away to Philadelphia Union is exactly what NYC need at the moment.

With Shelton and Nemec returning from international play, Facey returning from suspension, Villa, Williams, and perhaps Velasquez back from injury, Kreis will have close to a full squad to work with. After what we hope was an eye-opening loss, NYC have ample time to address some of their issues and bounce back.

They say you learn more from failure than success. Let’s hope that’s true for Kreis & Co.

On to the next one.

NYCFC vs Sporting KC: Preview

On Saturday March 28th NYCFC will suit up for their second home game of the season, taking on Sporting Kansas City.

Form

Sporting KC are quite the anomaly as of late. Footie fans will recognize star players such as Graham Zusi, Matt Besler, Dom Dwyer (just to name a few) and wonder how this team has yet to win a game this season.

It’s not for a lack of trying, though. Sporting KC actually lead the MLS in most shots taken with 45. Kansas City will be hoping to hand NYCFC their first loss of the season, and with the amount of shots and chances being created you figure eventually their finishing will improve.

New York City are top of the Eastern Conference with a win and two draws, but they are flattering to deceive. In two of their three games their opponents have been shown red cards. They have faced 47 shots in total and have come out of these games very lucky to have Josh Saunders playing outrageously well and only one goal allowed.

There were some bright spots, though. If David Villa can shake off his inability to play footie away from Yankee Stadium, the NYC faithful could be in for another man of the match performance (or the cute/annoying Americanism: “Player of the game”).

Jason Kreis has said before this season that he believes this team has the most depth that he’s worked with. That’s quite a claim, considering the meat of this team consists of MLS’s sloppy seconds, a second tier Bundesliga player, and fresh-outta-college rookies. At his most recent press conference Kreis spoke of this game as an “opportunity” for some fringe players who haven’t gotten a chance. Let’s see how they do.

Lineups

Sporting KC (4-2-3-1): Marin (GK), Sinovic (LB), Besler (CB), Opara (CB), Dia (RB), Feilhaber (CM), Nagamura (CM), Nemeth (LM), Anor (CAM), Zusi (RM), Dwyer (ST)

-Kansas City will consider themselves very lucky to have retained the services of Besler and Zusi, as both were omitted from the USMNT squad.

-Espinoza, however, will be absent (Honduras). This will be difficult for Sporting, who have come to rely on his ability to control games in these first few weeks.

-Dom Dwyer has been surprisingly wasteful in front of goal this season, missing easy opportunities. He may have a point to prove and will come out as determined as ever.

NYC (4-2-2): Saunders (GK), Brandt (LB), Wingert (CB), Hernandez (CB), Brovsky (RB), Grabavoy (LM), Diskerud (CM), Jacobson (CM), Calle/Ballouchy/McNamara (RM), Villa (ST), Taylor/Mullins (ST)

-The back line is hard to predict, as both available right backs (Facey suspended, Williams injured) are out. It’s likely Kreis would want to keep his center back pairing the same and switch up the full backs. Yet, it’s possible Wingert goes out to full back (the position he played all of last year) and Watson-Siriboe partners Hernandez.

-With Velasquez injured and Shelton on international duty, right midfield is up for grabs. Ballouchy started the first game of the season there but was largely ineffective. Kreis could bring in Thomas McNamara or keep it Colombian with Calle and his rocket of a left foot.

-Kreis mentioned this week that he wants whichever striker he plays to bring the strength and hold up play that Nemec (gone for Slovakia qualifying) usually provides. Only problem is that no one can do that. Tony Taylor’s biggest asset is his pace and Mullins is more akin to Villa than Nemec. It will be interesting to see what Kreis conjures up.

Final Thoughts

MLS is one of a few handful of leagues in the world that will play competitive footie this weekend. With injuries and key players (Nemec, Shelton, Velasquez, Williams) absent, this will be a test for Kreis and his much heralded “depth.”

Sporting KC will look to jump-start their season and will want to be the first team to beat NYC at the historic Yankee Stadium.

Will the fringe players impress? Will Kreis change his tactics without Adam “I win every single header” Nemec? Will Sporting tick without Espinoza? Can Dom Dwyer score a goal?

We’ll have to wait and see. Either way, this game is one to watch.

How to Watch

Talking about watching, if you live in the Tri-State area you can catch this game on YES (assuming you don’t have DISH).

You can also watch it online, on your tablet, or whatever small screen you have by using the FOX Sports GO app or going to www.foxsports.com/foxsportsgo (if you’ve got Cablevision or TWC).

Kick off at 7pm ET. Let’s see what happens.

A Concerned Cityzen

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

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

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

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

Getting to the Game on Time

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

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

Food for Thought

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

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

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

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

Put on Your Big Boy Pants

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

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

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

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

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.”

NYCFC vs New England Revolution: Preview

The day has arrived.

Almost two years ago, on May 21st of 2013, NYCFC was announced to the public as MLS’ newest franchise. At that point in time, every person had their own speculations of what this team would become, and finally on Sunday at 5pm (ESPN 2/WatchESPN) NYCFC will play their first ever home game at the historic, albeit problematic, Yankee Stadium.

Form

New England recently lost their season opener by being completely outplayed by the Seattle Sounders, with the explosive tandem of Dempsey and Obafemi Martins inflicting a 3 nil defeat upon the Revolution. The Revolution, after acquiring Jermaine Jones in the summer, stormed their way to the MLS Cup final only to be defeated by the LA Galaxy. Two key players for that run were Lee Nguyen and Jermaine Jones, Nguyen only recently returning from injury while Jones remains sidelined for another month after undergoing hernia surgery. New England will hope to rebound from their poor display in Seattle, but without their two best players fully fit that feat may become very difficult.

NYCFC managed to win a hard-earned point down in Orlando last weekend, but didn’t play particularly well. This is to be expected from a team that has never played a competitive match in their history. They will come into this game with home advantage, but the chemistry and understanding the players have between each other is far weaker than that of New England. That is not to say NYC can’t or won’t win, though. David Villa will need to put on a more convincing performance than he did against Orlando, but NYCFC’s best hope comes in the form of Norwegian-American Mix Diskerud, who’s glorious curling effort was nominated for goal of the week.  NYCFC will hope that these two players can light up Yankee Stadium and give their first home crowd a night to remember.

Predicted Lineups

New England (4-2-3-1): Shuttleworth (GK), Alston (RB), Gonçalves (CB), Farrel (CB), Tierney (LB), Dorman (CM), Caldwell (CM), Nguyen (CAM), Fagundez (LM), Rowe (RM), Agudelo (ST)

-Starting winger Teal Bunbury came off injured last week with what appeared to be a fairly serious shoulder injury.

-Nguyen was back in training this week and could start, or perhaps come off the bench.

-Striker Charlie Davies could be given a start after a mediocre return to MLS from Agudelo, but head coach Jay Heaps could give Agudelo another chance to get acclimated with his teammates and hopefully get back into form.

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

-It’s likely Kreis will keep his back line the same as he hopes to build chemistry between his defenders, despite players such as Watson-Siriboe and Mendoza vying for a starting berth.

-We’ve selected Khiry Shelton to start over Ballouchy at right midfield. It’s possible Kreis will partner Shelton with Villa up top and drop Nemec, or not start Shelton at all. Ballouchy was largely anonymous against Orlando and Shelton brought an infectious energy which seemed to spurn the team on towards Mix’s opener. If Kreis decides to keep Shelton out of the starting XI, expect the 21 year-old striker to be the first man off the bench.

Final Thoughts

Both these teams will be desperate for a win in their second MLS game of the season. It will be fascinating to see how NYC competes against a fully established MLS franchise, rather than playing against another expansion club. Tune in this Sunday at 5pm to find out.