Postmatch Toronto

[Midas Mulligan]

A few more minutes and a 0-0 result, many of you would have applauded Viera for a defensive masterclass.

A few points regardless...

There's no reason at all to start Lopez AND Bravo. Lopez is a sporadic substitute that sometimes helps close a game out. He's not a starter. I'm fine with Bravo in there...but you have a legit starter in T-Mac on the bench and if Lampard is well enough to sub, you could have started him also instead of Lopez. That boggles my mind.

Both goals were bullshit goals and a clearance away for not happening. We parked the bus from the get go with no-skill
midfielders that can't handle a press. Pirlo was missed. We could hardly go beyond midfield for the majority of the game. Again. If Pirlo is not there...start Lampard or TMac.

Everyone wants to sign this guy, or sign that guy now. That wasn't the problem. The problem was our coach playing not to lose instead of playing to win. Toronto bullied us and pushed us around. They wanted it more. We were playing scared at the end. That's not ok. Patrick tried to be cute and it backfired.

Every time we have a long wait between games, it seems like we suck the first one back..but if memory serves me right, the following game we go off. It'll be hard, but it's doable.

Not being sarcastic at all: I like the part where you call us out on how we would have been fine with the tactics if they held out just a few minutes longer, and then go and do what most of us have in calling out the fact that there is no way our team can defend for 90 and not give up a goal.

It's really impossible not to feel that way. I mean, how much worse could it have been? I'd venture we wouldn't have lost by more than 2 if we went balls out attacking.

The no away goals with a 2 goal deficit is almost Katie bar the door. I have little hope of us getting it done. The best thing we can do is go balls out and try to score a handful and hope they hit post 18 times.

 

[NYCFCfan]

Evidence of this, NYCFC.com hasn't posted the post game interviews (players and #AskNYCFC with Vieira) or the post game press conference. Typically it's been gone 2-3 hours after a game. Nothing tonight.

But maybe that's just Mark Booth's decision to get more views in the morning.

I saw them recording the Ask Vieira segment, it'll probably be up today.

 

[Sabo]

That game was NYCFC 2015 not NYCFC 2016. PV coached like he was afraid we were going to get blown out of the playoffs in the first half. Poor tactics. We would be better off losing 4-2 than 2-0. We are in a deep hole with 90 minutes left.

Sunday should be entertaining. PV has shown a willingness all season to throw attackers on the field when we need to score. We need to have the extra attackers on the field for the entire 90 minutes unless we are protecting a lead at the end. Toronto is going to want to sit back, absorb pressure and just try to release Giovinco 1 v 1 in the open field. I am expecting at least 5 goals on Sunday -- hopefully at least 4 of them will be ours. We did lead the MLS in goals this season. If any team can dig themselves out of this hole this year, its NYCFC.

 

[NYCFC_Dan]

https://twitter.com/x/status/792898348978204673

When everyone sucks so the goalie gets it by default.

 

[Midas Mulligan]

https://twitter.com/x/status/792898348978204673

When everyone sucks so the goalie gets it by default.

I did think he was solid to good. Saunders would have given one up much earlier. In retrospect, maybe that would have been a plus for us.

 

[PD]

We go back home with Toronto knowing all they have to do is defend and they have it won. If we came out with a draw or win that lineup is genius and we rested guys. Now it's like... Why didn't we even try when away goals are crucial. We literally had 0 offense until we made subs.
Just an overall shit match. I think easily one our worst played matches of the year. Question marks all over for PV. Gutless from him. To come out and give up from the start. Sickening. To whoever traveled I'm sorry you were subject to this shit show.

Hope for better next week.

It did help that we had a lot of away support! The sadness was shared amongst a lot of us

 

[NickA]

Not being sarcastic at all: I like the part where you call us out on how we would have been fine with the tactics if they held out just a few minutes longer, and then go and do what most of us have in calling out the fact that there is no way our team can defend for 90 and not give up a goal.

It's really impossible not to feel that way. I mean, how much worse could it have been? I'd venture we wouldn't have lost by more than 2 if we went balls out attacking.

The no away goals with a 2 goal deficit is almost Katie bar the door. I have little hope of us getting it done. The best thing we can do is go balls out and try to score a handful and hope they hit post 18 times.

It's a shitty result no matter how anyone spins it. I understand the tactic. As an Italia & Juve fan, I am used to the hunker down and wait for a mistake style of play. They capitalize on their strength of having a world class defense & stout midfield. The problem is our strengths are the complete opposite. Hindsight shows we should have played 'our' game and tried to out attack them. Not scoring anything screwed us big time. We should have played our best possible squad and not jerk around thinking about next week. He f'd up and made a rookie mistake. That's it in a nutshell. None of us liked the line up, but at 0-0 we accepted it in part.

I foresee us winning 3-1 and losing out with that away goal. That'll be a tough pill to swallow.

 

[sbrylski]

Sunday should be entertaining. PV has shown a willingness all season to throw attackers on the field when we need to score. We need to have the extra attackers on the field for the entire 90 minutes unless we are protecting a lead at the end. Toronto is going to want to sit back, absorb pressure and just try to release Giovinco 1 v 1 in the open field. I am expecting at least 5 goals on Sunday -- hopefully at least 4 of them will be ours. We did lead the MLS in goals this season. If any team can dig themselves out of this hole this year, its NYCFC.

This is what I needed to hear. Thanks.

 

[Sabo]

Lampard, meanwhile, said he’s not building himself back physically from a calf injury that sidelined him for almost the entire final month of the regular season. Instead, he said he's already ready.

“I’m fit,” Lampard said, “It’s the manager’s call. I’m fit to play 90 minutes.” http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2016/10/30/dramatic-lineup-changes-mark-nycfcs-first-playoffs-outing

I really hope PV just disagreed with Frank about his fitness level and didn't start Lopez over Lampard for tactical reasons. I suspect it was a bad tactical choice.

 

[canchon]

Sunday should be entertaining. PV has shown a willingness all season to throw attackers on the field when we need to score. We need to have the extra attackers on the field for the entire 90 minutes unless we are protecting a lead at the end. Toronto is going to want to sit back, absorb pressure and just try to release Giovinco 1 v 1 in the open field. I am expecting at least 5 goals on Sunday -- hopefully at least 4 of them will be ours. We did lead the MLS in goals this season. If any team can dig themselves out of this hole this year, its NYCFC.

This. NYCFC has shown the ability to go nuclear at the end of games when PV throws everybody forward. 3-3-4 or something crazy like that. It could be exciting. Problem is, if they give up even 1 goal the series is effectively over.

NYCFC is not good at dominating the attacking third and breaking teams down - they want to draw out the defense and then hit with speed. Toronto can just sit back and let them pass it around in their end of the field all day and wait for a turnover.

Toronto can play defensively and then take advantage of a high line to either get Altidore on a through ball or get Giovinco isolated in space and its lights out.

 

[canchon]

I really hope PV just disagreed with Frank about his fitness level and didn't start Lopez over Lampard for tactical reasons. I suspect it was a bad tactical choice.

PV wanted to play defensive and thought he could get away with playing Lopez to conserve Lamps - and then bring on Lamps and Shelton and grab a goal at the end. It worked - Lopez played 60, got a yellow card (which honestly who cares because no way he will play in the second leg). Lopez was subbed out 2 minutes after he got the yellow, hahaha.

 

[NYCFC_Dan]

Lampard, meanwhile, said he’s not building himself back physically from a calf injury that sidelined him for almost the entire final month of the regular season. Instead, he said he's already ready.

“I’m fit,” Lampard said, “It’s the manager’s call. I’m fit to play 90 minutes.” http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2016/10/30/dramatic-lineup-changes-mark-nycfcs-first-playoffs-outing

I really hope PV just disagreed with Frank about his fitness level and didn't start Lopez over Lampard for tactical reasons. I suspect it was a bad tactical choice.

Well that really sucks to hear.

 

[Ulrich]

This. NYCFC has shown the ability to go nuclear at the end of games when PV throws everybody forward. 3-3-4 or something crazy like that. It could be exciting. Problem is, if they give up even 1 goal the series is effectively over.

NYCFC is not good at dominating the attacking third and breaking teams down - they want to draw out the defense and then hit with speed. Toronto can just sit back and let them pass it around in their end of the field all day and wait for a turnover.

Toronto can play defensively and then take advantage of a high line to either get Altidore on a through ball or get Giovinco isolated in space and its lights out.

We should play the Pep 2-deep CB attack:

Harrison Villa Mendoza
Mata Pirlo Iraola Lampard Khiry
Chanot Brillant
Lurch

Mata Iraola and Khiry can track attackers, but let the CB's direct medium passes springing our forwards. No playing out of the back at all unless there's obvious time/space. Lurch clears it to midfield each time when pressured.

 

[Fantazma]

damn so much doom and gloom here. making it sound like we were eliminated last night. yes 2-0 is not a good result but not impossible to overturn.

i see why PV did what he did...no way in hell we could of contained Giovinco and Co. for two straight games by playing our usual game and being more open then this would of been over already. it could of been worse last night too without some of johanssen saves.

still i dont care what the hell stats say about team overturning 2-0 deficits in playoffs, those stats also said we never lost to toronto and see what happened yesterday.

team goes balls out and i hope everyone in attendance will be cheering the team on all throughout the game. we gotta support when the team is in a hole too.

 

[Tom in Fairfield CT]

Here is a map of all our successful passes last night (you dont want to see the unsuccessful ones) Look at the giant hole above midfield in the center of the pitch! That is exactly where a Central midfielder plays, and for some reason, Vieira thinks we can play without one.
Before I hear about how we wanted to play down the wings, our crossing sucks and we have no one to head in crosses.

You need some attack even if you plan to bunker. Montreal bunkered v NJ, but they have outlets in Oduro and Piatti. We don't have that, and if you are going to play out of the back to need to go GK, to defense to CDM, to CM to forwards. You can't just skip over one of those layers UNLESS you have Pirlo. Pirlo is an anomaly that has let us get away with these dumb tactics all year.

Villa got 30 touches last night. Best player in the league and you make a game plan that does not give him the ball.

God it pisses me off to beat ourselves with dumb ass tactics. The mix situation is a total organizational fail. You either play him or you replace him. Going into a playoff game with Mikey Lopez at CM is criminal.

 

[Albany_NYCFC]

Well... the only positive I can take is that my drive to the Stadium will be a hell of a lot shorter than my drive was to BMO!!!!
Seriously though, the result notwithstanding it was pretty cool being there for our first playoff game.

 

[JayH]

Not having Pirlo was a game-changer. It rendered any plan to transition with long wide balls to Harrison and Mendoza effectively useless. Instead, Mendoza and Harrison were forced to beat multiple defenders through traffic in the middle. The midfield became even more jammed as a result of freeing up Bradley to play free safety to double cover Harrison, Mendoza and Villa, because Bravo and Lopez did not require cover. We would have had to have gotten lucky to transition in a manner where the wings could either break free on long balls or use the width to then find Villa in the middle.

As a footnote, if the plan was to play kick ball from the back, as I mentioned on chat, I would have substituted Khiry in for Harrison at HT to give us our best chance to get a few chances deep down the right playing one-dimensional tactics. Khiry was a better fit to play that way for 45.

 

[FootyLovin]

Lineup - We gave up the first goal on a lousy botched clearance and lost our adrenaline (while they regained theirs). AHABS, if we don't give up that goal we probably end 0-0 and all hail PV.

Mendoza - He doesn't pass. He doesn't pass. He doesn't pass. It doesn't matter how many people he dribbles into, he just. Doesn't. Pass.

Lurch - Thought he put in a good shift. Can't fault him for either goal. Other than one obvious bad pass that only gave away a throw in and didn't offer up an immediate counter, he was composed on the ball.

Pirlo - Hell of a time to lose him. And extraordinarily clear how valuable he is.

YS - All of the doomsdayers, do you honestly mean to tell me that if we get the first goal next Sunday you won't start to believe?

 

[LionNYC]

YS - All of the doomsdayers, do you honestly mean to tell me that if we get the first goal next Sunday you won't start to believe?

Extremely cautious optimism

 

[Ulrich]

Lineup - We gave up the first goal on a lousy botched clearance and lost our adrenaline (while they regained theirs). AHABS, if we don't give up that goal we probably end 0-0 and all hail PV.

Mendoza - He doesn't pass. He doesn't pass. He doesn't pass. It doesn't matter how many people he dribbles into, he just. Doesn't. Pass.

Lurch - Thought he put in a good shift. Can't fault him for either goal. Other than one obvious bad pass that only gave away a throw in and didn't offer up an immediate counter, he was composed on the ball.

Pirlo - Hell of a time to lose him. And extraordinarily clear how valuable he is.

YS - All of the doomsdayers, do you honestly mean to tell me that if we get the first goal next Sunday you won't start to believe?

It's going to take getting the first two goals to start to believe. It's not doomsaying, it's that this team is jekyl/Hyde with their energy, focus, and commitment. They can go from one game clicking to the next not knowing how to connect a pass. They have to come out and prove they're in the right frame of mind. I hope to hell they have a good talk with Tony Robbins before kickoff because they can't step on the field without being universally focused - if they show the desire they had from the 2nd RB derby, then they'll have a real chance.