FTFYHere's to three early goals and no 80+ minute fingernail biting.
Home - 08/20 New England
- Thread starter NYCFC_Dan
- Start date
- Status
Following this team for three years now.
Results go our way during the week?
Opponent lower in the table?
Win puts us in great position?
Almost guaranteed bad loss.
Results go our way during the week?
Opponent lower in the table?
Win puts us in great position?
Almost guaranteed bad loss.
Why speak it into existence? This is our chance to buck the trend.
It could be completely true and it changes my opinion not at all. It's completely consistent with my darker view. We are stuck with a useless DP this year, which makes it 3 straight years without a full complement. I can't believe that we're still dealing with the fallout of the CFG/Frank/Man City betrayal, because I absolutely believe that Pirlo had the leverage for this year only because of that.
So what if PV and Pirlo were courteous and professional when discussing this situation. I would expect nothing less. That is supposed to make me content that we are working 3 straight years using at best 67% of one of an MLS roster's most useful assets? Let me know when we manage a season where all 3 DPs play at least 60% of league games. Then I'll begin to consider being sunshiney about how this club has managed its DP allotment. That's not a big ask. It doesn't even account for quality.
Big picture I'm happy. Team is in second place overall. But the DP situation is an ongoing dumpster fire that lit up in December 2014 and hasn't stopped burning yet, even though we have 1 consistent and absolutely brilliant figure among them.
Despite my DP rants, and despite this looking like a classic trap game, and despite our missing pieces, I expect a solid if unspectacular win today. Since the draw against New England on May 31, we have had 3 potential trap games: Philly at home, Minnesota at home, and LA away, and won all 3.
Definitely not disagreeing with you at all. Hey, I'm a Mets fan so I'm used to horrible club management and continual disappointment, ya know? So no, I don't disagree about the DP situation although I'm a lot more neutral about it than you seem to be (but that's fine). What I am disagreeing with is the "Pirlo's a shithead slacker" narrative that suddenly popped up on the forum from seemingly out of nowhere. It just seems more likely to me that Pirlo was told to enjoy the rest of the season and that he'll play a few times here and there and thanks for being a hugely popular part of our new club as it's helped us get started. I can't really see someone with his dedication to the sport and to his position in it being so shallow as to be callously living it up and not giving a crap. It just doesn't seem to be how he works. I've got no evidence either way on this, just sort of feels that way to me.
As Judge Learned Hand once wrote, you have to take the bitter with the sweet. If the odds work out that you get a transcendent player who might be the best in the history of the league, then maybe you have to accept that the odds can work the other way, and you end up with a guy who for a couple years is solid, but not spectacular, before his ability falls off a cliff in year 3.
ETA: Want to make clear that your analyses on this thread have generally been really good, and this is just an addendum I thought needed to be said.
The "glass half empty" tendency of this forum is never more clear than in this game thread.
Nothing is certain in soccer, but we should be confident heading into a home game against a team 13 places below us in the table.
Nothing is certain in soccer, but we should be confident heading into a home game against a team 13 places below us in the table.
OK we're a little on the cranky side today ! LoL !! Now how shocked will you be that I understand this Anger since I share and agree with it . ..........But My Question is the third year stuff ??? Since when was this ever an option or possible ?? To me and from I know and trust me you know Damn Well i keep up on the man . A third year or contract extension didn't make news . Where was I with this news scoop ?? From the very beginning it was understood he was only here to fill out his contract . You have me baffled by this . Please fill me in on this cause I'm like WTF ??? Thanks !!!
Over the past 3 years that a team with that descriptor fits the mold for an expected loss.
FIFY, as posts should really reflect the reality of the forum, ya know? You're welcome.
What I want tonight:
Attend my local shul's luau. Wear a gaudy Hawaiian shirt. Sip delicious mixed drinks. Eat my fill of a lamb cooked on a spit in a fire pit. Get home and find my mother was a great babysitter and my daughter is sound asleep. Turn on the DVR and watch a dominating win over NE. Then watch GOT and the white walkers are defeated and Jon and Danny finally kiss and fall in love. I go to bed with a big smile on my face and fully content.
What I expect:
Find myself sat at a table at the luau with people I have nothing in common with. The drinks to be way too sweet, and all I want is a neat scotch. A long line for that lamb and I barely even get a plate's worth. And what I do get, is from the toughest part of the lamb. I get home to see my mom couldn't get my kid to take a bath and she's running around the place laughing and overtired. When my mom leaves and I finally do get her to bed, after a long crying fit, I sit down on the couch to watch the match. But my DVR malfunctioned and even though I pay for MLS live, blackout rules mean I can't even watch for 24 hours. So I come on here to find out what happened and see 20 pages before midnight and know the result. I then have to read all your complaining about how we blew our opportunities, the ref screwed us, and we will be one and done in the playoffs. I watch game of thrones and Danny dies. I cry myself to sleep, wondering what I did to deserve such a night.
What will happen:
Probably something somewhere in the middle.
Attend my local shul's luau. Wear a gaudy Hawaiian shirt. Sip delicious mixed drinks. Eat my fill of a lamb cooked on a spit in a fire pit. Get home and find my mother was a great babysitter and my daughter is sound asleep. Turn on the DVR and watch a dominating win over NE. Then watch GOT and the white walkers are defeated and Jon and Danny finally kiss and fall in love. I go to bed with a big smile on my face and fully content.
What I expect:
Find myself sat at a table at the luau with people I have nothing in common with. The drinks to be way too sweet, and all I want is a neat scotch. A long line for that lamb and I barely even get a plate's worth. And what I do get, is from the toughest part of the lamb. I get home to see my mom couldn't get my kid to take a bath and she's running around the place laughing and overtired. When my mom leaves and I finally do get her to bed, after a long crying fit, I sit down on the couch to watch the match. But my DVR malfunctioned and even though I pay for MLS live, blackout rules mean I can't even watch for 24 hours. So I come on here to find out what happened and see 20 pages before midnight and know the result. I then have to read all your complaining about how we blew our opportunities, the ref screwed us, and we will be one and done in the playoffs. I watch game of thrones and Danny dies. I cry myself to sleep, wondering what I did to deserve such a night.
What will happen:
Probably something somewhere in the middle.
When the team signed Pirlo in summer of 2015, the negotiations dragged on for about 4 weeks after it was public knowledge that both sides were intent on making a deal. The reports were that the dispute was over an option year for 2017. Both sides agreed on money and on a contract covering the second half of 2015 and 2016. The sticking point was 2017. What was not reported was who wanted the option year. Most of the speculation was that the team wanted it while Pirlo did not. I maintained it was the opposite, because (1) aging players always want more guaranteed years in every sport, and (2) the team had no equal motivation to want to guarantee its right to have Pirlo in 2017. NYCFC was, on the other hand, desperate to get a DP in ASAP that summer because the team was terrible, and the fans were very unhappy because of that and because of the Lampard delay. NYC had no reason to delay signing Pirlo for 4 weeks just to guarantee an extra year on the contract. Our coach at the time did not want him at all. It was forced on him for business and marketing reasons. Not only had CFG let Lampard stay to the end of the 2014-15 Premier League season with Man City that ended in May, he was granted an extended vacation so he did not even play his first game with NYC until August 9 even though he was eligible to have his first game on July 12. Lampard then played only 10 of the next 25 games due to injury. He did not start playing regularly and effectively until June 2016, almost a full year later. I believe CFG and NYCFC knew he was damaged goods, and they could not afford that public relations nightmare when they already delayed his arrival to the detriment of the team. So they were desperate to get in another huge European star to try to make up for it. And Pirlo took advantage of that desperation by holding out for the guaranteed extra year in 2017 at his option. It was a smart move on his part to see the leverage he had and to take advantage of it. The fact that he is under contract for 2017 when the team obviously does not want to play him, IMO, vindicates my judgment in 2015: Pirlo, not NYCFC, wanted the option for 2017. He got it, and for the third year in a row we have a messed up DP roster as a result.
I'm hungover and only 35% confident I know what you're getting at here.
I think we're miles apart on what I meant by "psychological violence". I don't think that disagreeing calmly with others quite makes the grade.
In any case, I think I've made a number of concessions on my stances with regard to Pirlo, among other things. Always happy to have people poke holes in my inane bullshit.
Pre-Lampard's arrival at NYCFC was a complete fuck up. And let's consider 2015 a complete fuck up too. I mean Jason Kreis and all. So look at 2016, he spend most of the year recovering from injury sustained while playing for Man City. But when he came back he was in beast mode and led MLS in G+A/90 minutes. It was great to watch. If he were here from 2015, maybe we could have had more of that. Pirlo was signed out of a rash decision. I don't think either of them will go down as the worst DPs in MLS. At least Lampard had the results when he was on the field. At least Pirlo stayed our for his contract.
Just something to think about now. We signed Maxi on a 3 year deal in January when we knew we had 1 DP spot and Pirlo (who wouldn't play). Now we'll have Villa and Maxi and an open DP spot. Do we again sign someone in January. Or wait until the summer when more talent will be available?
Last edited:
The key today is containing NE's counterattack. When they get into space and the D is on their heels, NE is pretty lethal. If Mikey is in the middle, it'll be important that he play restrained to disrupt without losing shape.
Of note: if Lopez is in the midfield, we'll have zero defensive subs unless Awuah is considered a viable outside back. If we get to the point of needing a sub for the D, I suspect we'll go 3 in the back and bring on a MF/F rather than jam a mismatched peg into the slot.
Of note: if Lopez is in the midfield, we'll have zero defensive subs unless Awuah is considered a viable outside back. If we get to the point of needing a sub for the D, I suspect we'll go 3 in the back and bring on a MF/F rather than jam a mismatched peg into the slot.
Hi Tom!
Not sure if your last statement is positive or \that you have a gut feeling our team will loos or just a comment, since all have question marks except for the last statement?
I was bored so decided to troll since you're usually on late. Apparently, you were out drinking, though.
Using this logic, wouldn't it have been just as important and arguably even moreso, had RBNJ & CHI won?This game has become super important after the rest of this weekend's results. Both teams hot on our heels (RB/CHI) lost. A chance to put some distance between us and them while staying within arm's reach of Toronto. We win today and it's nearly a two-horse race for 1st in the East and the shield.
Here's to two early goals and no 80+ minute fingernail biting.
I don't disagree with your point. It's important.
- Status