RSL Postmatch

[Ulrich]

Camargo was terrible. Worse than invisible, because you could see him making mistakes up and down the field. He ruined buildups with bad passes and created danger with poor defending, and that's not even taking into account the winning goal.

Those who have been screaming for Camargo to get more time need to open up their mouths for a big serving of crow.

Pirlo was fine. None of the issues tonight were on him. He directed the buildup and created several dangerous plays with pinpoint diagonal passes. Not his fault the team didn't capitalize.

TMac and Ugo were okay. RJ poor.

I want to see that first RSL goal again to figure out how he got all that space to shoot, especially after he had nearly scored on a similar shot a couple minutes before.

Dude, I'll eat crow on Carmago, because he had some promising subs but it's apparent he can't be trusted as a starter when we aren't chasing a goal and throwing caution to the wind. Whatever - small sample size to eat crow. Tastes good.

But I'm waiting for you and others to stop assessing TMac as playing okay. He was worse than crap out there blowing four clear opportunities on goal. Add to it everybody claiming he's a 10 attacking mid, but he showed he's very nervy on the ball and passes back in haste. Maxi chewed him a new ass at one point when he passed him the ball on the sideline but TMac vacated the space to run next to the RB - maxi's point was where did he think he was going? for a guy with a supposed "high soccer IQ", he was making remedial mistakes. And he was our captain - where was the leadership?

 

[Marito]

I would care less about these lost points if I didn't think we are about to get a Cyle Larin special and lose one again in Orlando. Road points are hard to come by in this league, and while RSL has been pretty bad, they have been decimated by injuries, and they were really helped by getting some players back last night. Despite Midas' take on it, I was hearing Beckerman's name called all night.

So yes, in hindsight, I wish we had gone for the jugular and started Villa and Harrison, but that was still a winnable game even with the B team out there. Some better shots by Tmac and Ring, and maybe we are talking differently.

Other random notes:
Both outside backs had themselves a game. Thought both White and RJ were terrible. RJ was just completely abused last night by Savarino, and only by the mercy of the ref didn't get carded or give up a PK. White was also lucky to escape red. That two footed tackle was so stupid.
Was a defensive black hole in the midfield, but Pirlo was given time on the ball by RSL, and he was playing some great balls
Thought Maxi and Ring were about the only two up to it last night, will be interesting to see how they handle 3 in 8

I think Savarino's debut on RSL on a Young DP contract also proves a point I was making the other day, that some lesser known South American leagues can provide good talent at the MLS level. I don't know exactly how much this 20 year old is making at RSL, but he literally toyed with RJ Allen all night, and gave Callens a few headaches too. And the way he constantly asked for the ball, at 20 and in his first game in MLS, shows he's a cut above. On that same note, the bright side of this match for us is the realization of how much better the players we are buying now are compared to the ones we bought in previous years. I mean, Maxi and Ring were very very good. And very very lonely.

 

[mgarbowski]

Is he having a laugh? Must be.

https://twitter.com/x/status/865151931324526592

 

[Fantazma]

tommy mac...we love you but man work on your finishing ...that was terrible two clear chances i remember and the softest kick i have seen from him. i also think hes too slow for our type of game.

with performances like that will anyone else want him in a trade?

is it bad for me to want venezuela u20 to not make it past first round so we can get herrera back?

 

[Ulrich]

Last night Maxi and Ring both were given a Father Time flashback moment to experience what Mix felt playing against the Kosmos last year. Those two left everything they had on the field and were put in a position to suffer needlessly.

Thank goodness Ring didn't get a yellow or it'd have been the biggest nutpunch to an already painful spectacle.

 

[canchon]

But I'm waiting for you and others to stop assessing TMac as playing okay. He was worse than crap out there blowing four clear opportunities on goal. Add to it everybody claiming he's a 10 attacking mid, but he showed he's very nervy on the ball and passes back in haste. Maxi chewed him a new ass at one point when he passed him the ball on the sideline but TMac vacated the space to run next to the RB - maxi's point was where did he think he was going? for a guy with a supposed "high soccer IQ", he was making remedial mistakes. And he was our captain - where was the leadership?

This. I wish someone with more time on their hands could put together a Tommy Mac "highlight" from last night. He was slow as molasses, did not show any creativity, and literally bogged down several big buildups in the first half. He is not a fit in this team; ok, maybe he played a bad game. I think he'd be better on a less possession oriented role where he could be an attacking midfielder and direct from zone 14; as he can't do combination buildups.

I get that people like Tommy Mac - local guy, scored some nice skillful goals; has that dumpy likeness that makes him a cult hero; but if he plays better in the first 30 minutes NYCFC is up 2 or 3 and they win this game.

 

[Marito]

If you agree that we needed to rotate players on a busy week with a ton of travel, and you agree that beating Orlando means more than beating RSL, then you can't be too upset about the strategy here. It's not Vieiras fault that every single player he plugged in looked like shit, except okoli, I though he was pretty decent. We have no depth, we gave tmac an extension, haha. Camargo looked clueless. RJ can't play on the left. So if Claudio builds a team, in which none of the nominal backups, Lewis at LW, awuah at LB, etc, will ever play, to me, it's on him, or whoever is in charge of building the roster. Our backups have sucked since year one and never improved despite plenty of time to do so.

Pirlo sucked total ass, turned it over more than he completed passes, hit the fucking referee at one point and generally looked like he couldn't give less of a shit about this game or this team. I've disliked his aquisition from the start, he's never fit with the team. I hope he just retires. I'd rather see stertzer out there.

I hope we'll not be scraping for points later in the season, I don't think we'll be (our starting XI with Yangel and Mata is best in the MLS) but if we are, we'll have to face the obvious fact that beating ORL is NOT more important than beating RSL. It is more pleasing, yes. But to let the 3 points that can and should be bagged get away to dream about the 3 points that would crown us in vengeful glory later in the week is childish. We need X amount of points from the road trip. 3 should have come from RSL.

 

[EganSoccerWords]

I felt legit bad for Maxi. His teammates were not allowing him to get the ball in space often, and when he did get the ball in space, T-Mac, Carmago or Okoli would not make the proper run or pass.

 

[canchon]

tommy mac...we love you but man work on your finishing ...that was terrible two clear chances i remember and the softest kick i have seen from him. i also think hes too slow for our type of game.

with performances like that will anyone else want him in a trade?

is it bad for me to want venezuela u20 to not make it past first round so we can get herrera back?

That one opportunity where Maxi hit a through ball into the area and Tommy Mac rolls a weak grounder into the keeper was cringe-worthy.

 

[Fantazma]

That one opportunity where Maxi hit a through ball into the area and Tommy Mac rolls a weak grounder into the keeper was cringe-worthy.

he had two from maxi i think and long ball from pirlo man i felt we could of been 2 or 3 up with these chances

 

[Seven]

I felt legit bad for Maxi. His teammates were not allowing him to get the ball in space often, and when he did get the ball in space, T-Mac, Carmago or Okoli would not make the proper run or pass.

I think he experienced what 2015 was like for Villa. Seemed to get very frustrated with teammates, and was yelling at them a few times. Which was terrible to see...but understandable

 

[Marito]

Not to pile up, but there was also no specific need to play TMac last night. We had Pirlo spraying offensive long balls, supposedly, and if Awuah could play the 6 Ring could have played 8, and link up offensively with Maxi and Camargo. Ring, who is already as somebody said in the shoutbox, becoming an NYCFC legend, is a very capable offensive link if you don't let him shoot on goal.

 

[mgarbowski]

Mikey gets a run out in Dallas.
The players say they want to be together and PV changes the travel plans.
Stertzer subs in against RSL.

Vieira is a players' coach, and a much bigger softie than I would have expected.

PS: You can maybe justify the first two based on PV's prior actions: he likes to sub in Mikey late in games to lock things down even though we mostly don't like it, and he is also a big team unity guy. But combine those with the Stertzer thing which made no apparent sense and I think it is fair to call the pattern.

 

[SoupInNYC]

I hope we'll not be scraping for points later in the season, I don't think we'll be (our starting XI with Yangel and Mata is best in the MLS) but if we are, we'll have to face the obvious fact that beating ORL is NOT more important than beating RSL. It is more pleasing, yes. But to let the 3 points that can and should be bagged get away to dream about the 3 points that would crown us in vengeful glory later in the week is childish. We need X amount of points from the road trip. 3 should have come from RSL.

I understand the broader point that getting 3 points at RSL should be easier than getting 3 at Orlando. But in its true form, beating ORL is most definitely more important than beating RSL. And not just from a psychological standpoint, but purely from a conference standings standpoint.

 

[Ulrich]

I understand the broader point that getting 3 points at RSL should be easier than getting 3 at Orlando. But in its true form, beating ORL is most definitely more important than beating RSL. And not just from a psychological standpoint, but purely from a conference standings standpoint.

But if we fail to get points in either (1 doesn't count vs Orlando) then it's a massive strategic Fck up. At least if you get 3 vs RSL, at worst you're keeping pace with Orlando. Miss all of the points and well....

 

[Tom in Fairfield CT]

We accomplished none of the presumed goals last night.

We didn't rest anyone except Wallace and Sweat. The entire team flew all over the country. We didn't win.

 

[canchon]

But if we fail to get points in either (1 doesn't count vs Orlando) then it's a massive strategic Fck up. At least if you get 3 vs RSL, at worst you're keeping pace with Orlando. Miss all of the points and well....

Given all of the discussion about "play to win in SL vs play to win in ORL", somebody wants to chime in...

 

[Tom in Fairfield CT]

Given all of the discussion about "play to win in SL vs play to win in ORL", somebody wants to chime in...

Thinking about it in hindsight, it might be better to just play the guys who can play in each game, and rest the guys who need rest. Trying to plan ahead doesn't seem to work. Treating an away game in altitude like a gimmee that the open cup squad could win was a mistake. Thats hindsight on my part, because I was all for rotating. In the future, i'm with herm.

 

[mgarbowski]

But if we fail to get points in either (1 doesn't count vs Orlando) then it's a massive strategic Fck up. At least if you get 3 vs RSL, at worst you're keeping pace with Orlando. Miss all of the points and well....

1 against Orlando potentially counts as much as 3 from RSL, but only if the team we are fighting for position against at the end of the year is Orlando, because we take 2 from them. Against anyone else it's a net loss. I don't like those odds, but I think most people look at it differently. I think the received wisdom is that if you prioritize conference games always, then it balances out and it doesn't matter which conference team ends up close to you on the table at the end. I don't think the logic holds up but I believe it is the consensus.

My position is what T Tom in Fairfield CT just said. Try to win the game in front of you, regardless of the opponent, and deal with the next game when it comes. If you're left with an exhausted squad so be it. But if you have a chance to win this game go for it. I said that last year with the Portland-Toronto-RB sequence and I stand by it even though we got killed by RB. We went half way in terms of the squad against Toronto and only got a point. I don't like halfway.

 

[Jock]

That was a disappointing pile of crap.

RJ was poor, Pirlo was poor, defense looked disorganized, Okoli seemed to be strolling after the first few minutes, Camargo was anonymous and my boy Tommy should have done better with a couple of those soft punts at the keeper.

One thing that struck me with the second string guys playing last night was a lack of sharpness and quickness. What this building from the back requires often is quick one or two-touch plays in triangles. ie. center half passes to full back, who pings it inside to the CM who flicks it to the wing.... but we had too many instances where people were holding the ball and getting closed down quickly (happening a lot this season) and other times where two guys would head towards the same breaking ball and hesitate and leave it to each other.

Overall the whole team seemed to step down a gear for long periods of the game, which was disappointing.