Player ratings
Saunders - 6
Did what you would expect once again. Hard to tell what happened with that weird save with his legs in the first half - couldn't tell if he completely messed up his positioning and ended up saving with his legs, or if the ball took a deflection that took it away from his hands, but either way I was terrified. Distribution was average, but was glad to see him looking to play it short more often. Is already the most over-rated player in NYCFC history.
Williams - 6
Struggled to keep tabs on Tierney (who had an excellent game), but did what was required of him. Can't say I noticed him do too much of anything the entire game.
Hernandez - 7
Really impressed with his ability on the ball, and his calming influence on the back line. Looks like the leader of the back four - strong in the air, and I feel comfortable whenever he's in possession.
Wingert - 6
Pretty shaky at times, lost his marker several times in the first half, and I have no idea how we got away with it as often as we did. Also guilty of a few miskicked clearances and misplaced passes which put us under unnecessary pressure, but seemed to be pretty solid defending from set pieces.
Brovsky - 7
This week's most improved player - was tidy in possession, and kept things moving going forward. Showed some really nice touches and close control, and seems to have made a conscious effort not to dive in so much - there was one moment in the first half where a NE player was running at him and almost put the ball onto his toes, but he still didn't dive in! Was very unlucky not to have scored in the second half, and I am very sad that we will never get that goal celebration.
Velasquez - 7
Our best player in the first half, showed more confidence and quality on the ball than any other player. Always looking to create space for himself or take players on, he bought us the directness on the wing that we were so sorely lacking last week. Link-up play with Villa was a joy to watch at times, they could absolutely destroy lesser fullbacks than Tierney this year. Might not be fully match fit as he faded in the second half, but the way he evaded those two NE players in the corner in the second half was my favorite part of the game.
Jacobson - 6
I can honestly say I do not remember a single thing this guy did all game. I blame Goose Island IPA for this, but ultimately, for a player in Jacobson's role, if you don't notice him, and the opposition don't score, he probably did OK.
Diskerud - 7
Came under a lot more scrutiny than he did last week, and therefore wasn't able to run riot like he did against Orlando, but he's still the beating heart of this team, and whenever we do something good, he's usually close by. I didn't expect his work rate to be so high - his constant tracking back is crucial, and when he gets in possession he almost seems to create extra time for himself on the ball. His ability to break up play and turn the tide in our favor is game-changing.
Grabavoy - 7
Other than Mix, no other player in our midfield is capable of taking a touch, taking a breath, seeing the right pass, and making it. He's not a flashy player, but he knows when to keep it simple, and his quality on the ball means that so many of our good moves come through him. You could really tell what kind of player he can be when NE went down to 10 men - his 1-2's were beautiful to watch.
Nemec - 6
I was generous with my rating last week, this week I'm being harsh. Yes, he missed a couple of painfully easy chances, and I was furious with him for that. Yes, he gave the ball away a few times when seemingly under no pressure whatsoever. But it seems like the fans are ready to cast this guy out altogether, and we're simply not giving him enough credit for all the other things he does for this team. No-one else on the roster is capable of holding the ball up like he does - and he did this as well in the second half as any target man you'll see this season. Last week he completely failed to bring Villa into the game - this week, he was constantly winning flick-ons and long balls, laying it off to Villa and Velasquez and generally creating havoc. Add on to that his two solid clearing headers from NE corners, and he was probably one of our best players in the second half. But hey, he missed a couple of chances and he's from Europe, BOOOOOOO
Villa - 8 (MOTM)
Last week we saw what happened when a team manages to nullify the David Villa threat - it wasn't fun. This week we saw what happened when a team doesn't managed that - I had a grin the size of Madison Square Garden on my face. I have no idea how he didn't score a hat-trick today, and we can only hope his finishing improves as the season goes on (although props to Shuttleworth for one of the best saves I've ever seen from that second half volley), but he dominated this game today. His confidence on the ball was supreme - he beat players for fun, brought in team-mates, scored goals, set up goals, threatened from corners, threatened from free kicks. That touch before he set up the second goal was a thing of beauty, and he will pulverize weaker teams with that kind of talent later in the season.
Shelton - 7
After seeing him terrify defenses for two straight weeks with his raw pace, it's tempting to see Shelton as the ultimate super-sub, a dynamo to throw at tired full backs midway through the second half. But after seeing how well he did today, how do you keep him out of the starting XI? His speed would be impressive enough, but his ability and confidence on the ball is even more encouraging - he just doesn't look out of his depth at all. From the moment he started running at Goncalves, you just knew it wasn't going to end well. This kid is going to score bucketloads of goals for us, and it's going to be so much damn fun.
Facey - 6
Goose Island IPA
Mullins - 7
He's a striker, and he came off the bench and scored. You really can't ask for much more than that. Not sure what else he would offer us that Nemec couldn't in a partnership with Villa, but I'm happy for him.
The opposition
Well, they completely destroyed us in the first half. Barring a shaky first 10 minutes where we looked very dangerous, they were in complete control, and they could have sealed the game by half-time - how they didn't score, I may never know. Clearly they set out to stifle Mix in the midfield, but the space that afforded Villa was fatal to them in the end, and they just didn't adjust to the sending off at all. They should have a good season - was a lot more impressed with them then Orlando, that's for sure. Couldn't hear their fans at all, mind.
