Preseason - All Matches

[mgarbowski]

It's amazing how we have the preseason discussion every year yet everyone is still super critical on preseason performances.

One one hand I get why people are freaking out this year with 1.5 years of lowered performance with Nick, plus first time missing the playoffs in 9 years, plus worst scoring season in team history, plus not lighting it up right now.

OTOH, Nick took over midseason and immediately lost the team's best scorer in 2021 and 2022 and best pressing agent in the final third, and did not get a replacement for an entire year, which when it finally happened also coincided with losing the teams best scorer in 2023, and the replacement was all of 22 YO with 8 goals in 1 season in the Croatian league. Plus the 2024 new offensive guys have't played yet and it is preseason which is always of dubious meaning.

The closest thing to the bad hand dealt to Nick was Torrent, who also came in midseason, lost the team's top scorer for 7 games (but then got him back), then lost him in the offseason and went all of 4 games before being given a 27 year old replacement coming off 35 goals in 3 seasons in Croatia, and Torrent still went through an 18 points in 19 games slump (for which he had either Villa or Heber 12 of those 19 games) spanning both seasons before Heber started raining goals and things changed.

I'll repeat my judgment that I'm not sold on Nick and won't be scandalized if he's fired, but I'm also aware he has yet to have a decently stocked offensive team through his 1.5 years.

 

[ZYanksRule]

One one hand I get why people are freaking out this year with 1.5 years of lowered performance with Nick, plus first time missing the playoffs in 9 years, plus worst scoring season in team history, plus not lighting it up right now.

OTOH, Nick took over midseason and immediately lost the team's best scorer in 2021 and 2022 and best pressing agent in the final third, and did not get a replacement for an entire year, which when it finally happened also coincided with losing the teams best scorer in 2023, and the replacement was all of 22 YO with 8 goals in 1 season in the Croatian league. Plus the 2024 new offensive guys have't played yet and it is preseason which is always of dubious meaning.

The closest thing to the bad hand dealt to Nick was Torrent, who also came in midseason, lost the team's top scorer for 7 games (but then got him back), then lost him in the offseason and went all of 4 games before being given a 27 year old replacement coming off 35 goals in 3 seasons in Croatia, and Torrent still went through an 18 points in 19 games slump (for which he had either Villa or Heber 12 of those 19 games) spanning both seasons before Heber started raining goals and things changed.

I'll repeat my judgment that I'm not sold on Nick and won't be scandalized if he's fired, but I'm also aware he has yet to have a decently stocked offensive team through his 1.5 years.

Agree with every bit of this. Nick deserves to be on a short leash this season, and if they get off to a slow start I don't think he survives it. But he also deserves to be given the benefit of the doubt for what happened last season. This is going to be the first time he has a legit offensive team capable of winning games.

After losing Taty, he dragged this team to a conference final in his first half-season. Then the roster was completely dismantled. Let's give him a chance now that we have what we think is a good offensive team again.

 

[mgarbowski]

dragged this team to a conference final in his first half-season.

Useful reminder that Nick has won more playoff rounds than Kreis, Vieira and Torrent combined.

 

[KevinJRogers]

Useful reminder that Nick has won more playoff rounds than Kreis, Vieira and Torrent combined.

All true. But personally, I'm not sure Nick is on all that short of a leash. The organization won't pull the rug out from under him when we're only halfway through the transition.

That being said, if we miss the playoffs again, it's a lock he'll be gone. We're far enough along to be able to compete. We may even be really, really good.

 

[Shwafta]

All true. But personally, I'm not sure Nick is on all that short of a leash. The organization won't pull the rug out from under him when we're only halfway through the transition.

That being said, if we miss the playoffs again, it's a lock he'll be gone. We're far enough along to be able to compete. We may even be really, really good.

if we are below the playoff light or flirting with it, I don't think he makes it post-leagues cup.

 

[ZYanksRule]

All true. But personally, I'm not sure Nick is on all that short of a leash. The organization won't pull the rug out from under him when we're only halfway through the transition.

That being said, if we miss the playoffs again, it's a lock he'll be gone. We're far enough along to be able to compete. We may even be really, really good.

We have another long homestand in April/May this year. If we struggle through that, it wouldn't surprise me if they pulled the plug then. I really think his leash is short this year.

I think last year was the only real transition year -- we are expecting to compete this year, to be top-4 in the East and win a playoff series. I think next year they're going to want to compete for MLS Cup again. \

Since last July, NYCFC has spent what, $25 million in transfer fees between Jovan, Ojeda, Julian, and Bakrar? Nick needs to get off to a good start. At that level of investment, his seat is very warm.

 

[KevinJRogers]

Those are totally legitimate views. I myself was thinking he could be in trouble if we're past the halfway point and still below the playoff line. But upon further review, as they say, I believe he gets the full year. But he must make the playoffs, at the barest minimum, and if we make it but don't make a deep run, he'll be on a very short leash next term.

 

[LionNYC]

All true. But personally, I'm not sure Nick is on all that short of a leash. The organization won't pull the rug out from under him when we're only halfway through the transition.

That being said, if we miss the playoffs again, it's a lock he'll be gone. We're far enough along to be able to compete. We may even be really, really good.

FO/CFG hasn’t had to make any (serious, sorry Kreis) managerial firings in the 10 year history. Everyone (else) just decided to leave and/or find other positions. The closest thing was GVB being shown around early 2019 before Heber came along.

I have no reason to believe or think they’d do anything midseason.

 

[KevinJRogers]

I have no reason to believe or think they’d do anything midseason.

Right. It's not their style.

 

[ZYanksRule]

FO/CFG hasn’t had to make any (serious, sorry Kreis) managerial firings in the 10 year history. Everyone (else) just decided to leave and/or find other positions. The closest thing was GVB being shown around early 2019 before Heber came along.

I have no reason to believe or think they’d do anything midseason.

They were reportedly one loss from dumping Torrent before he tied that game in Minnesota, The game was on ESPN, there were shots of CFG executives in the suite, the whole thing. Very similar situation to what Cushing finds himself in now. In fact, Cushing has been given more time than Torrent was when his seat was warm. I would agree that they don't want to make a midseason move, but I think they will if they need to.

 

[mgarbowski]

I've read knowledgable NYCFC fans who are certain Nick will get fired at some point in the first half of the season absent a quick start, and as soon as 10 games, and others just as informed who are certain NYCFC will never fire a coach midseason.
I don't think we have enough data to draw any conclusions. In fact I believe we have zero relevant data. There's never really been a season when firing the coach midseason made the least bit of sense. Closest were arguably very early 2019 at the tail end of Torrent's 19 game slump and 2021 just before the Gude free kick. Fortunately the club had better judgment, especially in 2021, when firing Deila would have been tragic.

Don't come at me with 2023. Firing Nick midsummer after letting him coach consecutive half-seasons with a spent Heber and Gabe Segal as his only strikers is a preposterous idea. An offseason firing was plausible, but mid-season would have been self-destructive. We had trouble recruiting a coach to replace Torrent, and Nick was an in-house promotion. What coach with any options would take a job where his predecessor was forced to coach an entire year without replacing the team's top scorer and then fired midseason.

 

[ZYanksRule]

I've read knowledgable NYCFC fans who are certain Nick will get fired at some point in the first half of the season absent a quick start, and as soon as 10 games, and others just as informed who are certain NYCFC will never fire a coach midseason.
I don't think we have enough data to draw any conclusions. In fact I believe we have zero relevant data. There's never really been a season when firing the coach midseason made the least bit of sense sense. Closest were arguably very early 2019 at the tail end of Torrent's 19 game slump and 2021 just before the Gude free kick. Fortunately the club had better judgment, especially in 2021, when firing Deila would have been tragic.

Don't come at me with 2023. Firing Nick midsummer after letting him coach consecutive half-seasons with a spent Heber and Gabe Segal as his only strikers is a preposterous idea. An offseason firing was plausible, but mid-season would have been self-destructive. We had trouble recruiting a coach to replace Torrent, and Nick was an in-house promotion. What coach with any options would take a job where his predecessor was forced to coach an entire year without replacing the team's top scorer and then fired midseason.

Yeah, I thought if they missed the playoffs Cushing would be fired, but I never believed he deserved to be fired for that reason. This is the season for him now. The front office has spent $25 million in transfer fees in the last seven months. If we get off to a slow start, I think Cushing is in trouble.

 

[KevinJRogers]

We had trouble recruiting a coach to replace Torrent, and Nick was an in-house promotion. What coach with any options would take a job where his predecessor was forced to coach an entire year without replacing the team's top scorer and then fired midseason.

These are really important considerations, and I think they're at least part of the decision-making process. CFG surely wants to guard their reputation and not get a bad name in the coaching ranks.

But another thing to consider is the nature of the assignment Cushing was handed. He's charged with winning games, yes; every gaffer gets the same remit. But he's also been tasked with managing the squad during an organizational transition -- a "two steps forward, one step back" situation.

As I see it, the team wanted to put a lot more emphasis on using young, up-and-coming forwards to populate the attack rather than sign veteran names (and overpay for them). But it was going to take at least until the winter window to get them. Until we could bring them in, Nick had to find a way, somehow, to be competitive with an unconstructed front line.

Fortunately, he was okay in the back, at least once we got over our set piece problem and Ice took over for Huicho Barraza. And of course, Birk Risa was a terrific addition (I was wrong about us not needing a left-footed center back -- it was a necessity, not a luxury). The midfield solidified when Perea came over.

So, we could at least defend. And we ended up not looking too bad on the attack coming down the stretch, shooting woes aside. But it may have masked how much work remained to be done. Everything else was going to take a little longer. In the meantime, Nick did what he was asked to do: hold the line, hold the squad together and wait for the cavalry to arrive.

Now they're here.

They're also young, in some cases very young. And there are a lot of new faces. It's going to take some more time to really pull them together.

Add it all up, and it's hard to see the organization firing Nick before the job is complete. And it's hard to see how the job can be finished in half a season. He'll get a full year to get it done.

If he fails, different story. If we have an utter catastrophe on our hands halfway through the year, it will also be a different story, I'm sure. Losing too much would change the calculations. Certainly missing the playoffs a second year in a row would be entirely unacceptable.

But I think that's what it would take.

 

[gbservis]

They're also young, in some cases very young. And there are a lot of new faces. It's going to take some more time to really pull them together.

Add it all up, and it's hard to see the organization firing Nick before the job is complete. And it's hard to see how the job can be finished in half a season. He'll get a full year to get it done.

I agree, I don't see how the organization can roster build on what looks like a 2-3 year plan but hold the coach accountable to a half-season timeline. Also, as you said many on this roster are very young. The club spent $25 million in transfer fees on talent lottery tickets not proven talent. Just because a player commands a high fee doesn't mean they are a sure thing especially when you are shopping in the age ranges we have been in recently. It's going to take time to see if these players become what the scouting team thinks they can be. Nick has yet to be given an attacker with a proven track record even equal to what Heber was upon his arrival. With the org, it's hard to see how Nick would be on a short leash, with the fans I think patience will wear thin quickly if things go poorly.

 

[Gotham Gator]

Do I watch the Galaxy friendly or Champions League?

Or just get work done?

 

[LionNYC]

It's interesting that you have the LA Galaxy play by play person with Glenn Crooks, the NYCFC play by play person. It's going to be an interesting call.

...and the stream froze.

...and it's back just as NYCFC score off a weird play where the LA Galaxy player stopped from a whistle from another field and Bakrar gets the header.

 

[KevinJRogers]

Do I watch the Galaxy friendly or Champions League?

Or just get work done?

I had the same conundrum and went with the friendly. Very good day at the doctor today. I'm goofing off and celebrating a little.

 

[moogoo]

considering galaxy aren't even playing their best guys and we've already scored two gifts. i'm watching taty and lazio.

 

[LionNYC]

.......Welp, another lead given up. And this time a 2-0 lead. Most ties in MLS in 2023. Looks to be the same way in 2024.

 

[KevinJRogers]

.......Welp, another lead given up. And this time a 2-0 lead. Most ties in MLS in 2023. Looks to be the same way in 2024.

We'll see. This squad is showing marked improvement already. It might be a little shaky until the end of March, maybe mid-April, but after that we should just keep getting better.