NYCFC in the Media Thread - 2019

The upshot of all this is the following - if there is one team that's being disrespected going into the playoffs, it's New York City.

the narratives are:
1. Toronto will beat them in the 4/5 game because Toronto “knows how to beat them” (and to a lesser extent DCU wins by packing it in)
2. Atlanta is going to beat them in the ECF if NYCFC gets there.
 
The upshot of all this is the following - if there is one team that's being disrespected going into the playoffs, it's New York City.

funny thing is they preface all of this with "NYCFC have had the best form and are the favorites in the east..." and then "but TFC or DC will probably beat them and even if they do squeak by, Josef and ATL are just too good and will win cause they are champions. "
 
funny thing is they preface all of this with "NYCFC have had the best form and are the favorites in the east..." and then "but TFC or DC will probably beat them and even if they do squeak by, Josef and ATL are just too good and will win cause they are champions. "

I'm at DEFCON 2 social media readiness for when LAFC are knocked out and NYCFC is hosting MLS Cup and everyone comes out against us as a club and organization.
 
I'm at DEFCON 2 social media readiness for when LAFC are knocked out and NYCFC is hosting MLS Cup and everyone comes out against us as a club and organization.

you joke, but you know it's going to happen. there will be petitions and DEMANDS that we play somewhere other than a baseball stadium.
 
Biggest Takeaway: Reyna, who is confident the club will be able to play its home CCL games at Yankee Stadium, said its critical to put forth a team capable of a deep run, while not losing sight of keeping what he calls a “high standard in MLS.”

 
Interesting thread highlighting stuff from an interview with Dome on a spanish radio(?) station. I don't speak spanish so I've just been using google translate. Any native speakers, please correct if necessary.

highlights:
- he talked about Heber being a 9th choice for the center forward position and that his arrival was 50 days later than expected and he didn't understand why.
- he will continue to play the young guys cause he trusts their quality. "if they don't play they won't get experience"
- complaints about MLS travel restrictions and playing through international breaks.
- Sands is great and has quality to play in Europe. Only a matter of time before he gets called up to senior USMNT (spoiler - we need him).
- Thinks the situation with citi field is comical but says it's not easy to play in yankee stadium either.
- shot down the news about van bronchorst in that he doesn't understand why this news is coming up now. but didn't exactly deny that it could be happening.


 
Doyle's playoff team analysis for the East. Ours is pasted below. link here: https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2019...d-know-about-eastern-conference-playoff-teams

Also, there was another article, can't remember at the moment, that said our success depends on whether or not Mata has a bad game. Thought that was an interesting point. He has cost us on many occasions with a bad giveaway or just not getting back fast enough.

New York City FC

WHY THEY'RE HERE: Because, as it turned out, all Dome Torrent really needed was a lot of time and a little bit of desperation to get things headed in the right direction. NYCFC picked up in 2019 where they left off in 2018: playing stultifying, mechanical soccer, and at one point they'd won just four out of their previous 22 matches and Dome was openly talking about how his job was on the line.

They've gone 18-5-5 since then and are clearly the second-best team in MLS, if not the best outright given LAFC's injuries/absences. They have one of the best home records in the league and are one of just two teams in the league with a winning road record. They have multiple Best XI-caliber players, one of the best defenses in the league and the second-best goal differential.

They're here because they're really, really good.

FORMATION/TACTICS: Torrent's been able to pretty seamlessly switch between a 4-3-3 and a 3-4-2-1 throughout the final two-thirds of the season, which Bobby broke down for us last month. The tl;dr takeaway (which is bad – you should read that column) is that if they can separate you defensive and midfield lines, you are toast. As so:


Here, I'll let Bobby take the next line:

And if you over-compensate to compress the middle of the field, they switch to a 3-4-2-1 and release their wingbacks to attack the space down the flanks. Instead of piercing through the middle, they get the ball wide and crash the box.

To beat them you just have to blow them up and make them worry about what you're doing. You've got to out-play them.

EDIT: I'm just going to mention Alex Ring, the league's second-best d-mid, here, because I couldn't work him into the discussion lower in this segment. Ring is really good.

ACHILLES' HEEL: No matter what their formation is they play high upfield and they pull their fullbacks/wingbacks in tight. They actively choose to give you a ton of crosses, but here's the thing: if you get it wide early and get the edge, you can bend crosses across the 18 with the entire NYCFC backline sprinting at their own goal.

Atlanta United and Toronto FC did this repeatedly when they matched up against NYCFC in the second half of the season.

THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH:

  • Maxi Moralez (AM): He's just the third player in league history to register 20+ assists in a single season, and should be no lower than fourth on the MVP ballot. Moralez has been the league's best string-puller this season, and his off-the-ball movement is a weekly masterclass. Just don't let him take any PKs.
  • Anton Tinnerholm (RB): Tinnerholm should be another Best XI player this season, and is one of the few fullbacks in the league who plays endline-to-endline without taking anything of the table in terms of his defensive contribution. He's entirely reliable and frequently a match-winner.
  • Heber (F): NYCFC have since evolved into something better, but for a while there Heber was a job-saving arrival. The Brazilian is maybe the most mobile center forward in the league, playing his defense-disorganizing role to perfection and still producing at a Best XI-rate. He's been fantastic.
PRESSURE'S ON: The whole club. As good as this regular season was, they didn't win the Supporters' Shield, and they didn't win the U.S. Open Cup, and now into Year 5 they have no trophies to show for what's amounted to four straight years of very, very good soccer. Maxi's not getting any younger and if they don't win anything at all yet again...

Are they Man City? Or are they Spurs?
 
Also, there was another article, can't remember at the moment, that said our success depends on whether or not Mata has a bad game. Thought that was an interesting point. He has cost us on many occasions with a bad giveaway or just not getting back fast enough.
That was a Warshaw article on the "difference maker" for each team. He uses the term difference maker differently, I think, than most sports analysts, but it makes sense.
 
Decent article in today's NY Post:


Nothing new to those who follow losely but a good primer for the occasional fan.
 
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