at this point im starting to hope that becomes a bench player and come in as a sub at most. use him in the US open cup.
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at this point im starting to hope that becomes a bench player and come in as a sub at most. use him in the US open cup.
I'd also be fine with White playing CB rather than RB. At least then he and Brillant have some chemistry from preseason.
Too lazy to find the source but PV said today that he is impressed with Mena and he is doing better, but he is now behind others and needs to prove himself to move ahead in the back pecking order. For whatever it's worth, didn't seem to suggest a start at this point.
Here's my preview of the match against TFC and my best optimistic spin on why Gio may not kill us! See you all Sunday.
I have a strange feeling that this will be the game that Mix scores his hat trick. He's playing centrally and his hair game has been on point recently. A breezy Yankee Stadium should serve him wonders.
more like villa returns giovincos favor from last year with three in the onion bag
From watching preseason and week one and listening to Patrick's press conference i have some ideas i'd like to hear opinions on.
MLS is a counterattacking league. The best teams sit back with 7 or 8 behind the ball, wait for a turnover then shoot out with speed to 2 or three attackers and try to score on a scrambling defense. LA does it, seattle does it, Portland does it, New Jersey does it, Toronto does it. The weirdest MLS stat is that the team that possesses the ball the most does not usually win.
Why doesn't this tactic work in better leagues? In PL the better team usually holds the ball, carries it into the opponents half, who have 9 or 10 guys behind the ball to defend. Counterattacking opportunities are not plentiful since you only have one attacker to play long balls to.
What would happen if mid table PL teams tried to play MLS counterattack ball? i think they would get shredded by the better attack, who now can operate with the ball against 7 or 8 defenders. They may also score more, but the cream should rise to the top. and outscore the weaker teams.
My impression is that playing possession with a strong team in MLS is going to inevitably lead to shootouts until the rest of the league decides it needs to do more to defend that team and bunkers, giving up the long ball to 2 or 3 attackers philosophy, and forcing the possessing team to try to beat a well organized defense.
Ergo, I think we are headed for a lot of shootouts this year.
Thoughts?
MLS is a counterattacking league. The best teams sit back with 7 or 8 behind the ball, wait for a turnover then shoot out with speed to 2 or three attackers and try to score on a scrambling defense. LA does it, seattle does it, Portland does it, New Jersey does it, Toronto does it. The weirdest MLS stat is that the team that possesses the ball the most does not usually win.
Why doesn't this tactic work in better leagues? In PL the better team usually holds the ball, carries it into the opponents half, who have 9 or 10 guys behind the ball to defend. Counterattacking opportunities are not plentiful since you only have one attacker to play long balls to.
What would happen if mid table PL teams tried to play MLS counterattack ball? i think they would get shredded by the better attack, who now can operate with the ball against 7 or 8 defenders. They may also score more, but the cream should rise to the top. and outscore the weaker teams.
My impression is that playing possession with a strong team in MLS is going to inevitably lead to shootouts until the rest of the league decides it needs to do more to defend that team and bunkers, giving up the long ball to 2 or 3 attackers philosophy, and forcing the possessing team to try to beat a well organized defense.
Ergo, I think we are headed for a lot of shootouts this year.
Thoughts?
Here are two thoughts, both of which are pure speculation and I haven't really tried to validate in any scientific way:
(1) A big difference in the PL (though less this year than in the past) and most European leagues is that there is a disparity of talent between the teams. The best teams have dramatically more talent than the lesser teams. I need to think through how this affects the style of play and interplays with your observations, but I have a gut instinct that it matters in that even a better MLS team cannot expect to really impose its will on a lesser team for 90 straight minutes.
(2) Most MLS teams lack the technical quality to play intricate football in the attacking third. We saw this a lot last year where we'd have lots of possession, but ultimately the moves break down because the quality of the players is not high enough to carry it off. Particularly true during the first half of the season. Consequently, you don't need to play ten behind the ball to absorb pressure in MLS.
But see Leicester City, 45% Possession, love to counter-attack, historically bottom table, currently 1st place.
It's such an outlier, and total shocker, that I'm not sure it kills your theory. It could be that they've just caught lightning in a bottle with Mahrez and Vardy. OTOH, their defense, which was never thought exceptional, is not getting shredded either -- ranked 6 for Goals Against.
As for your primary MLS point, I think the the key point will be "playing possession with a strong team in MLS." If we are that strong, other teams will adjust. Hard to tell after one game against a team that reinvented itself even more than we did. But if our new 3-man attack, backed by a more organized midfield, is as potent as we hope it will be, I think the league will be forced to adjust sooner than later.
I think the main difference between the Premier League and MLS is discipline. MLS to me often seems like a free-for-all, with everybody running everywhere, whereas most often in the Premier League you'll see four guys in a controlled back line ready to defend. In the PL the lines hold, and they advance or retreat together. I don't see that happen so much here, alas.
A corollary to that is people complaining about Pirlo not moving around enough. Well, in a perfect world he should be able to hold his position, and he should also be able to count on his teammates to be in their positions as well. Last year when we had all three DPs on the field at the same time you saw this happen constantly. Pirlo and Lampard always knew where the other would be, and both would be able to target Villa for the same reason. And if someone else happened to open up they'd be the target of a pass as well.
Being in your position, where your teammates expect you to be, and being able to hold that position so your team can mount a balanced attack or defense, *that's* the beautiful game. I'd love to see it here a lot more often.
NYCFC had a ton of possession last year but nearly no movement off the ball with the exception of silly triangles on each sideline which would end with a lost pass forward or a backpass out of the offensive zone - possession without purpose. We were horrendous at trying to break down the defense. Villa could do it, and I'd say he tried to do it by himself too often, but few others really went head-on at the D. So far this year, TT & KS have shown a lot of moxy and will to take on defenders off the dribble, and both have been extremely successful at tangling the fullbacks' ankles. To me, this is key. Our opponent can park 8-9 guys in the box, but if their defenders constantly get beaten 1v1, then our offense is going to to be able to pile on pressure and keep them on their heels, either by beating them to the line and crossing or being able to get around them to dribble into the box (ala TMac) before dishing off to the trailing runner. So tying this back to my first sentence, our guys this year seem to want to take players on, while off the ball other players are moving to space to either receive the pass (TMac is great at this) or disrupt the defensive marking which opens up lanes for dribbling.
Sorry for the rambling..... haven't had my coffee.....
Ever heard of Leicester City?
Also, as an Arsenal supporter, I've watched us get burned way, way too many times by counterattacking teams. It's been the best tactic to use against us for some time. The truth is that any team that plays a high defensive line is going to be susceptible to counter attacks. That's just the risk you take with that strategy.
The reason teams in MLS default to counterattacking football is the league-wide mismatch between forward and backline talent. Once MLS starts signing or training or developing better defenders, you should see the tactic disappear.
the very surprising Leicester City is the exception that proves the rule in my mind. I'm not watching closely, but are they doing anything different that the usual bunker and counter?
I think it has to do with coaching and player's skill level.
The coaches in Europe are innovators, the other coaches coming through the ranks have emulated them and have been part of the process. If you ask many coaches in Europe, they most likely have a coaching style that has been influenced from one another. We don't have that here. Counter Attacking is a tactic used to compensate for skills if you ask me. That isn't a dig, it's just the truth. Many teams use CA during a game...but many MLS teams use that as their only tactic. As the league grows and the players skill levels increase...so will the coaching talent. It wasn't that long ago that MLS was unwatchable..the game play and tactics are light years better now. In all honesty the PL wasn't that good that long ago either. With coaches like PV coming in now, it will only accelerate it. I am completely ok with being a training ground for up and coming European coaches.
The flip side of that is a team such as Arsenal that has no concept of how/when to use Defend/Counter Attack as their game plan. All they ever try to do is exert their will on the other team when there are some teams they could actually curb stomp on the counter with their speed if they weren't so pushy from the start.
Injury Report:
New York City FC
Join us for Sunday's match against Toronto:
New York City FC
- Frank Lampard - QUESTIONABLE
- Andoni Iraola - QUESTIONABLE
- RJ Allen - OUT
- Jack Harrison - OUT
- Connor Brandt - OUT
- Jozy Altidore - QUESTIONABLE
- Clément Simonin -OUT
Join us for Sunday's match against Toronto:
- NYPD Officer Jason Martinoff will perform both the Canadian and American anthems.
- Nations' colors will be presented by the FDNY Ceremonial Team.
- The FDNY and NYPD will continue to lead the pre-match player procession by forming our Tunnel of Honor.
- City Beats will have a special halftime performance.
- Stop by the Fan Zone, located on the concourse by Gate 2 for free hair painting and face painting provided by Face Art by Melissa.
- Yankee Stadium gates open at 3 p.m.
- Club & Suite Entrance will open at 3 p.m.
- Pitchside Seating Club now available
- Mohegan Sun Sports Bar will be exclusively for Pitchside Seating Club Members
- Field MVP Club open to all fans
- The New York City FC team bench will be located closer to the Supporters sections
- City Beats will be located in Section 118
- Away Supporters will be located in Section 217
So after seeing Accam just torch the Orlando defender do you have a bit more faith in our CB's and White after they somewhat held them in check on those over the top balls?
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