MLS Cup Playoffs - November 21 - Atlanta (Home)

[Shwafta]

Post-match press conference with Ronny is up online. He comments on the atmosphere: “something I will remember the rest of my life. Really really special.”

I honestly don't understand this. Coming from, say, celtic, where they get close to 60k a game, how can it really be that special? It has to be coach talk right? I see coaches all the time saying "Our fans are the best fans" and surely it's just a talk tactic... right?

 

[LionNYC]

Morales took a nasty elbow to the back of the head from Martinez. The bump is visible on TV in the postgame celebrations and handshakes. Don’t know if it’s reckless, endangering the safety of the opponent, or suspension worthy (would MLS suspend Josef Martinez) but it’s definitely in the scope of a potential concussion.

 

[Revfugee]

Streamed it on my laptop (from Madrid, that took some gymnastics).
Takeaways:
Maxi was everywhere. Not only protecting the ball and distributing magically but also he won every 50/50 and basically was beating younger guys to every loose ball in his vicinity.
Some really fine defending. Great tackles from Tayvon and Callens, excellent organization from Chanot and SJ (the 18 was a solid wall a couple of times tonight that ATL just couldn’t penetrate) and Malte had one of his best matches both ways.

I was not happy with Morales earlier in the year but he has really stepped it up. An underrated part of his game is that he has a great first touch, which means he rarely coughs up the ball in the center of the pitch.

SJ SJed and Taty Tatyed.

Atlanta’s heads were somewhere else. Example 1: On the first goal, sure they got confused by the bounce, but how the hell do you let the Golden Boot winner get that much time and space at the far post on a corner in the first place? If that hadn’t gone in we’d be reproaching Taty for squandering a golden opportunity (BTW you have to credit Medina for being smart there and letting it go). Example 2: Later in the match they have a corner, which they needlessly rush and they literally had nobody in the box. I’ve never seen that. It looked like they just wanted to go home.

Really happy with the result. I can’t remember a big match (either a six pointer or an elimination game) where this team has taken care of business so efficiently and seemed so much in command. No self-inflicted drama, no indiscipline, no letdowns. The Boot on the neck stayed there.

Next week will be a lot tougher, but we’ve beaten these guys once this year already. Nothing (other than a trophy) would make me happier than to eliminate the Revs on their plastic pitch in their quiet boondock guest house and prolong their 26-year title drought.

 

[JCMore]

Last night, we had Jasson, Grey, and Sands on the field all at the same time (albeit for a minute). Is this the most home growns we’ve ever had on the field at the same time? For sure it’s the most in a play off game ever. But I can’t think of a non-preseason game where there was 3 HGs at the same time

 

[Jon]

Gonna leave this here. Not sure if anyone heard about this.

 

[VernonJohn]

Just watched the Press Conference.
I get Ronny being annoyed with the substitution questions after a playoff win. I thought the team was getting better as the game went on and that we were more likely to get a third goal than concede. Maybe I was just drunk with joy we were up 2-0 and had rosy goggles on at that point.
My biggest concern and question at the end of the match were (and still are) what was up with Alfredo, Chanot and Johnson. Fredo did not look good at all. Chanot was holding his forearm like it was broken and SJ was laying down getting medical attention.
Johnson was also pissed and giving Martinez a talking to late in the game.
One other thing… The tackle from behind on Maxi early in the the match at midfield looked like a straight up no question yellow card from my seat.I was thinking, “oh boy, here we go. MLS gave instructions to PRO. Guess it’s time to make my tinfoil hat when I get home.”
Relieved we got the win and I’ve decidedly to pause on the hat construction. Although I watched the play last night on ESPN on demand and even Twellman commented dude was lucky to not get booked. So maybe I should make the hat and have it on the ready.

 

[FootyLovin]

(BTW you have to credit Medina for being smart there and letting it go)

I think this is actually quite a big deal. I'd give about a 60% chance he gets flagged for offsides. Hard to overestimate the adrenaline instinct to touch that ball. Much props to Medina for letting it go.

Also, I wonder if anyone else notices this. It seems we play a much higher number than other teams of what I'd describe as a scoop pass into the box where we attempt a kind of looping pass at relatively close quarters to bypass the last line of defense by going over the top. Is this something anyone else sees? Does anyone else think we do this more than other teams?

 

[FootyLovin]

View attachment 11574

Gonna leave this here. Not sure if anyone heard about this.

Crazy shit.

A man was possibly hit by a random bullet inside the Yankee Stadium on Sunday, according to police.

Law enforcement sources told NBC New York that the 25-year-old man was sitting in the stadium, watching a soccer game around 5:15 p.m. when he felt pain in his hand. The victim was possibly struck by a bullet fired outside the stadium, the sources said.

A metal fragment was recovered at the scene but it's unclear where the injury came from, police said.

New York City FC was facing Atlanta United in the first round of the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs at the stadium. No interruptions to the match were reported.

 

[mgarbowski]

Kind of an odd point, but i think this might be my favorite scoring pattern for a win: 2 goals early in the second half and then finish 2-0.

Obviously scoring early has its own joys, but a scoreless first half builds tension, and it is a different kind of tension than the anxiety of watching your team trying to maintain an early lead. So delaying the scoring to the second half creates a nice contrast between the halves. Then the pair of goals early in the second half sets the course, with the 2 goal cushion being the perfect balance of comfort and tension. There's a reason it's called the most dangerous lead in soccer, yet if you never give up that first goal the anxiety is kept at a manageable level, but you're never so comfortable that you lose the tension that adds to the fun.

Aaaaahhh

 

[mgarbowski]

I think this is actually quite a big deal. I'd give about a 60% chance he gets flagged for offsides. Hard to overestimate the adrenaline instinct to touch that ball. Much props to Medina for letting it go.

Also, I wonder if anyone else notices this. It seems we play a much higher number than other teams of what I'd describe as a scoop pass into the box where we attempt a kind of looping pass at relatively close quarters to bypass the last line of defense by going over the top. Is this something anyone else sees? Does anyone else think we do this more than other teams?

Yes on both. Medina's failure to score much is a disappointment, but he has really developed the rest of his game. That was a smart, disciplined play. He plays, I think, because of his work rate. One thing I believe this club does well is teach its forward players the value of defensive work. Both he and Taty have improved substantially in that regard since arriving.

Second point: it obviously has a lot to do with Maxi.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1462540766962536452

I think I've seen other guys (Taty?, Santi? Parks?) doing it, and the team definitely knows to look for it and how to react.

 

[Seth]

Medina's failure to score much is a disappointment, but he has really developed the rest of his game. That was a smart, disciplined play. He plays, I think, because of his work rate

Agreed. I've previously been Medina-neutral but earlier this season have been leaning Medina-negative. When I'm at matches it seems like he doesn't do all that much and they never pass the ball over to him on the right. However, just like yesterday, when I get home and watch the taped match they're constantly mentioning his name with touches and they're happening all over the field, not just in his "regular" location. So I guess I'm saying if you're down on him it might be worth watching the matches again because he's been working hard and maybe contributing more than it looks like when you're there in person.

 

[mgarbowski]

Agreed. I've previously been Medina-neutral but earlier this season have been leaning Medina-negative. When I'm at matches it seems like he doesn't do all that much and they never pass the ball over to him on the right. However, just like yesterday, when I get home and watch the taped match they're constantly mentioning his name with touches and they're happening all over the field, not just in his "regular" location. So I guess I'm saying if you're down on him it might be worth watching the matches again because he's been working hard and maybe contributing more than it looks like when you're there in person.

Confirming your analysis: He ranked 5th in the league for distance covered per 90.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1457734784885604357

 

[LionNYC]

View attachment 11574

Gonna leave this here. Not sure if anyone heard about this.

Crazy shit.

I had posted a screenshot of ABC7 news last night from a Facebook group but took it down without a confirmatory article.

Wow, that’s terrible and unfortunate.

They could have ended the article saying NYCFC won 2-0.

 

[twsj91]

Surprised no one has said this yet, but after Taty scored he ran over to the bench, hugged Ronny then held up a Parks jersey. The social media team didn’t mention it either. Nice moment. Obviously it’s hard to tell from the outside, and we’ve mentioned it a lot, but this might be the closest knit team we’ve had. Could make a difference. (Or not. What the hell do I know.) They may not be the flashiest group we’ve seen play at Yankee Stadium and despite their ups and downs this year they’re hard working and fun to root for. Whatever happens from here on forward I’ll be proud of what they’ve accomplished. Hoping for the best!!

 

[Gotham Gator]

We got food late in the 1st half. Cheese fries, 2 hot chocolates, and a soda. Counter server only charged us for the soda.
"The season's over and it costs too much anyway."

we ordered bunch of buckets and drinks , total came to mid 80 something, guy said tip him 40 and he gave it all to us for nothing extra

I will post a pretty negative food situation. At halftime, my kids wanted ice cream, and so they went to the only concession stand that has any - the one behind the supporters. They stood in line the whole half only to find that they had run out of ice cream. No other desserts. I agreed to stand in a different line to get them M&Ms, and I missed Taty's goal.

The food situation, which was always bad, has become unacceptable. Too many stands closed. Too few options. Bad beer everywhere and only a few places with decent brews. Nothing on draft. The pandemic has become a big excuse for Yankee Stadium to stop trying at all. It needs to be better next year.

 

[Gotham Gator]

Morales took a nasty elbow to the back of the head from Martinez. The bump is visible on TV in the postgame celebrations and handshakes. Don’t know if it’s reckless, endangering the safety of the opponent, or suspension worthy (would MLS suspend Josef Martinez) but it’s definitely in the scope of a potential concussion.

Sean Johnson had words for Martinez both during the game and afterward (as noted by VernonJohn). He was very direct and angry. At first, I thought this was due to something between them, maybe whatever it was that left Johnson injured. After the game, however, Johnson said he was hurt colliding with Chanot. So, I have to think he was upset by the collision with Morales.

 

[Gotham Gator]

If anyone has taped the game, go to 36:35 and watch the resulting NYCFC throw in. Brooks Lenon of Atlanta while outside of the field raises his arms to block the ensuing throw in. Nothing was called by the referees. How the hell is that not a yellow card?

I remember watching that live and wondering the same thing. Looked up the rule, and it easily could have been a caution.

=====
An opponent who unfairly distracts or impedes the thrower (including moving closer than 2 m (2 yds) to the place where the throw-in is to be taken) is cautioned for unsporting behaviour, and if the throw-in has been taken, an indirect free kick is awarded.

Law 15 - The Throw In

IFAB Laws of the Game

www.thefa.com

 

[Jon]

I will post a pretty negative food situation. At halftime, my kids wanted ice cream, and so they went to the only concession stand that has any - the one behind the supporters. They stood in line the whole half only to find that they had run out of ice cream. No other desserts. I agreed to stand in a different line to get them M&Ms, and I missed Taty's goal.

The food situation, which was always bad, has become unacceptable. Too many stands closed. Too few options. Bad beer everywhere and only a few places with decent brews. Nothing on draft. The pandemic has become a big excuse for Yankee Stadium to stop trying at all. It needs to be better next year.

This

I ordered an Impossible burger, and while I know they're probably the least ordered item on the menu, they could at least make some effort to cook it properly. Mine was basically cold all the way through. For $15 I expect it to be edible.

 

[Fantazma]

Crazy shit.

thats crazy, though i wonder where he was sitting, that a bullet from outside managed to hit him.

 

[Schwallacus]

I will post a pretty negative food situation. At halftime, my kids wanted ice cream, and so they went to the only concession stand that has any - the one behind the supporters. They stood in line the whole half only to find that they had run out of ice cream. No other desserts. I agreed to stand in a different line to get them M&Ms, and I missed Taty's goal.

The food situation, which was always bad, has become unacceptable. Too many stands closed. Too few options. Bad beer everywhere and only a few places with decent brews. Nothing on draft. The pandemic has become a big excuse for Yankee Stadium to stop trying at all. It needs to be better next year.

Beer and food were atrocious yesterday when it came to accessibility. Most drafts from the beer area behind supporters were apparently all out and the only options at the other locations were tall boys of Bud Light, Michelob Ultra, and some weird ass Jack Daniels Cocktail mix? Half the fridges had nothing in them. I understand wanting to get rid of items prior to closing for the winter but... that was terrible.