100% agree. The three things to now work towards are the C-Cup, beating RBNJ, and if we get there, knocking out Philly (sprinkle on top would be Philly not getting the shield and ending this season w/o a trophy).
MLS - September 10 - Charlotte (Away)
- Thread starter LionNYC
- Start date
100% agree. The three things to now work towards are the C-Cup, beating RBNJ, and if we get there, knocking out Philly (sprinkle on top would be Philly not getting the shield and ending this season w/o a trophy).
We won the entire thing last year, had a month off, and have had weekday games all season. Teams in Europe can manage that because they have unlimited resources. We have only a 20-man senior roster and a salary cap. It's really not the end of the world if we have a tepid end to the season.
We could have, should have rotated more to rest guys, but the fact is, injuries to key players and our rotational players are just simply not good enough considering many of them are 3rd string level players at best right now. We got very lucky last year that Tayvon was able to step in for anton and play as well as he did and very lucky last year that Morales picked up his game toward the end of the season so we didn't really miss having parks on the field.
Our inconsistent backline and midfield have been our biggest problems in these last 10 games. Club should have signed more players. but they weren't banking on all these injuries happening.
I think if Martins, parks, morales and anton all make it back in time for the playoffs, I think we have a good shot at at least playing spoiler. and if we somehow repeat the cup, I will run down 5th avenue naked! (ok maybe not, but i'll do something crazy)
Our team at full health and with Taty is the best team in MLS. Our team at full health and in form, without Taty is still one of the best teams in MLS. The team we put out there today isn't even a playoff team in this league. Five guys injured or suspended, 2 other starters rotated out, and another starter who came off the bench, but is still not ready to start. That's eight first-choice players not available or starting today. Let's be honest -- the team we put out there today isn't even a playoff team in this league. It is what it is. We have four games to get it right, get everyone healthy, and try and get some momentum before the playoffs. Time is running out, but there is still time.
There has to be something more than just injuries to this abysmal run of form
Just a reminder of who was out for Philly in the “semi-final” last year:
captain Alejandro Bedoya, goalkeeper Andre Blake… defenders Jack Elliott, Jakob Glesnes, Kai Wagner and Alvas Powell. Forwards Corey Burke and Sergio Santos, midfielders Ilsinho and Quinn Sullivan and goalkeeper Joe Bendik.
I hope NYCFC gets the chance to and succeeds in destroying Philly’s season in the playoffs, however, I would say that what the Union are on the verge of accomplishing makes a pretty dam good case for best team in MLS.
Just a reminder of who was out for Philly in the “semi-final” last year:
captain Alejandro Bedoya, goalkeeper Andre Blake… defenders Jack Elliott, Jakob Glesnes, Kai Wagner and Alvas Powell. Forwards Corey Burke and Sergio Santos, midfielders Ilsinho and Quinn Sullivan and goalkeeper Joe Bendik.
Is NYCFC (even with Taty) the best club in MLS?Philadelphia is at 63 points right now with a +46 goal differential. Last year NYCFC finished with 51 pts and +20 squeaking into the playoffs in Taty’s best year.
I hope NYCFC gets the chance to and succeeds in destroying Philly’s season in the playoffs, however, I would say that what the Union are on the verge of accomplishing makes a pretty dam good case for best team in MLS.
I really don't get your point, especially in the first half of your post. The Union played a single playoff game without almost all of their starters and lost. What are we aspiring to in this scenario? That they made us sweat about it because it was close? You do realize that in our current 10-game skid since Cushing won 4 in a row, the total Goal Differential is just -8. We drew twice. We lost a lot of games by 1 goal. We lost by more than 1 goal only twice and by more than 2 just once. If losing a close game when undermanned is the benchmark we are damn well nailing it.
Plus, the 2021 Union were a bunker and counter team and they played a more extreme version of that in the conference final. That approach is designed to keep games close so lower talent teams have a chance to get lucky, and even when they don't it reduces the number of blowouts. Except for the Chicago game, we haven't been doing that. If we did we might have kept the New England game to 0-1. That would not make anyone happy.
Then in the second half of your post you ask whether if NYCFC had Taty would they then be the best team in the league. Seriously? No, they're not, and again I'm not sure what point that makes. They just started 3 players from the starting 11 of the MLS Cup game and 1 good scoring forward is supposed to make that best in the league? They were pretty close to best after 13 games with 2.0 PPG and a +15 GD, or after 21 games and 1.92 PPG and +20 GD. Even now after this run of player absences they have the 4th best GD in the league overall, so yes, I'd say at full strength this is one of the best teams in the league and the absences are killing us. Also, if you think the MLS Cup lineup comparison is unfair because that was last year, well the lineup against Charlotte had just 3 starters in common with the lineup against Minnesota in Ronny's last game before he left.
Let's just consider Alfredo Morales. Last year when he was facing heavy criticism and even calls to buy out his contract (and absurdly ignorant claims that we always lost when he played) I pointed out that we were much better with him than without. In fact, he had the biggest positive effect on the entire team when you measure PPG when he played 45' or more against when he did not. Alfredo Morales! Even I didn't did not expect that big of an effect until I looked it up. But in a capped league missing any quality starting player has an effect. It was not a fluke: in 2022, NYCFC gets 1.62 PPG when Morales plays 45 minutes and 1.20 when he does not. We weren't very good when he was hurt last year or this year. Yet just as last year, people try to blame this on anything but the obvious. Updated:
Vuk Latinovich has played 11.6x as many minutes in the last 4 games as he did in the first 27.
Our fanbase:
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Well part of the honest answer is that the first part was an unformulated thought that I abandoned cause and didn’t realize was in my reply.
The second part was simply a response to someone saying that NYCFC with Taty is the best team in MLS.
At one point NYCFC was having the best season of any returning champion in history (OptaJack put out a tweet about it - I’m just too lazy to look it up.) they were right up there with Philly at the top of the conference and did have a stretch where they were destroying teams (RSL 6-0 comes to mind).
It is unreasonable to expect a team that loses its coach and best player to continue that, especially when the team was decimated by injuries. A drop off was inevitable.
that said, there is a difference from a drop off to 5 points in 10 games - which over a full season is wooden spoon material. (That’s what 17 points over a 34 game season? That’s FCC material). The coach bears responsibility for this and it can’t be just injuries.
It is unreasonable to expect a team that loses its coach and best player to continue that, especially when the team was decimated by injuries. A drop off was inevitable.
that said, there is a difference from a drop off to 5 points in 10 games - which over a full season is wooden spoon material. (That’s what 17 points over a 34 game season? That’s FCC material). The coach bears responsibility for this and it can’t be just injuries.
A full strength NYCFC was my point -- a full strength NYCFC with Taty is the best team in MLS. I believe that. The team we've been forced to play lately just isn't good enough. Too many injuries.
I hear that. Of course the whose the best team title is debatable and people clearly have different ways to measure. Maybe you are saying NYCFC’s best starting eleven including Taty is better than the Union’s best starting eleven outside of what happens over the course of a season. Maybe.
I’m saying (and I hate saying it cause I have grown to despise the Union) that what that damn team has done this year in MLS so far is already greater than what any NYCFC team has accomplished in a season with or without Taty.
Personally, I think what they have done gives them more credence for the best team in MLS label. And, Yuk, I do hate saying it.
That said, I’ve probably been unfair over the last month out of frustration and I have indeed questioned the teams heart. I get that is kind of fucked up cause as trite as Cushing’s, “They are working hard, etc. etc…” I’m sure it’s true.
And, the game is one of margins, luck is a factor, injuries are impactful, and they have played a lot of soccer already…
Still, it’s hard for me to believe that CFG’s NYCFC, even with injuries, should not have done better in the last month. There’s been so much talk about how deep this team is but they still lose to Charlotte and D.C. at home during a 1-2-7 spell.
The own goal, the last second goal off a corner to lose in Orlando, the give away to Pozuelo….
Thank god it’s only soccer.
So forgive me NYCFC. If the playoffs are part of 2022, I expect you to make some fucking noise and make Philly whine like they have never whined before.
