Montreal Postmatch

[SoupInNYC]

The MLS continues to be a joke with its TV coverage. I have a subscription to Time Warner Cable and added the sports package to that. In addition, I subscribed to MLS Free Kick or whatever its called. Find out that game is tape delayed to midnight due to Yankee game (YES has to be able to sell the rights to this game to MSG or someone else, right?).

I don't want to wait until fucking midnight. So I fire up Fox Sports Go on my laptop (since both Apple TV and PS4 don't have Fox Sport Go apps) and log in. The game is blacked out for me there. I thought this was supposed to be the other option?????

So I attempt to fire up MLS Free Kick on the Apple TV and that is blacked out there too. I ended up using a VPN and firing up Free Kick on my laptop, so ended up able to watch it, but I imagine many others were not able to.

There HAS to be a better option here. Either YES gets those games live on another channel, FSGo actually works, and/or MLS Free Kick allows these local games to be broadcast, as there is not a live option.

Oh, and Apple TV and PS4 need FSGo apps. I know this really would not have helped last night, but wtf.

This may not be relevant to this thread, but it was my first bullet point for my post-match thoughts, and I ended up deciding this was a completely separate rant and needed its own post.

 

[NYCFCfan]

They who? Not a single person stopped anyone from taking the drums. Not a single person asked for the drums.

WHAT THE SHIT? Next time just shout it out, who wants to use the drums. I'll gladly volunteer. I saw them after I walked out by security up there but didn't know what the deal was. Usually they're in the bleachers before the gates even open.

 

[mgarbowski]

So I fire up Fox Sports Go on my laptop (since both Apple TV and PS4 don't have Fox Sport Go apps) and log in. The game is blacked out for me there. I thought this was supposed to be the other option?????

I would contact NYCFC fan services about this. It should have been there according to everything we know.

 

[SoupInNYC]

So here are my actual post-match thoughts (a few of them already mentioned by others in this thread):

• As someone else already pointed out, Villa is pouring is heart and soul onto the pitch. I know he can sometimes get a bit selfish on the field, and there are times when I really don't like his body language, and we bitch about it here, but this guy really fucking cares and its great to see the passion he has.
• I loved TMac out on the wing, I thought he provided us quite a lot out there for us and it opens up another midfield spot for us to get someone else in there (hopefully not Lopez next time). On the goal, I originally thought watching live that he got tangled up with the defender and the ball ricocheted back. Watching the replay of it, I then noticed he actually played the ball right back to RJ, what a play by TMac.
• I really like Khiry's game last night. He brought a lot of pace and displayed a ton of strength as well as some technical ability. There were still a few times when he had heavy touches or lost the ball, but I think without a doubt he's our guy on the RW. He was also running all over the place, and I definitely thought subbing him out around that time was the correct move by PV.
• Mendoza had another decent game, nothing great, but he's moving the needle away from terrible. A decent performance from him off the bench (I think he needs to continue to come off the bench)
• Mikey Lopez in no way shape or form should be starting (or really even subbed in for that matter). I really thought he should have been subbed off at half and bring Mix in for him as he was a red card waiting to happen. The funny thing about this is, the exact same situation with him occurred last Saturday in Philly.
• Pirlo playing higher up surprised me, he wasn't necessarily terrible up there, but he also lacked some oomph that you would expect from a DP in that spot. I do think he influences the game much better playing deeper, but at the same time, we were much more defensively sound with Bravo back there. How PV continues to play this going forward will be quite interesting.
• Mata had a great game. The overlapping between him and TMac was great. But does anyone really think he needs to keep taking free kicks? I have not been impressed with his free kicks whatsoever.
• Another great game from Brillant, he's starting to get comfortable. Hernandez on the other hand....he needs to know that he isn't a great passer and be more careful with how he plays the ball to Saunders. That pass in the second half nearly lead to a Montreal goal.
• RJ Allen is making me eat my words. I've been an RJ fan, but really didn't think he was performing better than Iraola. RJ had a great game last night (except for 2 plays he did get beat kinda bad into the box by Piatti). Hopefully his injury isn't serious. But what happened to Iraola? I know he didn't play particularly well against Philly, but he has to be a better option than Ethan right?
• That last goal was crushing and heartbreaking. I have no clue what Saunders was trying to do there, he easily should have been able to stop it. And Ethan White did nothing, while both Mikey and TMac really didn't attempt to mark their guys either. That was abysmal.

 

[SoupInNYC]

Oh, and I am getting really tired of moral victories, but I thought we played very well last night against a very talented team.

 

[LeeNYCFC]

• I loved TMac out on the wing, I thought he provided us quite a lot out there for us and it opens up another midfield spot for us to get someone else in there (hopefully not Lopez next time). On the goal, I originally thought watching live that he got tangled up with the defender and the ball ricocheted back. Watching the replay of it, I then noticed he actually played the ball right back to RJ, what a play by TMac.
• I really like Khiry's game last night. He brought a lot of pace and displayed a ton of strength as well as some technical ability. There were still a few times when he had heavy touches or lost the ball, but I think without a doubt he's our guy on the RW. He was also running all over the place, and I definitely thought subbing him out around that time was the correct move by PV.

Loved this goal and that it came from 3 of our "non-star" players. I don't think it's any accident that it came from crisp early passes. But, am I alone in seeing T-Mac as more than a little offsides on the pass from Khiry?

 

[mgarbowski]

I'm one of those who was both encouraged by last night and completely gutted at the same time.

We again ruled possession but this time it did not appear it was so much because Montreal just let us have it. We mostly just outplayed them in significant stretches, and held even for almost all of the rest.
For all the criticism of Hernandez -- which I get -- our defense gave up one shot on goal in the run of play. He and Brillant have things figured out. Yes, I'd love a 6'3" stronger, smarter, faster defender with better skills, and if we get one I'm all for dumping him, but I can't complain about our defensive performance. We don't give up lots of shots generally. Our keeper OTOH lets about 50% of those SOGs to go in.
For all my bitching and criticism of our free kick defense, it is kind of freaky how successful other teams have been on them against us, but almost exclusively at YS. I also usually roll my eyes whenever someone here puts our failures down to bad luck (I really do), but I do think our performance defending free kicks this year has been bad form combined with, yes, poor luck.

 

[mgarbowski]

Loved this goal and that it came from 3 of our "non-star" players. I don't think it's any accident that it came from crisp early passes. But, am I alone in seeing T-Mac as more than a little offsides on the pass from Khiry?

It was at least close, and a good break for us it wasn't called. To turn it around, if it was called offsides, it would be hard to establish that he clearly was onsides.

 

[Goodfella]

The MLS continues to be a joke with its TV coverage. I have a subscription to Time Warner Cable and added the sports package to that. In addition, I subscribed to MLS Free Kick or whatever its called. Find out that game is tape delayed to midnight due to Yankee game (YES has to be able to sell the rights to this game to MSG or someone else, right?).

I don't want to wait until fucking midnight. So I fire up Fox Sports Go on my laptop (since both Apple TV and PS4 don't have Fox Sport Go apps) and log in. The game is blacked out for me there. I thought this was supposed to be the other option?????

So I attempt to fire up MLS Free Kick on the Apple TV and that is blacked out there too. I ended up using a VPN and firing up Free Kick on my laptop, so ended up able to watch it, but I imagine many others were not able to.

There HAS to be a better option here. Either YES gets those games live on another channel, FSGo actually works, and/or MLS Free Kick allows these local games to be broadcast, as there is not a live option.

Oh, and Apple TV and PS4 need FSGo apps. I know this really would not have helped last night, but wtf.

This may not be relevant to this thread, but it was my first bullet point for my post-match thoughts, and I ended up deciding this was a completely separate rant and needed its own post.

watched the whole game here live on streamup.com. great quality. it was all over twitter

 

[SoupInNYC]

Oh and one more note, since I was watching the game on my laptop, the audio wasn't that great, but you could hear the Third Rail getting some good chants in there.

Most notably though, the rush hour rally came in nice and strong, with an even more emphatic "Chicken Bucket" chant shortly after. I'm sure non-NYCFC fans watching the game and hearing that have to be like "WTF"?

 

[NYCFCfan]

Hey LionNYC did you hear what the hell it was Saunders was yelling at the end of the game? He ran up to the halfway line while NYCFC was lining up for a free kick and was yelling at the bench. Any idea what that was about?

 

[Tom in Fairfield CT]

I assume its the keeper who decides what kind of defense to play against a free kick?

Seemed kind of dumb at the time to try to be running an offsides trap against a free kick that deep. All it does is give them a running start at the goal. THought that one should have been played like a corner kick. oh well. I guess saunders is so good, we have to live or die with his performances.

 

[Ulrich]

Oh and one more note, since I was watching the game on my laptop, the audio wasn't that great, but you could hear the Third Rail getting some good chants in there.

Most notably though, the rush hour rally came in nice and strong, with an even more emphatic "Chicken Bucket" chant shortly after. I'm sure non-NYCFC fans watching the game and hearing that have to be like "WTF"?

The chicken bucket chant was really loud and easily heard from section 228

 

[Rimil]

Chilly Wednesday night. Not surprised at all. Probably 15-18k in the stands. That 23k number is just sold tickets, not actual butts in seats.

When i saw 23k go up on the board I said to myself no effin way, then i looked around and though, eh maybe it could be im not a professional people counter. But your comment has emboldened me. I am going back to no effin way. Such a lame way to count attendance. Its a mockery of a system.

A mockery of a system kind of like given 10% of merchandise to STH that is marked up 20% from what I can get at Modells (which in and of itself is marked up 80% from cost)

 

[Shotofjmoh]

Thought the atmosphere was definitely not as great as usual, but I'd chalk that up to it being a chilly April Wednesday night.

Absolutely horrible defense on that last free-kick.

 

[joe]

87': "This is the part where we give up a goal, right?"
90': "Dammit, I was joking!"

Lopez over Diskerud was inexplicable. Unless Mix is sick or hurt (unlikely since he's been subbed in both matches), I don't get why he didn't start. Lopez picked up another yellow and hasn't calibrated to MLS play.

RJ looked great. Hope the injury isn't serious.

We didn't create as many chances as we have been recently, but overall we were calm, composed, and in control. Until the last minute equalizer I was happy with the effort.

 

[engine46]

Hey LionNYC did you hear what the hell it was Saunders was yelling at the end of the game? He ran up to the halfway line while NYCFC was lining up for a free kick and was yelling at the bench. Any idea what that was about?

Someone asked PV this during the post-match interview. The answer was something along the lines of "he had a question about a strategy and it's something the staff needs to work on" or something like that.

 

[LeeNYCFC]

The chicken buckets were definitely on form last night. Coincidence that one went off at 20:15 or is that part of the plan?

 

[Goodfella]

When i saw 23k go up on the board I said to myself no effin way, then i looked around and though, eh maybe it could be im not a professional people counter. But your comment has emboldened me. I am going back to no effin way. Such a lame way to count attendance. Its a mockery of a system.

A mockery of a system kind of like given 10% of merchandise to STH that is marked up 20% from what I can get at Modells (which in and of itself is marked up 80% from cost)

tickets sold is the standard for counting attendance in all sports and leagues, we're not doing anything different. Given our presumed STH count of ~19K, our announced attendance will never dip below that. Something to keep in mind on the attendance guess threads

 

[SoupInNYC]

tickets sold is the standard for counting attendance in all sports and leagues, we're not doing anything different. Given our presumed STH count of ~19K, our announced attendance will never dip below that. Something to keep in mind on the attendance guess threads

But I don't think that is the standard for counting attendance in the NFL. For example, the Steelers have a long streak of continuous sellouts at Heinz Field, but the attendance numbers are always fluctuating from game to game. I'm sure this is the case at other NFL stadiums as well.