Montreal Postmatch

[ktdNYCFC]

My conclusion is that if you love Frank's unconventional goals, that is fine, but we need to pull a player from somewhere else to link the back 6 to the front three. Frank should be a recessed forward or a very advanced CAM, with a CM behind him.

I wonder how much the drop in possession can be attributed to Harrison's takeover. It seems we love to use him (or Villa) for the fast break. He's great on the ball, but he doesn't fuck around. He gets right up in any defender's face, puts them on their ass, and puts it where it needs to be. With him on the field we just aren't passing it around aimlessly like we were when we didn't want to give the ball to Khiry.

 

[Tom in Fairfield CT]

View attachment 5335

I wonder how much the drop in possession can be attributed to Harrison's takeover. It seems we love to use him (or Villa) for the fast break. He's great on the ball, but he doesn't fuck around. He gets right up in any defender's face, puts them on their ass, and puts it where it needs to be. With him on the field we just aren't passing it around aimlessly like we were when we didn't want to give the ball to Khiry.

That is a pretty good option, and I think our recent winning ways can be directly attributed to Pirlo's otherworldly ability to bypass the CM and drop balls to the feet of the forwards. BUT, we tried that as the only option before Iraola came into the DMC role and Pirlo can be shut down if the opponent keys on that. If we can't move it upfield any other way than Pirlo's long balls, we are screwed.

 

[ktdNYCFC]

That is a pretty good option, and I think our recent winning ways can be directly attributed to Pirlo's otherworldly ability to bypass the CM and drop balls to the feet of the forwards. BUT, we tried that as the only option before Iraola came into the DMC role and Pirlo can be shut down if the opponent keys on that. If we can't move it upfield any other way than Pirlo's long balls, we are screwed.

I know of a certain other long-haired individual who could work the ball from our box to theirs if he gets his shit together...

 

[Vallos]

 

[Kjbert]

What's wrong with Matarrita?

 

[CCMore]

I know of a certain other long-haired individual who could work the ball from our box to theirs if he gets his shit together...

Macnamullet?

 

[ktdNYCFC]

Macnamullet?

 

[engine46]

What's wrong with Matarrita?

No one knows. I don't think he traveled to Montreal, but I could be wrong.

 

[FootyLovin]

What pass do you mean? I know he had a big tackle, but I just don't recall a particular pass.

It wasn't long after he came on. He was on the left about a third of the way upfield and crossed it forward. Basically put it in stride for Jack at about 2/3 of the way upfield. It was a fantastic change of field along with great forward momentum. When it happened I remember immediately saying that was the best pass he's made for NYCFC. Should have led to something.

 

[Tom in Fairfield CT]

View attachment 5336

for possession, it really didn't matter who was playing CM, Mix or Lopez, its 58% for both of them.
for shots, with Mix at CM we create 17 shots per game, Lopez we create 14.

 

[ktdNYCFC]

What's wrong with Matarrita?

No one knows. I don't think he traveled to Montreal, but I could be wrong.

Apparently he picked up a knock in Kansas City.

NYCFC Notes: Matarrita, Shelton injured, defense reshuffles
http://www.empireofsoccer.com/nycfc-notes-matarrita-shelton-injured-defense-reshuffles-51149/

 

[Midas Mulligan]

It wasn't long after he came on. He was on the left about a third of the way upfield and crossed it forward. Basically put it in stride for Jack at about 2/3 of the way upfield. It was a fantastic change of field along with great forward momentum. When it happened I remember immediately saying that was the best pass he's made for NYCFC. Should have led to something.

Good call. That was a great pass.

 

[Gotham Gator]

Apparently he picked up a knock in Kansas City.

NYCFC Notes: Matarrita, Shelton injured, defense reshuffles
http://www.empireofsoccer.com/nycfc-notes-matarrita-shelton-injured-defense-reshuffles-51149/

Mata had a slight ankle injury going into the last New Jersey game, which put him on the bench, although he eventually cam in as a sub. He started against New England and then against KC, but was subbed off at halftime, apparently because he aggravated the ankle injury. He was described as probably being okay to go in this past weekend's game, so hopefully he will be back 100% for Sunday.

 

[ktdNYCFC]

I wonder how much the drop in possession can be attributed to Harrison's takeover. It seems we love to use him (or Villa) for the fast break. He's great on the ball, but he doesn't fuck around. He gets right up in any defender's face, puts them on their ass, and puts it where it needs to be. With him on the field we just aren't passing it around aimlessly like we were when we didn't want to give the ball to Khiry.

As much as I hate how much he seems to hate us, Doyle seems to agree with me: http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2016/07/17/armchair-analyst-price-hope-mannehs-missed-more-week-19

"It's Harrison who's most changed the team, however, because of his ability to get out on the break and turn those fleeting moments when he gets on the ball into devastating, game-ending displays of ruthlessness. He put Ambroise Oyongo in the blender this weekend, and the Cameroon international's not getting out. Oyongo is a full Cameroon international in the prime of his career at age 25, and Harrison just ruined him.

Obviously it's hard to ignore the 19-year-old Englishman's quick feet and great balance, as well as his soft first touch. More telling, though, is that second touch -- he takes it directly forward and puts Oyongo back on his heels as soon as possible, dictating where the encounter would take place.

Young players (and some veterans, as Dom Oduro showed repeatedly) often have to slow the game down for a moment or three before making their decisions. Harrison doesn't do that because he knows that those first moments are where you can turn a 3% advantage into a 30% advantage, and bending odds like that is how you win the game in the long run.

Beyond that individual bit, there is this: NYCFC are holding the ball much deeper in the past two months since he arrived. Back at the start of the season they were guilty of trying to drive the ball into the final third and keep it there for the duration of every possession. Now with Lampard and Harrison available, they're more more likely to try to get out into the open field and kill teams on the counter or in transition. They're rocketized, by way of England, and with Pirlo pulling the strings that's a deadly plan."

Apologies for the wall of text, but it's not every day Doyle bites his tongue and says something nice about us.

 

[Gotham Gator]

As much as I hate how much he seems to hate us, Doyle seems to agree with me: http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2016/07/17/armchair-analyst-price-hope-mannehs-missed-more-week-19

"It's Harrison who's most changed the team, however, because of his ability to get out on the break and turn those fleeting moments when he gets on the ball into devastating, game-ending displays of ruthlessness. He put Ambroise Oyongo in the blender this weekend, and the Cameroon international's not getting out. Oyongo is a full Cameroon international in the prime of his career at age 25, and Harrison just ruined him.

Obviously it's hard to ignore the 19-year-old Englishman's quick feet and great balance, as well as his soft first touch. More telling, though, is that second touch -- he takes it directly forward and puts Oyongo back on his heels as soon as possible, dictating where the encounter would take place.

Young players (and some veterans, as Dom Oduro showed repeatedly) often have to slow the game down for a moment or three before making their decisions. Harrison doesn't do that because he knows that those first moments are where you can turn a 3% advantage into a 30% advantage, and bending odds like that is how you win the game in the long run.

Beyond that individual bit, there is this: NYCFC are holding the ball much deeper in the past two months since he arrived. Back at the start of the season they were guilty of trying to drive the ball into the final third and keep it there for the duration of every possession. Now with Lampard and Harrison available, they're more more likely to try to get out into the open field and kill teams on the counter or in transition. They're rocketized, by way of England, and with Pirlo pulling the strings that's a deadly plan."

Apologies for the wall of text, but it's not every day Doyle bites his tongue and says something nice about us.

I saw this, and have thought this for some time now. Harrison has really changed the dynamic on the team for the better.

I have worried that teams are onto him - not only that they are paying more attention to shutting him down, but that they are scouting him and more aware of his weaknesses, and so he won't be as effective going forward. Still, to the extent teams are keying on him, it only opens up space for everyone else. Plus, as we saw yesterday, Harrison can still make teams pay with just a sliver of an opening.

As for Doyle, I am okay with him. He has already issued a mea culpa for his earlier skepticism that had people here all riled up. I don't expect pundits to get it right all the time, so long when they don't, they own up to their mistakes.

 

[Gotham Gator]

It wasn't long after he came on. He was on the left about a third of the way upfield and crossed it forward. Basically put it in stride for Jack at about 2/3 of the way upfield. It was a fantastic change of field along with great forward momentum. When it happened I remember immediately saying that was the best pass he's made for NYCFC. Should have led to something.

Good call. That was a great pass.

Are you guys referring to the one that was just a few seconds after his excellent tackle? If so, it was a very good pass. Not sure I would call it a great pass. It was a little heavily weighted, so Harrison didn't quite get it in stride, but it was dangerous and had the Impact scrambling back. Contrast it with an almost identical pass in the 70th minute by Villa. That pass was dead on and nearly led to a goal. Still, it was a solid effort by Mikey, displaying the kind of vision and creativity that many here seem to think he lacks. I thought he played well yesterday, overall.

 

[JayH]

I will go on the record as on team Mikey. I will also go on record that I am neither on team Kim nor team Taylor, and am, in fact, on the team that is not on the team of anyone who is actually on either team. For some strange reason I was actually iso-watching Mikey last night even when he was off the ball (to the extent possible) and thought that his positioning was fine, he was plugging holes and being an effective pest. That's what PV certainly asked him to do, and he seemed to do a decent job of it. PV keeps using him in that role so he's obviously satisfied that Mikey is doing what he has asked. We all know what happens to the players who don't follow PV's directives, as he is not shy about sending said players to the Chateau Bow Wow. He will shank a shot or two, break an ankle or two, but also seemingly effectively be a positive hindrance. I don't get the hate.

 

[Ulrich]

As much as I hate how much he seems to hate us, Doyle seems to agree with me: http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2016/07/17/armchair-analyst-price-hope-mannehs-missed-more-week-19

"It's Harrison who's most changed the team, however, because of his ability to get out on the break and turn those fleeting moments when he gets on the ball into devastating, game-ending displays of ruthlessness. He put Ambroise Oyongo in the blender this weekend, and the Cameroon international's not getting out. Oyongo is a full Cameroon international in the prime of his career at age 25, and Harrison just ruined him.

Obviously it's hard to ignore the 19-year-old Englishman's quick feet and great balance, as well as his soft first touch. More telling, though, is that second touch -- he takes it directly forward and puts Oyongo back on his heels as soon as possible, dictating where the encounter would take place.

Young players (and some veterans, as Dom Oduro showed repeatedly) often have to slow the game down for a moment or three before making their decisions. Harrison doesn't do that because he knows that those first moments are where you can turn a 3% advantage into a 30% advantage, and bending odds like that is how you win the game in the long run.

Beyond that individual bit, there is this: NYCFC are holding the ball much deeper in the past two months since he arrived. Back at the start of the season they were guilty of trying to drive the ball into the final third and keep it there for the duration of every possession. Now with Lampard and Harrison available, they're more more likely to try to get out into the open field and kill teams on the counter or in transition. They're rocketized, by way of England, and with Pirlo pulling the strings that's a deadly plan."

Apologies for the wall of text, but it's not every day Doyle bites his tongue and says something nice about us.

The intern wrote that when Doyle went to the bathroom.

 

[Viewfrom226]

I have worried that teams are onto him - not only that they are paying more attention to shutting him down, but that they are scouting him and more aware of his weaknesses, and so he won't be as effective going forward. Still, to the extent teams are keying on him, it only opens up space for everyone else. Plus, as we saw yesterday, Harrison can still make teams pay with just a sliver of an opening.

I liked the Lampard quote on Harrison yesterday which basically said that, as a winger, you sometimes have games where not that much happens. It is the nature of the position. You just cannot dictate a game in the way that more central players can. However, even if it is one of those days where not that much is happening down that side:

(1) As you note, a winger can affect the play by stretching the defense without the ball
(2) When you get your chance, you need to bury it, which he did it absolutely stunning form yesterday.

Also, to pile on to another topic which I firmly agree with, playing Hernandez/White behind him is not going to help. He is the perfect inverted winger. You know what goes well with that? An overlapping fullback.

One of the things that was interesting about the recent Montreal matches is that, when they played RSL, Wingert was playing right back. He, of course, never gets forward. When they played Portland, Alves Powell had a number of runs to the byline. Granted Montreal was rotating their fullbacks for the midweek match, but I was hoping we'd take advantage of that, particularly once Piatti was out and there potentially less need to play conservatively at RB. Didn't happen because of the personnel.

I'm not going to expect him to sustain the current run of statistical and highlight reel contribution, but I would like to see him with a real FB behind him.

 

[Gotham Gator]

We all know what happens to the players who don't follow PV's directives, as he is not shy about sending said players to the Chateau Bow Wow.

Excellent! I am calling it this from now on!