Montreal - Postmatch

[LionNYC]

It wasn't a perfect game but we picked up the win and a clean sheet in Montreal to remain in the hunt for the 2nd seed in the East. Jack Harrison with the lone goal of the game. Matarrita returned to action but was taken off late with an injury. Villa and Herrera also returned as substitutes. Vieira will want to see our players do better at finishing, maybe from Maxi Moralez who was predictable late in the game. Montreal gave us a lot of space and we left a lot of goals on the table.

https://twitter.com/x/status/913194053734461440

 

[NYCFCfan]

T O O
M A N Y
M I S S E D
C H A N C E S

That won't fly in the playoffs.

 

[Kjbert]

All things being equal - midweek - funky lineup - in the rain - on the road against a desperate squad - not bad.

I thought Moralez was the man of the match but he's frustrating in the final third. Tommy was useless. Looked gassed too. Matarrita did nothing for me tonight. I like the idea of Struna. I'm interested to see him over the next few weeks. Brillant was very good. Brick wall. Callens was good, not great. Harrison had one great moment and a terrific finish. Shelton was not good. Wallace played very well I thought except when he had an opportunity to score. Just finished poorly. Ring was good, not great.

Thought Herrera looked rusty and Villa too. Johnson had to make two good plays and made them. Very lucky to have him.

 

[SoupInNYC]

Brillant was fantastic. My MOTM behind Maxi. Harrison was very good. Wallace found himself in so many great places, and then wasted several chances by not being able to finish, and then the one set piece play that Ring played in he bumbled.

Struna didn't impress me really, but he didn't do anything that left me scratching my head. IMO, an upgrade over our other RBs.

 

[Seven]

Much better then the last few games. Remember that Montreal just put up 5 on Toronto. Getting a road shut out against them is great.

Finishing was very poor. Villa still looking a little rusty, but better then he looked against Houston.

Ring was MOTM for me, although Maxi and Callens/Brillant also deserve credit. Montreal's danger comes in their transition and quick counter, and Ring seemed to constantly show up to break that up.

Seemed weird that Mata didn't spend a lot of time forward. Was that a directive by PV to save his legs, or because Struna was forward so often? It made it that I kept forgetting Mata was even playing.

Tmac was invisible for most of the game. So nothing positive, but nothing negative.

Shelton had some good moments, but I still don't understand him being picked over Lewis. Is it just for his height and strength?

 

[Christopher Jee]

Positives –

• Harrison plays more like a DP when Villa isn't there. He makes those runs, backs himself with the ball, and gets shots on goal.
• Maxi had a lot of space to work in. Stade Saputo must have one of the biggest pitches in the league (confirmed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Major_League_Soccer_stadiums), and he really pulled the strings in the middle of the park.
• Callens and Brillant were rock solid.
• Johnson was massive again.
• Vieira went with the tried-and-true 4-3-3 / 4-5-1 and we looked a lot happier.
• Struna is just ever so slightly better than RJ or Ethan so far. It drives me crazy that he doesn't know what he wants to do with the ball until he's sure he's got it under control. So many runs go unmet down that right hand side. I will stop writing about this now before I have to move this bullet point into the Negatives.

Negatives –

• Ring, Villa, Herrera and Mata showed a lot of rust and don't have many games to find their form again.
• I really wish Maxi would show his vicious little teeth in and around the box.
• Mata limped off with the toothsome grin of a man who is about to give up on his body and his god.
• I really wanna know why Lewis can't beat Shelton into the line-up. While his hold-up play has improved, his decision-making and mental acuity is just horrible. At the end of the game he tried to take the ball into the corner but forgot that he had to shield it from the defender and sure enough dude gave it up. The expression on his face was priceless.
• Wallace's confidence in front of goal has fallen off a cliff.
• Somehow, with everything to play for, we're playing like we've been eliminated. Just so, so sloppy. Maybe we need El Guaje on the pitch to give our players a proper bollocking when they slip up. We were damper than the weather.

Bonus positive –

• At least we're not Montreal.

 

[Midas Mulligan]

Callens was my MOTM.

I think Maxi is a great player, always a 7 or 8 out of 10. If we don’t have terrible midfield signings all around him, he’s either a total standout or totally not a DP.

I’m thinking he may just not have the sort of edge I’d like for a NYC DP player. But I may be wrong.

I’ve been a big cheerleader of his, but for his contract, it’d be nice if he had 8 or 10 goals. It’s just hard to value him now because he’s forced to do so much and he’s been so valuable on both sides due to how weak we are in midfield without his 2 best partners.

I’m torn. We did seem to score a lot when he had Herrera in there.

I hope TPFKAU’s check tonight was fully donated to storm relief. And even if it wasn’t, it was a total write off/charity case, as he damn sure didn’t earn it. Sort of like his contract.

ETA: if that was rusty Mata, I’m pumped. So much better than we ever get out of sweat when it comes to more complex responsibilities and play patterns.

 

[canchon]

https://twitter.com/x/status/913218233897013248

 

[TabascoDiva]

A very nice Win! We needed it; We wanted it ; We got it!
Jack Harrison you are adorable ! Maxi Tu has ganado nuestros corazones .Capitan Villa we miss you and we still love you.

 

[JGarrettLieb]

https://twitter.com/x/status/913218233897013248

I thought we banned Aaros from the forums for being a NJRB homer and general tool?

 

[canchon]

I thought we banned Aaros from the forums for being a NJRB homer and general tool?

Yeah, I know...just liked that NYCFC will finish ahead of RBNJ for the first time. Still a tool.

 

[Marito]

No terrible performances tonight. Shelton is still Shelton. Wins balls unexpectedly through physicality and speed. Losses them through brain farts and poor first touch. The fact that the team played better with him in the lineup than 4 days ago with Pirlo says all we need to know about Pirlo. TMac looked more comfortable than in recent games because Montreal is slow and doesn't press. Ring superb. Maxi a real engine and very good pulling the strings, but it is true he refuses to take defenders 1-on-1 even when that's the only available option. Still one of our very vital cogs. Callens and Brillant impecable. Struna is a clear improvement at RB, especially in terms of comfort on the ball and decision making going forward. A rusty Mata is much better than Sweat. Wallace cannot score. Jack sure can.

 

[Midas Mulligan]

Struna is just ever so slightly better than RJ or Ethan so far.

Chris, my man. Is Australia ever so slightly farther than Canada?

To me, you are talking about a seasoned pro who is making sure we don’t give away dumb chances. I don’t think it’s close. You’re talking about a man who, while a journeyman, has always has a top flight job somewhere, versus a rec coach and a failed prospect who originally made the year 1 squad as a last chance saloon for him and us (the latter is the only one I even half-rate, btw, but I don’t like him as a player to be sure).

Struna looks like a guy who gets it. He’s not trying to prove his worth every touch or attack or tackle. He’s a man who has obviously had a career as a pro player. That’s light years to me.

Hands down, he’s the starter.

 

[Christopher Jee]

Chris, my man. Is Australia ever so slightly farther than Canada?

To me, you are talking about a seasoned pro who is making sure we don’t give away dumb chances. I don’t think it’s close. You’re talking about a man who, while a journeyman, has always has a top flight job somewhere, versus a rec coach and a failed prospect who originally made the year 1 squad as a last chance saloon for him and us (the latter is the only one I even half-rate, btw, but I don’t like him as a player to be sure).

Struna looks like a guy who gets it. He’s not trying to prove his worth every touch or attack or tackle. He’s a man who has obviously had a career as a pro player. That’s light years to me.

Hands down, he’s the starter.

Lol. I'd love for you to be right. He is a bit of a ballwatcher and his brain and feet are made of lumber. I think if Francis scored that header he would be getting skewered right now.

 

[Keith Putnam]

for his contract, it’d be nice if he had 8 or 10 goals

I doubt strongly that Maxi was signed with the intent that he would be scoring much on top of creating. He only scored 18 goals during his 5 seasons at Atalanta so his 5 for us this season is pretty close to par over his history.

While I take your point that you'd prefer his salary to be spent on someone who *would* be expected to score more, I presume the FO feels they're getting exactly what they paid for.

 

[Davo15]

Weird one tonight can't decide if it was more frustrating or satisfying..

Great to get a win after a loss and two draws where we blew leads.. but so frustrating that we never got the second to kill it off.

Shelton is just so frustrating his first touch is as bad as mine and I have no formal training. Tmac invisible and why the hell didn't he turn the arm band over?

Hope Mata is OK and would like to see Mata/ Struna as our fullbacks for the rest of the season including play offs though I do think Sweat is a decent option off the bench. RJ far less so.

If we can have Mata, Villa and Herrera healthy play off time we should be fine

If Wallace could finish he'd be very good instead of just good

If Maxi had the killer instinct and shot a little more he'd be one of the best players in the league instead of just very good

 

[The Toe]

Anyone know where Tommy is? I swore I saw his name in the lineup.

Boy do we need another DP forward. Anyone who can shoot, really. Getting frustrated with Wallace's inability to score even though he's put himself in pretty good spots. If it's not a gritty goal, he isn't going to make it, and that's something we have to deal with now. I think that's where our DP spot goes this winter. Maybe he can slide into a DM position, but he's just killed some of our best chances this year.

Maxi is so good, but needs to shoot, we all know this. But he finds great space in the middle of the field during transition and credit the back 5-6 who got him the ball consistently. We're at our best with Maxi on the ball and everyone running off of him.

Shelton's frustrating, but I thought he bossed a lot of the MTL back line, and even with his giveaways he played an above-average Khiry game by being physical. I think he's got some great stamina too.

Should have won 8-0.

 

[Midas Mulligan]

I doubt strongly that Maxi was signed with the intent that he would be scoring much on top of creating. He only scored 18 goals during his 5 seasons at Atalanta so his 5 for us this season is pretty close to par over his history.

While I take your point that you'd prefer his salary to be spent on someone who *would* be expected to score more, I presume the FO feels they're getting exactly what they paid for.

Well, if he's going to play 80% of the time as second highest man, he's got to be goal dangerous at least. He certainly can't wimp out when defenders dare him to take on a shot.

He's a very good player. I just wish he had more wow factor to his game. He has a world class touch and very high level passing game and surprising defensive work rate.

The question I was asking myself and everyone else is will we get more when we have a better midfield around him? That's what's important to me. No one can look great with all he is forced to do now. I just hope he adds goals once we have a more cohesive and competent pair alongside him.

I don't think he deserves harsh treatment, but he has squandered quite a few big chances this year.

I think he's just a very technical 8, in all honesty, but he's stuck in a jockey body. That can work alright so long as there's another 8 who's marauding forward and/or our wingers are giving us creativity and goals and final balls.

Frankly, I was just making the point that I think he's a good player, but I don't know if he's the right player for the role he's given. Don't know that he isn't, either, though.

 

[Seven]

Weird one tonight can't decide if it was more frustrating or satisfying..

Great to get a win after a loss and two draws where we blew leads.. but so frustrating that we never got the second to kill it off.

Shelton is just so frustrating his first touch is as bad as mine and I have no formal training. Tmac invisible and why the hell didn't he turn the arm band over?

Hope Mata is OK and would like to see Mata/ Struna as our fullbacks for the rest of the season including play offs though I do think Sweat is a decent option off the bench. RJ far less so.

If we can have Mata, Villa and Herrera healthy play off time we should be fine

If Wallace could finish he'd be very good instead of just good

If Maxi had the killer instinct and shot a little more he'd be one of the best players in the league instead of just very good

He actually tried to. He took it off and went to hand it to Villa when he subbed on, but Villa waved him off.

 

[mgarbowski]

Busy as hell with all sorts of stuff tonight so saw precious little, though I did manage to catch the goal live. Somehow also saw Khiry mangle the ball at least 4 times, which is pathetic given I only caught maybe 10 minutes. Also saw Wallace's missed finish and Maxi's poorly chosen and intercepted layoff to Villa at the end when he should have shot. And I agree with many who say was Tommy even in the game? He was less than invisible. Maxi and Ring looked great otherwise but this team is oh so frustrating right now. When oh when will we score more than one goal again? When oh when shall we ever have 3 DPs who can actually perform at a high level at the same time. It's been 3 years.

 

[Midas Mulligan]

Anyone know where Tommy is? I swore I saw his name in the lineup.

Boy do we need another DP forward. Anyone who can shoot, really. Getting frustrated with Wallace's inability to score even though he's put himself in pretty good spots. If it's not a gritty goal, he isn't going to make it, and that's something we have to deal with now. I think that's where our DP spot goes this winter. Maybe he can slide into a DM position, but he's just killed some of our best chances this year.

Maxi is so good, but needs to shoot, we all know this. But he finds great space in the middle of the field during transition and credit the back 5-6 who got him the ball consistently. We're at our best with Maxi on the ball and everyone running off of him.

Shelton's frustrating, but I thought he bossed a lot of the MTL back line, and even with his giveaways he played an above-average Khiry game by being physical. I think he's got some great stamina too.

Should have won 8-0.

I agree with everything, but I would only want to use a DP slot on a winger if he's a striker, too.

Not sure that works in our 451 we call a 433, as a player with striker instincts is going to get Mixed by PV.

If we change formations, by all means, I could be sold on a DP 9.5/winger.

But I don't know if it's the best thing given what we've spent on getting Lewis. I still lean towards a strong all-around mid, in tdhe mold of Dzemaili. I like his game a lot for MLS.