Nycfc V Columbus Crew - Postgame

[Kjbert]

Does Iraola really deserve to play right now? I can't think of a single positive thing he has done.

What I have learned this year is that MLS is a hell of a lot stronger of a league than anyone gives credit to it for being. The physicality of the league is close to the physicality of the Premier League. The overall talent and tactical skills aren't there but after watching guys like Pirlo and Lampard struggle - two guys who played UCL football last year - I'm convinced that the speed and physicality are as strong as any other league in the world. And that the run of the mill American player isn't too far behind his Italian or English counterpart.

 

[Tom in Fairfield CT]

Once again I have to question the balance of the squad. We have too many central midfielders and no wide players to give us balance. At this point I would seriously look at playing with three centre backs and using Iraola and Angelino as wing backs. This would give us width and allow us to play three in midfield and two up front without being too exposed.

For me Mix is working hard, but he is does not suit playing wide. Also I wouldn't play Pirlo and Lampard together, because they don't have the pace to defend against quicker opponents. So for me it is Lampard on the bench.

Poku and Mix should be the ones alongside Pirlo.

I also have to ask the question why Nemec is still at the club when he is completely out of the picture. Surely the club could have sorted a move to Europe and freed up a space to bring another striker in.

the roster construction on this team is so poorly thought out. to me the best formation is

---------Meara--------
-----Facey--Mena------
Iraola--------------Angelino-
----------Pirlo-------------
-----Mix--------Lampard---
---------Mcnamara--------
-------Poku-------Villa-----

We have no wide players, but Mix knows how to float all over the place and can play there as needed. Get AJ off the field and you limit the turnovers that put so much emergency defending on the back line. The team is built for the diamond, you have to play it.

 

[Tom in Fairfield CT]

interesting stats from whoscored.

Mena highest rated at 7.8.

Iraola top passer at 90% passing on 72 touches, second only to Pirlo (83 touches)

Saunders credited with 88% passing and 4/7 on long balls. (i didnt expect that)

Diskerud with passes setting up scoring chances, 2/2 on crosses 2/3 on long balls

Mena 5 interception, 4 blocked shots

Angelino 6 tackles, 5 interceptions.

Stats bear out we had a good game, unlucky to lose.

 

[william straiton]

the roster construction on this team is so poorly thought out. to me the best formation is

---------Meara--------
-----Facey--Mena------
Iraola--------------Angelino-
----------Pirlo-------------
-----Mix--------Lampard---
---------Mcnamara--------
-------Poku-------Villa-----

We have no wide players, but Mix knows how to float all over the place and can play there as needed. Get AJ off the field and you limit the turnovers that put so much emergency defending on the back line. The team is built for the diamond, you have to play it.

I can understand what you are saying in that respect. However, after watching Lampard and Pirlo playing together, I feel at this moment it is not ideal to play them together.

In your team I would have Poku alongside Mix and bring Mullins in to partner Villa

I believe the heat and pace of the game in the MLS, makes it a big risk to play Pirlo and Lampard in the same team at the moment.

 

[Kjbert]

I actually thought Lampard looked excellent in the first half. It's obvious his fitness isn't up. He played the #8 well. Go back to the 4-1-2-3 we started with except let Mix and Frank protect Pirlo in the hole. Put Mullins and Villa up top with Poku as a false 9. We looked great for stretches in the first half. Just couldn't finish.

Frank was in great shape before he got injured. Great shape. He can still play the #8. He played 90 min games as an 8 last year. You're telling me he got so old in 9 months that he can't play there anymore? Where he can't play is the #10. Doesn't suit him at all we've found.

 

[AJS]

I think there is a need to separate the January vs. July fiasco (very annoying, though inevitable, to me at least, upon reflection) and the recent injuries (frustrating, but they happen) from what we think Lampard can do going forward. The guy is a good player.

We can certainly debate how to best allocate the scarce resource that is three DP slots, but as long as he is on the team, we should be figuring out how to maximize his value, just like we should with the other top players on the team. I personally think he should be playing in the center of midfield and the idea that it is him or Poku as the CAM shouldn't be a choice we are required to make.

 

[Gene]

I actually thought Lampard looked excellent in the first half. It's obvious his fitness isn't up. He played the #8 well. Go back to the 4-1-2-3 we started with except let Mix and Frank protect Pirlo in the hole. Put Mullins and Villa up top with Poku as a false 9. We looked great for stretches in the first half. Just couldn't finish.

Frank was in great shape before he got injured. Great shape. He can still play the #8. He played 90 min games as an 8 last year. You're telling me he got so old in 9 months that he can't play there anymore? Where he can't play is the #10. Doesn't suit him at all we've found.

I think that's a rather fair analysis of the first 45 minutes of the match.

Lampard set up Mullins twice and on both occasions he should have found the back of the net. Although I'll admit Mullins not leaving his feet and sliding for the 1st set up is a classic second guess on my part, but putting the second attempt over the bar after another Lampard feed was a smh moment.

Lampard also had a shot blocked close in that if was able to get it off a split second sooner the defender wouldn't have deflected it and there's no way in hell Clark stops it.

Yeah, I know, woulda-coulda-shoulda moments and $2.75 gets you a Metro-Card, but the point being Lampard had an impact on the first half.

 

[gbservis]

I think that's a rather fair analysis of the first 45 minutes of the match.

Lampard set up Mullins twice and on both occasions he should have found the back of the net. Although I'll admit Mullins not leaving his feet and sliding for the 1st set up is a classic second guess on my part, but putting the second attempt over the bar after another Lampard feed was a smh moment.

Lampard also had a shot blocked close in that if was able to get it off a split second sooner the defender wouldn't have deflected it and there's no way in hell Clark stops it.

Yeah, I know, woulda-coulda-shoulda moments and $2.75 gets you a Metro-Card, but the point being Lampard had an impact on the first half.

You could tell he was still hesitant to go full speed and spent most of the game jogging. But he made up for his lack of speed with intelligent positioning and still had a positive impact on the game. He seemed to already have decent chemistry with his teammates. Hopefully with almost 2 weeks between games he can get healthy and have a bigger impact next game.

 

[Davo15]

Iraola seems border line lazy or lax. He might have come here expecting a holiday. I'm not a hardcore La Liga person but I'm guessing Bilbao had strong center backs and a good D Mid to cover for him getting forward so much.

With very few Americans making an impact in Europe currently I'm not sure I totally buy into us not being far behind the Europeans talent wise as much as I wish you were correct. First we are getting these guys older over here but I think a lot of it has to do with MLS Referees. We simply let our players get away with a lot more physicality than they would over in Europe. I honestly think there's a cultural thing in American soccer where we're trying to prove a point to the American casual fans who might be influenced by the anti-soccer "Soccer is for pussies " brigade by letting things that would be called fouls overseas go.

Does Iraola really deserve to play right now? I can't think of a single positive thing he has done.

What I have learned this year is that MLS is a hell of a lot stronger of a league than anyone gives credit to it for being. The physicality of the league is close to the physicality of the Premier League. The overall talent and tactical skills aren't there but after watching guys like Pirlo and Lampard struggle - two guys who played UCL football last year - I'm convinced that the speed and physicality are as strong as any other league in the world. And that the run of the mill American player isn't too far behind his Italian or English counterpart.

 

[Mikeylito]

Does Iraola really deserve to play right now? I can't think of a single positive thing he has done.

What I have learned this year is that MLS is a hell of a lot stronger of a league than anyone gives credit to it for being. The physicality of the league is close to the physicality of the Premier League. The overall talent and tactical skills aren't there but after watching guys like Pirlo and Lampard struggle - two guys who played UCL football last year - I'm convinced that the speed and physicality are as strong as any other league in the world. And that the run of the mill American player isn't too far behind his Italian or English counterpart.

la la la

 

[AJS]

Iraola seems border line lazy or lax. He might have come here expecting a holiday. I'm not a hardcore La Liga person but I'm guessing Bilbao had strong center backs and a good D Mid to cover for him getting forward so much.

With very few Americans making an impact in Europe currently I'm not sure I totally buy into us not being far behind the Europeans talent wise as much as I wish you were correct. First we are getting these guys older over here but I think a lot of it has to do with MLS Referees. We simply let our players get away with a lot more physicality than they would over in Europe. I honestly think there's a cultural thing in American soccer where we're trying to prove a point to the American casual fans who might be influenced by the anti-soccer "Soccer is for pussies " brigade by letting things that would be called fouls overseas go.

He's definitely been the biggest disappointment for me of all the new guys. Every time I watch him, I marvel that he was matching up against Ronaldo and Neymar earlier this year. My inclination is to give him a bit of a pass this year given that he basically game in straight from the European season and, to his credit, has been playing 90 minutes. And you can see the technical skills. Starting next year, though, I'd want to see us either getting more out of his forays forward and doing a better job of covering his back, or I'd probably rather just have a stay at home right back.

 

[Seth]

strong center backs and a good D Mid to cover for him getting forward so much.

To me this is the entire problem with our team this year (and applies to everyone, not just Iraola) and shows exactly where we're lacking.

Take Man City's match against Watford last weekend. The two central defenders were Kompany and Mangala. As opposed to Mena and Hernandez for us. Man City's only played four matches so far but nobody's scored on them.

We can't win without a good defense. Our offense is good, but our defense, not so much.

 

[william straiton]

I actually thought Lampard looked excellent in the first half. It's obvious his fitness isn't up. He played the #8 well. Go back to the 4-1-2-3 we started with except let Mix and Frank protect Pirlo in the hole. Put Mullins and Villa up top with Poku as a false 9. We looked great for stretches in the first half. Just couldn't finish.

Frank was in great shape before he got injured. Great shape. He can still play the #8. He played 90 min games as an 8 last year. You're telling me he got so old in 9 months that he can't play there anymore? Where he can't play is the #10. Doesn't suit him at all we've found.

The problem for Frank is that the injury has set him back, but also the conditions he is playing in at the MLS is very different from the UK. He was basically a sub for City in a very good team, coming on for the most part between the last 10 to 25 minutes.

Now people are looking for him to dominate games in a new team which has a very unbalanced squad.

He has never been that type of player. His forte has always been as an attacking midfielder with an eye for goal. For me it is either him or Poku and I prefer Poku at the moment.

 

[Kjbert]

Iraola seems border line lazy or lax. He might have come here expecting a holiday. I'm not a hardcore La Liga person but I'm guessing Bilbao had strong center backs and a good D Mid to cover for him getting forward so much.

With very few Americans making an impact in Europe currently I'm not sure I totally buy into us not being far behind the Europeans talent wise as much as I wish you were correct. First we are getting these guys older over here but I think a lot of it has to do with MLS Referees. We simply let our players get away with a lot more physicality than they would over in Europe. I honestly think there's a cultural thing in American soccer where we're trying to prove a point to the American casual fans who might be influenced by the anti-soccer "Soccer is for pussies " brigade by letting things that would be called fouls overseas go.

You need to remember that it's borderline impossible for an American to get a job in Europe playing soccer. Using Nat Borchers or Chad Marshall as an example - either of those guys could go make 500k-1 Mill playing in the Championship or lower level Prem. As an Everton fan, you can't tell me Distin and Alcaraz were better than either player last year.

The problem is that neither has USMNT experience and, thus, can't get a work visa to play overseas. No one ever talks about it but it's a big issue.

 

[mgarbowski]

You need to remember that it's borderline impossible for an American to get a job in Europe playing soccer. Using Nat Borchers or Chad Marshall as an example - either of those guys could go make 500k-1 Mill playing in the Championship or lower level Prem. As an Everton fan, you can't tell me Distin and Alcaraz were better than either player last year.

The problem is that neither has USMNT experience and, thus, can't get a work visa to play overseas. No one ever talks about it but it's a big issue.

Who is blocking the visas? Our government? The foreign countries?

 

[AJS]

Who is blocking the visas? Our government? The foreign countries?

I know England has its own rules which are pretty strict and, I think, apply to all non-UK or EU residents. I believe that is why Aguedelo could never get a work permit at Stoke.

I think other countries in Europe are less strict.

 

[S1ARK5]

You count on guys like Mullins to be competitive in this league. You need folks like him, like Mike Grella, like Dax, like Chris fucking Rolfe, like Justin Meram. Those are at least 50% of the margin where teams separate themselves.

Midas, I dont disagree with that, but Mike Grella, Dax McCarty, Justin Meram, are on a completely different level then Mullins, at this point in Mullins career, not to mention different type of players. I guess my point is this, do I think Mullins can be at his position what Dax is as a CDM? Absolutely not. Dax is one of the best midfielders in MLS. Can he be a Mike Grella? No, I think Grella has a better soccer sense and better ball skills, and is more of a threat. Not to mention Grella is not a forward. Justin Meram is a quasi forward but Meram is a very good player. He has decent speed, he has ball skills, and a good shot. I guess Mullins can MAYBE MAYBE grow into something like Meram but again I just don't see the skills Mullins has right now, growing into something like Meram. He is not fast, he doesn't see the field well. Mullins' touch is OK, I have seen him lay the ball for attacking players decently but again, is Mullins an awful player? No. Is he someone that NYCFC should have played since day one and have him start along side Villa? Absolutely not. Nothing he has done states that, or shows he was deserving of it. Is he one of our better attacking forwards on this team? YES, but again besides Villa, that is not saying much at all. I guess we have to agree to disagree. We have so many problems on this team.

 

[BxLio91]

How many consistent minutes has Mullins played in the last 3 months, or even the entire season, compared to Grella, Dax, or Meram? He's not in the same class as Dax but how is a 2nd year player supposed to improve and put in quality performance while rotting away on the bench?

 

[Gavin23]

How many consistent minutes has Mullins played in the last 3 months, or even the entire season, compared to Grella, Dax, or Meram? He's not in the same class as Dax but how is a 2nd year player supposed to improve and put in quality performance while rotting away on the bench?

Dont worry Kreis has a plan.....

 

[Gotham Gator]

I know everyone loves to think Kreis' post-game comments were about Lampard, but has anyone considered whether he was directing them (at least in part) at Iraola. He has been very inconsistent and gave up the turnover that led to the winning goal.