Orlando Postmatch

[Midas Mulligan]

Not liked for failure to make inappropriate but humorous use of the Spoiler tag.

Foiled by my own disappointment.

It really is uncanny that most any chance we have to give to give the #mlstruthers ammo, we do. I mean, damn. It's so improbable and inevitable all at once. It'll really be fun when the wheels come off while Mullins drops a brace.

 

[SayWhat44]

Game sucked was hard to watch. Not much to say but at least it's over. Better step it up on Thursday.

 

[LeeNYCFC]

That was an ugly affair.
Saunders stinks.
Hernandez at RB is a tactical gift to everyone we play.
Lampard had one decent moment "setting up" the goal and was outpaced (by teammates and opposition) and useless the entire rest of the game.

 

[PaddingtonB.]

Blah

 

[ZYanksRule]

Agree with all except the last paragraph. This was a pointless loss against a hapless team where we gifted two goals.

Saunders should be fired on the spot and forced to find his own way home. Hell, let's set up a gofundme to buy his ass out. He's horrendous.

For any SOB who wants to ask how long I'll keep posting how shit he is, don't. You know the answer: So long as he plays.

I feel like you're reacting as if this is last year. It's not. We're not desperate for points like we were last year. For all intents and purposes, barring a relatively historic collapse, we're in the playoffs. In October and hopefully November, this result doesn't matter. Do you really think, when the chips are in the middle of the table, NYCFC can't beat this Orlando team? This loss is not fatal. It's annoying, it's a loss that shouldn't have happened, but there's no reason to overreact.

 

[mgarbowski]

Do you really think, when the chips are in the middle of the table, NYCFC can't beat this Orlando team?

Our record against NY-RB this year is better than against Orlando.

 

[Midas Mulligan]

I feel like you're reacting as if this is last year. It's not. We're not desperate for points like we were last year. For all intents and purposes, barring a relatively historic collapse, we're in the playoffs. In October and hopefully November, this result doesn't matter. Do you really think, when the chips are in the middle of the table, NYCFC can't beat this Orlando team? This loss is not fatal. It's annoying, it's a loss that shouldn't have happened, but there's no reason to overreact.

I feel like you're blowing sunshine up my ass. I understand the implications and why we lost.

And it is most probably fatal to SS, which I didn't even mention so thanks for reminding us all.

I fail to see the overreaction. We lost a critical game in the middle of a push for a trophy, one that we should have won with an average performance. We now look shaky for a first round bye.

You said the same thing I did, but you want to characterize that as not a problem. That's fine. But I think you're wrong. You shouldn't lose this kind of game, especially in that manner.

 

[SKY]

I have not seen us play this bad since the 7-0 redbull loss. The passing was piss poor. We had no movement, no urgency the whole game. Man of the match for me was Mata. He is so good! The players that took a dump on this game are the following:

Villa: Awful game, nothing more needs to be said.
Hernandez: Awful game, but we all knew this about him, he is not a good MLS player and not even MLS quality on the as an RB. Why he keeps starting there is beyond me.
TmAc: Way to blow a big opportunity for yourself with Klinsmann watching. He was invisible.
Mendoza: I don't care about the goal. His passing was so off, his decision making was awful.
Saunders: He should have done better with that first goal but I won't put the blame on him. He is who he is. As we we all know Saunders has no shot saving any PKs. His diving and push with his legs is AWFUL. He just dives like a dead dolphin. By no means is this game on Saunders but he was his usual self in this game. His one good play was his HAND distribution to Mendoza.
Patrick V: Why the fuck didn't Jack start this game, or at the very least get subbed in for Tmac to start the second half??????? Why the fuck are you starting Hernandez every game at RB???????

Lampard: was ho hum, nothing great, had a couple of decent shots but nothing special. Same with Pirlo.

Tony Taylor: Holy fuck, awful touches, did nothing off the bench to help us.
Chanot: Bad PK on Kaka, but again he was out of position because he was not expecting Hernandez to dilly dolly with the ball near his box like that. FUCKING Hernandez!!!!!
Mena: Got torched by Kaka, as expected, that lead to that first goal.

Overall, this was a total team effort in sucking. From the coaching staff to the players just awful. Like I said before guys. We will be making the playoffs but with our defense and Saunders, we aren't doing shit.

I was actually very surprised Kaka turned the corner on Mena. He has shut down much faster. Credit to the strength of Kaka. Super annoying goal, however.

 

[roxfontaine]

Do you really think, when the chips are in the middle of the table, NYCFC can't beat this Orlando team? This loss is not fatal. It's annoying, it's a loss that shouldn't have happened, but there's no reason to overreact.

We know that they can beat anyone. We have been shown repeatedly that they won't.

Look... I get all of the "rational" arguments: It's one game, we're a much better team this year, we have 41 points, it won't matter when...

This team does not have a chip on it's shoulder. Whenever we run into a team that does, for whatever reason, we lose. Orlando is trash. We beat them once last year with their current coach. Their team is the same as last year. We go back to them just after Kreis is at the helm and LOSE when they are trying to climb out of the dumpster, haven't won shit since Kreis came in and we are in position to make serious noise in our second season!

This is New York City. We better get a chip on our shoulder about something or we're going to continually be embarrassed by teams that keep one for us.

 

[Viewfrom226]

For those who revel in such drama, the three players that appeared to make a concerted effort to shake hands with Kreis after the game were Lampard, Pirlo and Allen. I snapped a quick photo of the PV-Kreis hug after the game below.

Poor performance pretty much all around in a game that had very little good play on either side and some absolutely epic rain for the first ten minutes that made the subsequent 80 more painful to watch.

Our schedule should hopefully position us for a decent finish if we take care of business, but our performances in the road over the past two months pretty have eliminated most any margin for error at home. So, we are like everyone else in the league I guess.

Mendoza pulled his hamstring at the end which is at least part of why he didn't make the run when Villa tried to cut the ball back to him late in the game from the top of the box. By the whistle, he was just standing at midfield with it wrapped. So, he is almost certainly out Thursday and it is an interesting choice as to whether Taylor or Shelton is first off the bench. I'd go Shelton, but it is probably a case of something I said very early in the season which is that my preference among our wingers is often inversely related to how much they've played recently.

Also, not sure if this came through on TV, but when Hernandez was subbed off, they first put up Villa's number, which led to some comically incredulous looks from Villa and Lampard as Villa passed him the armband.

Finally, there was a great rainbow before the game before the deluge. From there, it was largely downhill.

 

[ZYanksRule]

We know that they can beat anyone. We have been shown repeatedly that they won't.

Look... I get all of the "rational" arguments: It's one game, we're a much better team this year, we have 41 points, it won't matter when...

This team does not have a chip on it's shoulder. Whenever we run into a team that does, for whatever reason, we lose. Orlando is trash. We beat them once last year with their current coach. Their team is the same as last year. We go back to them just after Kreis is at the helm and LOSE when they are trying to climb out of the dumpster, haven't won shit since Kreis came in and we are in position to make serious noise in our second season!

This is New York City. We better get a chip on our shoulder about something or we're going to continually be embarrassed by teams that keep one for us.

I'm really not sure if chip on the shoulder is the way I'd put it. A team trying to claw its way into the playoffs is always going to play with a little more edge and intensity than the team that's pretty safely in. That's just the way it is. The team that needs to win often does so against a team that wants to win. Hopefully home-field advantage overcomes that against DC.

I think we've seen this team play with that chip on its shoulder throughout the season. They've scratched and clawed all year to win games they had no business winning, to take results when they shouldn't have, to rebound from humiliation. How many times can we really say they played terribly this season? This is the fourth one I can remember (the two RBNJ games and the SKC game). Aside from those four games, they've had a pretty fun season. So yes, I'm not terribly annoyed with this loss. A game like this is going to happen from time to time, and we've seen this group's ability to bounce back from rough losses. I trust they'll do the same on Thursday.

 

[NickA]

We know that they can beat anyone. We have been shown repeatedly that they won't.

Look... I get all of the "rational" arguments: It's one game, we're a much better team this year, we have 41 points, it won't matter when...

This team does not have a chip on it's shoulder. Whenever we run into a team that does, for whatever reason, we lose. Orlando is trash. We beat them once last year with their current coach. Their team is the same as last year. We go back to them just after Kreis is at the helm and LOSE when they are trying to climb out of the dumpster, haven't won shit since Kreis came in and we are in position to make serious noise in our second season!

This is New York City. We better get a chip on our shoulder about something or we're going to continually be embarrassed by teams that keep one for us.

Couldn't agree more. I kind of knew we'd lose this game, because we seem to lose hype games like this. Patrick at half said they need to stop playing pretty, but instead be gritty...he was 100% right. When teams get that mojo aggressor thing going we never match it. We don't have that 'chip' as you say. We started ok but then we let them bully us. Maybe Bravo or Mikey could have helped with that. Nocerino was pushing people around in the midfield and that was messing with our short passing.

 

[Midas Mulligan]

Yet another game where an active box to box would have been helpful. If only we had one somewhere...

R roxfontaine you said what I meant by us always playing into the hands of #mlstruthers. That's what frustrates me as much as dropping points to that "team", which is essentially Kaka and 10 other dudes. Their backline is literally USL.

 

[JayH]

Mata's ball-watching skills unfortunately continue to be on point. I am afraid that his lack of awareness (which is amplified due to his bombing) forces PV to rationalize that he must play JH instead of RJ. It's a defensive double whammy.

 

[JayH]

And Villa's headband no doubt also contributed to that loss in some way.

 

[ktdNYCFC]

Mata's ball-watching skills unfortunately continue to be on point. I am afraid that his lack of awareness (which is amplified due to his bombing) forces PV to rationalize that he must play JH instead of RJ. It's a defensive double whammy.

I agree that the Hernandez at RB thing is probably closely related to Mata playing more like a wingback than a fullback, but let's not forget it would have been 4-1 if not for Mata being the only one able to get back and pick Larin's pocket all night long. I don't think Mata get's enough credit. He contributes to the attack like a modern fullback should, and he clearly can get back when it's needed. Hernandez, on the other hand, is infuriating. Hopefully that experiment is over now that he's caused enough of a catastrophic clusterfuck to force some change. PV needs to realize that he's more of a liability at RB than a helpful defensive presence used to balance out Mata. I know Iraola has been solid for us in midfield, but maybe it's time to put him back out wide and let Bravo run amok again.

Edit: I'm not sure why I used the term "run amok," and it seemed weird and out of place, until I wiki'd it and found out that it's actually spot on in reference to Bravo:

 

[Gotham Gator]

This was a hugely disappointing result. Not acceptable given the opponent and their mid-week game. I know soccer can be that way sometimes, but we can't afford this any longer. At the end of the season we may look back on our 1 point from 3 games against Orlando and rue all the missed opportunities. Thursday is now must win, and DC is a hot team.

I also don't get all the hand-wringing over Saunders after this one. Mena might as well have held out a red cape for Kaka to run through, and Chanot's foul was both clumsy and stupid. Our two expensive, mid-season signings to shore up the defense basically gave the game away.

We know that they can beat anyone. We have been shown repeatedly that they won't.

Look... I get all of the "rational" arguments: It's one game, we're a much better team this year, we have 41 points, it won't matter when...

This team does not have a chip on it's shoulder. Whenever we run into a team that does, for whatever reason, we lose. Orlando is trash. We beat them once last year with their current coach. Their team is the same as last year. We go back to them just after Kreis is at the helm and LOSE when they are trying to climb out of the dumpster, haven't won shit since Kreis came in and we are in position to make serious noise in our second season!

This is New York City. We better get a chip on our shoulder about something or we're going to continually be embarrassed by teams that keep one for us.

I actually think there is a lot to the chip-on-the-shoulder reasoning. Coach V is positioning us as the elite team that plays as if it expects to win - cool, composed and confident. That's fine, and it has served us at times, but soccer in particular rewards effort and desire. It is why the chippy team across the Hudson consistently punches above its weight. I do think the are times we play like this - when we were fighting to get past our early winless streak for instance, but it has been a while.

For those who revel in such drama, the three players that appeared to make a concerted effort to shake hands with Kreis after the game were Lampard, Pirlo and Allen. I snapped a quick photo of the PV-Kreis hug after the game below.

Not sure if you noticed, but just before kickoff, Villa ran into the Orlando huddle and gave Kreis a hug.

Sorry about the rain and the result. Hopefully, some time in the Magic Kingdom will make things up to Leah.

I brought my daughter home today and put her into her City onesie I overpaid for at the stadium and got ready to watch our first game together. Minutes before the game, she had an overfilled diaper and the onesie was no more. I knew then we had no shot of winning today. I even considered throwing it into the wash real quick and having it ready for later in the game, but I was way too tired.
Next time i'll wait for the kickoff to put it on her.

Dude, thanks for this one. I almost didn't even look at this thread I was so pissed, but this post is the reason I am glad I did. Congrats to you. Hopefully, we will turn things on at playoff time, and you can get that onesie signed and framed (after cleaning it, of course).

And I agree that the Great Soiling was a definitive sign of what was coming. Not only was the virgin NYCFC garment dirtied, but recognize how it was spoiled - kaka running all over the place, unchecked and uncontained. A perfect metaphor for what was about to unfold.

 

[Viewfrom226]

Not sure if you noticed, but just before kickoff, Villa ran into the Orlando huddle and gave Kreis a hug.

Sorry about the rain and the result. Hopefully, some time in the Magic Kingdom will make things up to Leah.

Thanks. Hadn't caught that.

 

[JayH]

I agree that the Hernandez at RB thing is probably closely related to Mata playing more like a wingback than a fullback, but let's not forget it would have been 4-1 if not for Mata being the only one able to get back and pick Larin's pocket all night long. I don't think Mata get's enough credit. He contributes to the attack like a modern fullback should, and he clearly can get back when it's needed. Hernandez, on the other hand, is infuriating. Hopefully that experiment is over now that he's caused enough of a catastrophic clusterfuck to force some change. PV needs to realize that he's more of a liability at RB than a helpful defensive presence used to balance out Mata. I know Iraola has been solid for us in midfield, but maybe it's time to put him back out wide and let Bravo run amok again.

Edit: I'm not sure why I used the term "run amok," and it seemed weird and out of place, until I wiki'd it and found out that it's actually spot on in reference to Bravo:

View attachment 5655

Yeah, I am still a really big fan of Mata and what he brings. He just does a lot of terrible ball watching and has some issues with his positioning. He does have the speed to recover in many cases, but part of it is the fact that he blundered in the first place (and other times because he rightfully made a great run). These have always been his flaws. His upside way outweighs his warts. JH is an entirely different story ugh.

 

[Taurus]

Thought Mendoza had a decent game but still would like to see Jack start over him.

Would like to see RJ at right back, making those flank runs.

Now here's the big one with controversy. When Brillant is not available, Mena still has not sold me on his ability yet and I would rather have Hernandez at center back.