Is there any sort of statistical evidence that supports David Lee’s claim that our team ‘can compete with every team in the league’.
Last call for mailbag questions
Do you have a reference for that quote?
Recent Q&A video, 6:45
I've really lost the enthusiasm I've had for the club. Even when we score, I'm in the same mood as we concede. Give me reasons to be happy, optimistic, and excited for the rest of 2025 or even 2026 and beyond.
Over/under on Carrizo minutes in 2025?
Over/under on Carrizo minutes in 2025?
Mailbag out: Pigeon Post: Hope, Hype, and Harsh Truths Edition
Beautiful stuff from beautiful people. Thanks for this. Very insightful, specifically liked all the tactical analyses and their relations to the players (and a lot of emphasis on Ojeda in this, I noticed lol)
Made a quick video breaking down how Pascal looked to break down Philly's press and how Keaton Parks was integral in doing that.
That, and Keaton's ability to draw defenders in to help create space elsewhere (something he's talked in the past about doing), leads to the game-winning goal.
www.theoutfield.nyc
That, and Keaton's ability to draw defenders in to help create space elsewhere (something he's talked in the past about doing), leads to the game-winning goal.
Small Windows Open Big Chances
Pascal Jansen breaks down the strategy behind breaking Philadelphia’s high press, while Keaton Parks brings it to life on the pitch— setting the stage for Alonso Martinez's decisive goal.
www.theoutfield.nyc
Sweet. Excellent breakdown, and might I say, it's awesome to have our Big Bird playing his game again.Made a quick video breaking down how Pascal looked to break down Philly's press and how Keaton Parks was integral in doing that.
That, and Keaton's ability to draw defenders in to help create space elsewhere (something he's talked in the past about doing), leads to the game-winning goal.
Small Windows Open Big Chances
Pascal Jansen breaks down the strategy behind breaking Philadelphia’s high press, while Keaton Parks brings it to life on the pitch— setting the stage for Alonso Martinez's decisive goal.
I'm finding it increasingly difficult to not think Parks was stultified in Cushing's last season. I'm not exactly sure why. But I suspect those games when he looked to be at a jog had more to do with his assignment than his own preferred style of play.
I think Pascal has liberated Keaton's game. He's found his Bulletproof Man.
I'm also (somewhat serious, somewhat joking) wondering if Keaton is finally getting better sleep and performing better because of it. He has an almost two-year old son and I'm sure sleep during the 2024 season and back half of 2023 season was tough. Perhaps his son is old enough now to be giving him much better sleep?
I'm considering asking him about it but not quite sure how to approach asking that question.
That would be a great question for an in-depth sit-down.
I’d also be interested to know if his health played a role in it, both in terms of his recovery timeline and from a confidence standpoint. Keaton went through a lot with the blood clot issues, and the fact that the clots returned a year after his first surgery could have weighed heavily on him. It’s possible that concern about them coming back, whether consciously or subconsciously, caused him to hold back a bit on the field.
I've been saying this for the past two years!
Really good point. I've thought of this, too. I know I'd be treating my body a bit gingerly after experiences like those.
New from Paul Harvey on Aiden O'Neill: A Roo in Blue
Great article, O'Neill sounds very exciting. Although I am not sure I agree with the last lines:
Given that we are in the bottom half of the league in both goals scored and xG and they did nothing to improve the offense I think we are already the point where we should be questioning their commitment to winning. Historically players that we add in the second window arrive too late to have a meaningful impact on the season. By not addressing the offensive issues this window they have essentially punted on the season. That's 2 out of the last 3 years where they have not come close to building a roster to "compete for trophies." The goal production is not there now and if Maxi or Martinez miss any significant amount of time its going to get ugly fast.
Whether CFG is providing the organizational resources ($$ for signings) to be successful and whether those resources are being implemented properly are two separate questions.
Compared to the league’s more ambitious clubs, they are clearly underinvesting in the squad. They consistently rank in the bottom half of the league for Designated Player (DP) spending, hover around average for total salary spend, and until the recent signing of O’Neill, were dead last in transfer spending over the past 18 months.
Previous investments in players like Bakrar, Fernández, Ojeda, and Jovan essentially broke even with the transfer fees they earned from selling Taty and Gabby Pereira. Since then, they’ve sold Santi for $17 million and are sitting on a $6 million pile of General Allocation Money (GAM). Yet, only $2–$3 million of that has been spent on O’Neill, while the team currently has just one forward who can reliably score goals and one 38-year-old CAM.
So yes, those are two separate issues: they’re both underinvesting and making poor choices when they do spend.
On a related note, the club just sent left-back Christian McFarlane, an England U18 international, to Manchester City for what appears to be an undisclosed or minimal fee. Hopefully, Lee at least got a perfect score on his annual performance review for excelling as a farm team, keeping prospects bubble-wrapped and ready for the mothership when needed.
NYCFC is 4th all time in MLS PPG and that includes disaster seasons in 2015 and 2023. You can disagree with this but they have consistently shown over the last 10 years that they can put together a winning squad without spending big money on DPs.
Not signing a DP when you have an open slot is a different story. If we didn't sign someone in this window because we want to target people in the summer that's on Lee (and if you read my piece in the beginning of the year you know that I am not a fan of this). If we didn't sign a DP because CFG isn't giving us the money, even after the Santi transfer, that is a much bigger concern.
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