Vincent Nogueira scored in stoppage time to give the Philadelphia Union a 2-1 victory over New York City, in the first of two back-to-back games between the clubs.
3 keys for NYC FC to rally revenge against Philadelphia
by Anna Ferkingstad, NY editor
In the second of a series of back-to-back games between these two Eastern Conference clubs, NYC FC hosts the Philadelphia Union at Yankee Stadium on Thursday at 7pm ET. Only five days earlier, New York fell 2-1 to the Union at PPL Park due to a stoppage time goal by Vincent Nogueira.
Philadelphia opened the scoring in the 27th minute with a combined effort of Zach Pfeffer and Eric Ayuk Mbu, who nearly walked the ball into the net after a Union cross soared it’s way past goalkeeper Josh Saunders and several New York defenders. New York City FC’s striker David Villa scored the club’s lone goal of the evening, bringing the scoreline to 1-1 in the 55th minute.
The 2-1 loss marked the second consecutive defeat for Jason Kreis’ New York side, who are currently sitting in the bottom half of the Eastern Conference tied at five points with the Union. For Philadelphia, the home victory against NYC FC marked not only the first time their first win of the 2015 MLS season but the first matchup against the new expansion club.
Thursday’s game will see two teams hungry for a win. The Union will want to maintain their recent momentum while New York is still searching for their footing in the league. NYC FC’s home advantage could have a large influence in the result but could the absence of their central midfielder of Mix Diskerud provide Union the opening they need to grab a win at Yankee Stadium? Ahead of Thursday’s game, that is likely to be close and action-packed, here are a few key changes that will need to occur for New York to reward their home crowd with a win.
1. Strike early
In last weekend’s match against the Union, NYC FC showed too little too late. It took a second half whistle and changes in the midfield to wake the light blue side up. Philadelphia held the majority of the possession and looked like the better team in the opening 45 minutes. New York has struggled all season with lethargic defensive plays in the opening moments of the game and low shot counts during first halves. Yankee Stadium is nothing short of a bizarre and unique surface for the MLS. New York, however, is familiar with it and should always do their best to capitalize on the time it takes visiting teams to adjust to it. Coach Jason Kreis notes
2. Make up for a midfield lacking Mix Diskerud
Mix Diskerud is the heart of NYC FC’s midfield line. In these opening weeks of the season, Diskerud has consistently maintained a strong presence on the field and was one of the most impactful of New York’s players in last week’s game against the Union. In the first face off at PPL Park, Diskerud continuously dropped defensively to aid New York’s outside defenders Jeb Brovsky and Sheanon Williams against the speed and skill of Union’s Ayuk and Andrew Wenger.
Rookie Khiry Shelton, who has brought loads of energy and speed to every game he has appeared in so far, will probably see his first MLS career start in Diskerud’s absence. Shelton’s presence on the field will mean that the Union will have to be even more weary of New York’s attack. The downside? Shelton is not as defensively minded as Diskerud. NYC’s central defenders Chris Wingert and Jason hernandez are going to need to remain compact and offer the same workhorse energy normally seen from Diskerud on defensive transitions.
3. Find (and support) David Villa
New York often does one but not the other. They need to learn to not only find Villa’s feet on transition but then how to move off the ball to offer the striker outlets in the attacking third. There is no denying it – Spanish striker David Villa is the core of NYC FC’s offensive line. However, (even though he has come pretty close to it in the past) he cannot when games all on his own.
Villa has started all but one match this season for coach Jason Kreis. The result of the game he missed? A 1-0 loss at home against Sporting Kansas City and the first ever defeat for the club. His goal in the 55th minute in last weekend’s game against the Union, demonstrated that he knows how to pick apart Philadelphia’s central defenders: Maurice Edu and Steven Vitoria. NYC FC should look to get the ball to Villa early and frequently, capitalizing on his ability to pick apart the Union’s defense. Villa’s skill combined with Shelton’s speed could be the game-winning equation for New York.
