This weekend New York City Football Club put on a dominant show in Montreal defeating a team tied for first place in the East 2-0. The last road trip they took they also defeated first place DC United in a dominating display by two goals. In both games they completely shut down the opposing team’s offense and managed to create quite a few quality chances for themselves in the process. These two games sandwich a home stint of a nervous and unsteady 1-0 win against Chicago and a 1-1 draw with Orlando. So the question must be asked. Is NYCFC better on the road with their current formation.
If you look at the last three road games against DC, Minnesota and Montreal, NYCFC has scored multiple goals in each game scoring seven goals and only conceding three. All three goals against were scored by the Loons. Well, two were scored by the loons and the third by Sean Johnson, so NYCFC conceivably should have won that game as well.
The current three back formation that Dome Torrent has instituted needs space to succeed. The system allows for the two wing backs to spread the pitch apart by making mad dashes down the sidelines and stretching/overloading the opposing defense. In order to accomplish this there must be space for the wing backs to run into and that simply is more possible on larger pitches.
Like in apartment hunting in NYC, space is at a premium in Yankee Stadium. The narrow pitch constricts Torrent’s system and forces action into the middle not by choice but by necessity. The system cannot work as well because it cannot open up space because there is none. This accounts for the nervous win against Chicago and the draw with Orlando. They system works better on larger fields and those fields are on the road.
And then there is the game on the road in Toronto where New York City lost by a dismal score of 4-0 and were completely outclassed in almost every way. But NYCFC were lacking key pieces in the puzzle for that match. The addition of the true striker, Heber and Torrent’s willingness to finally start Ismael Tajouri-Shradi completed the system. Once the wing backs have made the run and stretched the space they need competent strikers and people with the ability to create to pass to. Tajouri-Shradi and Heber have both of those qualities and have proven they are players to be feared since getting regular time on the pitch. Combining those two with Maxi Morales and Alexandru Mitrita and the creativity the Argentine and the Romanian possess is a potent recipe for goals. A recipe that was not ready yet in Toronto.
Apr 24, 2019; New York, NY, USA; New York City forward Heber (9) battles for the ball with Chicago Fire midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger (31) during the second half at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
The next three games for New York City are on the road and will test if this system will succeed or fail. Tough tests against LA Galaxy, Columbus and Chicago await but if the team plays like they did on last Saturday it will be hard to beat them. NYCFC is the only team in the Eastern Conference with only one loss on the season so far. If they can turn some of their home draws into wins and continue their hot streak on the road then they will be formidable indeed.
