On Sunday New York City Football club looked revived. They came out at Yankee stadium and established their prowess from the start against the Philadelphia Union ending the game in a 3-1 victory. That victory gives the club a chance to do the exact same thing against the exact same team on Halloween , but the Union may have something to say about the result.
It is hard to beat a team twice in a row and the Union will undoubtedly make some adjustments heading into Wednesday. For New York City it is a matter of keeping the confidence and composure they showed Sunday and carrying it into the playoffs. The team is finally fully healthy and Dome Torrent will be able to field his best eleven players with no reservations. Yangel Herrera dominated the midfield against the Union and showed why he is such an important part of this team. His presence allows greater freedom for Ring and Maxi to roam and distribute. No other player on the NYCFC roster can do what Hererra does. His return to form for the club has major playoff implications and it is no coincidence that the team again looked like the elite squad everyone thought it was in the first half of the season.
New York Pounced on the Union from the start and tested Andre Blake early and often in goal. They must continue to create and take their shots in the playoffs to have a chance at advancing. With a full and healthy contingent of wingers and forwards available , NYCFC should have no problem creating problems for opposing defenses like it did on Sunday. David Villa is still one of the most dangerous strikers in the league and if you couple him with Ismael Tajouri-Shradi and Jesus Medina up top, New York City has one of the most dangerous attacks in the league. Ronald Mataritta could also start in the advanced position like he did on Sunday. He proved himself worthy in that game and provides the added flexibility of being able to drop back to fullback if needed without wasting a substitute. NYCFC have the pieces. Now it is all about the attitude and the hunger to win.
Alexander Ring summed it up pretty clearly, “Yeah, I think the intensity, the energy, we had from the beginning today set the tone. I think it’s the way we usually play and the way we have to play going into the playoffs.”
Jim Curtin with definitely make some adjustments for the Union. After the match on Sunday he summed up the game by saying,
“We weren’t good enough. Credit to New York City. They came out like an angry team and really closed us down. Made it uncomfortable for us. We talked a lot about not playing short passes early on especially because they really fight to break up those plays in the center of the field. They were aggressive. We did not have a good response. Overall, with those first two goals in the first 10 minutes, we just were not intense enough. We talked in the pre-game about the focus on this field. Intensity has to be at a maximum. There is no room for breaks.”
Look for Philadelphia to try and expose the right side of New York City’s defense with longer ball over the top. Philadelphia have been in good form of late and Sunday’s match up may have been an anomaly. The win does give NYCFC home field again and the team has built it in to a fortress this year. NYCFC have only lost once in Yankee Stadium for all of 2018. That stat alone is why Sunday was so important. if they can continue their home field form on Halloween then the sky may be the limit. the past two years NYCFC has been knocked out of the playoffs in the first series after a week one bye. They were blown out in the first game back by Columbus and Toronto and had to use their second game to try to right the ship. having a bye in the first round may not be a positive.
David Villa addressed the team’s past playoff losses with an interesting perspective,
“I believe every year is different. If you ask me about the experiences the last years, the guys that played in the knockout arrived to the semifinal with more confidence, with more power. I hope this year it happens the same because we’re in the knockout but again, every game and every year is totally different.”
Every game is different indeed and NYCFC must take what they learned on Sunday and improve on it to win again. If they can keep the confidence and power building, this could be a very fun post-season for New York. It all starts with Wednesday.
