Preview: Portland Timbers at NYCFC
By Matt Hoffman
Another late collapse saw NYCFC spill points as the team drew 1-1 with Philadelphia in a mid-week fixture on Thursday. And coach Jason Kreis is not very happy. Kreis specifically singled out midfielder Javier Calle. Kreis felt Calle needed to be more aggressive to track down a long kick from the opposing goalkeeper.
“It bounces about 35 yards from our goal. It bounces,” Kreis said. “You should never see that. Never. Not at this level. We need to look at that and figure out how in the world the ball is allowed to bounce the way it did. Because from there, it’s going to be a comedy of errors.”
After going undefeated in the team’s first three matches (which Kreis would describe only as “acceptable”), NYCFC are 0-2-1 and searching for an identity.
Having played only four days prior to Sunday’s contest, it’s reasonable to expect some squad rotation from the first year expansion club. For one thing, David Villa only played 45 minutes, likely to keep him fresh for Sunday’s fixture. He has been dealing with a groin issue so his status is certainly worth keeping an eye on.
Coaches Caleb Porter and Adrian Heath shake hands before the game.
But it runs deeper than that. Orlando showed last week signs of a team with an identity and clearly-defined roles. NYCFC, as Caleb Porter said at training this week is, “still figuring out their best line-up.”
“That sometimes makes things challenging.”
Indeed, through six games, 19 players have vied for the ten outfield positions. Expect that number to rise on Sunday.
Coach Jason Kreis, known for being a systems guy in deploying his 4-4-2 Diamond has mixed it up even going with a 4-2-2-2 according to the league’s website as he attempts to mold the team to his image.
The team enjoyed one victory–albeit a home opener for the ages. Overall, the team’s performance has been uneven and the results middling at best. Through six games, the team has six points to show for it scoring, and allowing five goals, respectively.
Riding a wave of momentum of both novelty and Middle Eastern oil money, NYCFC made several big splashes that fired up the nascent fanbase. In a league where it’s better to under-promise and over-deliver, NYCFC has had a misfire of epic proportions with the Frank Lampard situation.
Without Lampard, there has been precious little cohesion on the team. Only Montreal (with zero) has fewer assists than NYCFC. In truth, the only offensive category NYCFC seems to excel in at this point is offsides; David Villa and Adam Nemec are tops among duos in the league with twelve offside rule violations between them.
But as Colorado showed us when they demolished F.C. Dallas last week, past results are by no means much of a predictor.
Sunday’s match against Orlando was called a “head scratcher” by Porter in his post match comments.
The Timbers completed 84% of their passes on Sunday. That’s the fourth-highest pass completion rate in the league so far in this young season. The team fired off 18 shots (a season-high eight of which were blocked).
Despite the gaudy numbers, the team lost and Portland was shut out for the first time since they went with the 4-4-2.
It was pointed out to me the Timbers have never had a draw in a match when Porter uses a 4-4-2. It’s feast or famine. But to run the preferred 4-3-3, you need three strong midfielders and those can be hard to come by.
It’s beating a dead horse at this point, but Diego Valeri was third in 2014 in a stat collected by Opta called “chances created from open play.”
Both Valeri and Will Johnson were cleared by the team’s medical staff to return to training this week as “non-contact” players.
There is no ETA of when the players will return to action or if there might be a tuneup game with T2. Earlier this year, Porter suggested Valeri may return in May. So while it won’t be this weekend, barring a setback, their returns will soon be imminent.
