Before I get to Lampard’s debut, it is well to remember the famous article in The Onion in which Philadelphia Eagles’ fans, frustrated by their team’s slow start one September, reportedly give star quarterback Donovan McNabb “3 weeks to win the Super Bowl” (for international readers – the Super Bowl isn’t played until February. Hence the joke).
Or said another way, patience people.
NYCFC are a club where nearly half the starting XI weren’t even on the roster a month ago. Think about that: Pirlo signed on July 6th, Angelino on the 8th, and Mena on the 14th, and while Iraola signed way back in June, he didn’t hit the pitch until the slugfest against Toronto on the 12th. A month ago, Mix was on international duty. A month ago our back line consisted of Allen, Watson-Siriboe, Facey and Wingert. A month ago, the only constants week-in and week-out were at the bottom and top; you knew Villa and Saunders would start, but after that?
In other words, when you really think about it, Saturday’s match against Montreal was closer to something out of Week One than anything resembling mid-season form. And boy did it look like it.
But enough of that. We’re here to talk about Frank Lampard. Except it bears pointing out that the two goals NYCFC gave up during the run of play were when the defense was playing a high line. And while a high line is fine for an attacking team like NYCFC, it’s not so fine when you’ve got a center back who’s starting his first game in MLS. A center back who clearly still has communication challenges to work through with his teammates and especially his goalie.
But let us not waste our time in idle discourse! Frank Lampard! Though one must confess it was surprising how little imagination and diversity the attack showed. Admittedly, a healthy part of this was because Montreal figured out what Orlando couldn’t, namely how to contain Pirlo. They marked the Maestro from the opening whistle with a variety of players, recognizing that shutting him down would shut down the attack, and would force NYCFC to rely on other options, like Grabavoy or Calle or Jacobson – all of which were an obvious downgrade.
Of course, we all hoped – expected – that would change when Lampard hit the pitch. The cheers rang the stadium for him as they had for Pirlo the week before. And yes, mixed in with those cheers were not a few sighs of relief, expressions of almost disbelief that this day ever actually came, after the EPL debacle, the “re-signing” in January, the calf injuries, the absence from the All-Star game and god knows what else. And while I’m not saying every one of the 27,000 faithful sitting in the Bronx thought this day would never come, there were some financial wizards in the luxury suites who explained to me how NYCFC may in fact just be an elaborate shell corporation, expressly set up just to lure Lampard away from Chelsea – and that he was never, ever going to actually play in Yankee Stadium.
But when Lampard came on for Jacobson – and by the way, really?, for Jacobson? Jacobson had been running down balls all over the pitch, working with Pirlo to free him up, adding a measure of stability to our defensive half, and is, most importantly, a fighter, a terrier, the man who won’t back down, who’ll have your back in a fight.
I know, I know, he and Lampard play essentially the same position in the formation. Then change the damn formation. We need him on the pitch. At least right now we do.
Because when Lampard did, finally, hit the pitch in the 68th minute, he looked like a man who hadn’t played a competitive match since May. He looked like a man who’d played a season in the EPL, preceded by a World Cup in Brazil, preceded by another season in the EPL. He looked like a man who didn’t quite know his teammates’ moves. He looked like a man who didn’t quite know the pitch – where it was soft, where it was hard, where it was “Jesus is that the touchline already?”. He looked like a man coming off of a bit of rehab.
But here’s what he also looked like. He looked like a leader. The moment he ran onto the pitch he began barking out orders. He began directing players. He began having the kinds of conversations with the midfield and the back line that Villa’s been having with the front line. And that’s good. No, that’s better than good. That’s extremely promising.
Because that’s what we’ve been waiting for.
Main Photo Courtesy of New York City FC
