Well they certainly rose up, didn’t they?
After the disappointment of the final leg of the derby only four days earlier, and with the prospect of a team that is not only top of the conference, but top of the league, I do not think I was alone among the 28,000 in the Bronx on Thursday night who would have been perfectly satisfied if NYCFC took a single point out of the match with D.C. United, packed their bags, and got on the plane for Columbus.
The fact that NYCFC beat D.C. United leaves me with four observations and two questions. For you, for me, for the fans, for the team.
First, the observations:
Everybody’s passing had the Pirlo touch. It is said that to a man with a hammer, everything’s a nail, and I freely admit that my bias for NYCFC has me searching for meaning and relevance – and often simple optimism – in the least likely of places. But as I watched NYCFC beat D.C. United it almost seemed as if at some point in the past week, Pirlo had tutored his teammates on the finer points of what makes him the Maestro. The whole team’s passing was relaxed. The pace was quick but never rushed. And the precision was pretty damn accurate. 83% success rate as a team, with Facey and Diskerud at 91 and Velazquez at 100.
Pirlo plays defense. I know there are fans of Serie A who read these words in disbelief. But yes. The maestro plays defense. Sliding tackles. 50/50 balls, the whole nine yards. Why? Because I think he’s discovered that the real difference between playing in MLS and playing in, say, Qatar, isn’t just that the takeout food is better. It’s that this is a harder league than he thought it was going to be. So maybe while he was teaching his teammates how to pass, they were teaching him how to play defense. For when was the last time you saw Pirlo with 3 tackles and 5 interceptions?
With the exception of the near disaster in the opening minutes, the back line was pretty solid. Which was weird, actually, because not only did you have R.J. Allen making his first start since roughly the 18th century, but you also had him playing opposite Angelino, which means that technically one of them was playing out of position. Meanwhile Facey managed the backline like a vet and Hernandez was almost always in the right place at the right time. All reasons NYCFC beat D.C. United and all good signs heading into the playoff run.
In spite of being top of the league, D.C. United are a kinda crummy road team. Look, I’m not taking anything away from the win. But D.C. have a goal differential of minus 5 on the road. They’ve only scored 8 times away from RFK – that’s less than NYCFC and they’ve played two fewer games. I mention this because NYCFC are going on the road to play Columbus who are +11 at home, and LA who are, are you sitting down?, PLUS BLEEDIN’ 23 AT HOME. So while NYCFC celebrate the victory – and rightly so – let’s put it in a little bit of context as they head into a challenging road trip. (Bright spot? Columbus, who comes to Yankee Stadium on the 29th are minus 12 on the road.)
And the two questions?
Did NYCFC figure out something about NYCFC or about D.C. United? This is not to say that NYCFC didn’t deserve to win, or imply that D.C. “lost” the game. It’s more nuanced than that. Teams match up with each other, and smart teams juggle their rosters and lineups based on the strengths and weaknesses of their opponent. So when we saw NYCFC beat D.C. United, did we see a team that had finally figured out how to play together or did we see a team exposing the weaknesses of D.C. United? Only the next few games will tell.
Where do you put Frank? This is the question my brother kept asking after NYCFC beat D.C. United. On the one hand you know you’re not going to sit him (Lampard, not my brother), and on the other hand, do you really want to screw with the line up that just beat the best team in the league? For there’s nothing like being used to a thing and if we’ve learned anything about Jason Kreis this season it’s that he loves to stay with the hot hand. And while I believe him to be a man of tremendous will and integrity, do I really think he’s going to sit NYCFC’s six million dollar man for next Sunday’s bi-coastal, trans-global event with Steven Gerrard? Do I think MLS is going to let him?
Do you?
