Okay well that sucked.

Yes, I saw it. The whole waterlogged mess. The bad coverage decisions. The shoddy defending. The poor passes. The sluggish attack. The general lack of passion on the pitch. And the rain, the rain and, oh yeah, the rain.

And sure, anybody who lives north of Edgewater Drive would have preferred that New York City Football Club hadn’t lost to a team that has won only five matches all season. That they hadn’t tightened up the race at that top of the Eastern Division. Or that they had taken advantage of Toronto FC’s loss to put a little breathing room between them and the rest of the division. So that they would be heading into Thursday’s match against D.C. United with that one win they needed already accomplished, and their place in the playoffs assured.

The Sound & the Fury: Why NYCFC’s loss to OCSC signifies nothing

But none of that happened. And NYCFC’s loss to OCSC has got every blue fan worried. Have City peaked? Have other teams figured them out? Does this begin the grand embarrassing slide that sees fans biting their nails down to the quick in the home finale against Columbus Crew as the team battles for the final playoff spot?

No.

Now, here’s why NYCFC’s loss to OCSC is not as bad as you think.

They rested R.J. Allen

One cannot over-emphasize the importance of Old Bridge, New Jersey’s favorite son to this team. He plays with passion and a fierce loyalty, takes no guff from opposing teams, and has a habit of lofting lovely crosses for NYCFC’s finishers to put into the back of the net (he has the team’s third most assists). All of which you’ll want on Thursday against D.C. United. Especially since you won’t have Ronald Matarrita, who will be on international duty for Costa Rica. In a sense, NYCFC’s loss to OCSC was not Allen’s loss, and that’s exactly the attitude you’ll need on Thursday. And beyond, of course.

They rested Frederic Brilliant

No, I don’t know why he wasn’t in Orlando experiencing NYCFC’s loss to OCSC firsthand. Maybe he has a fear of anthropomorphic mice. And while it would have been a great opportunity for him and Maxime Chanot to further develop their partnership, the guy’s played in 24 games for NYCFC this season. That’s more than RJ Allen, more than Ronald Matarrita, and one fewer than Jason Hernandez. That’s a lot for someone new to the league. Give him a break.

They essentially rested Jack Harrison

Yes, he’s 19. But he spent the first half of the season recovering from some sort of pelvic injury he’d played all last season with – a season, you should remember, that was just 11 weeks long. I don’t care how young your legs are, jumping from that to the MLS is an adjustment, so giving him a break just makes sense. Also they protected him from Nigel De Jong. I mean Brek Shea.

Steven Mendoza score

Scorers score. Except when they don’t. They’re streaky as hell, so getting Stevan Mendoza on the board again bodes well for the final seven matches. It adds another player that defenses have to pay attention to, it builds his confidence, and further integrates his style of play with that of his teammates. All good things in spite of NYCFC’s loss to OCSC.

Jefferson Mena got more minutes

Maybe you think that was bad idea, especially because he got schooled at least twice by Kaka on that goal in NYCFC’s loss to OCSC. But look at it this way – the more he plays, the more familiar he gets with the rest of the back line. And they with him. And the playoffs are a game of attrition – if you’re lucky enough to make a long run. You want to have as many game-ready options as possible.

NYCFC got a terrible match out of their system when it didn’t matter. Well, as much.

Everyone has a bad game. The trick is not to have a lot of them, and not to have them when it really matters. Orlando City didn’t matter. Not as much as the upcoming games against two of the worst teams in the league. Better to get it out of their system now.

NYCFC still have a comparatively easy schedule

And speaking of the two worst teams in the league… While NYCFC play a dangerous D.C. United on Thursday (and again in October) and an MLS-leading FC Dallas on the seventeenth, they also face a nice mix of sides who most likely wish the season were over already. In addition to Houston Dynamo and Chicago Fire, they play the New England Revolution and the Columbus Crew. Tell me there’s not at least one win in there somewhere.

But most importantly…

New York City FC head into the final seven games of the season having just had a really wonderful wakeup call. A reminder that you can take nothing for granted. That you have to play every game as if your life depended on it. For as any idiot can tell you, champions are the ones who stay focused, especially when their bodies ache and their brains hurt and as the season creeps in this petty pace from day to day, to the last syllable of recorded time.

Or at least until the next king is crowned.

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