Okay, so THAT was a weird season.
Everyone who predicted a Toronto FC v. Seattle Sounders final please raise your hands. Yeah, that’s what I thought. Everyone who thought the Eastern Final would come down to extra time between Toronto and the Impact de Montreal, please pat yourself on the back. And then tell me again about the great deal you can get me on the Brooklyn Bridge.
Everyone who thought the Philadelphia Union would spend quality time at the top of the East? Who thought the Columbus Crew would implode? Who saw Kei Kamara going to the New England Revolution. And then who DID NOT think that would turn them into a powerhouse? Who saw Seattle sitting at the bottom of the West? Or saw the New York Red Bulls in similar position in the East?
And who saw Landon Donovan coming back to play in MLS?
For God’s sake, who, in the name of Johann Cruyff is writing this stuff and may I please have some of what he’s drinking?
Fair, Rational and Sane
Now, there are some who, when faced with a crazy season like that, would say “all bets are off”. That any predictions made about NYCFC during the season should be consigned to the ash heap of history because, well clearly, 2016 wasn’t reasonable. That would be the fair, rational and sane thing to do.
But as regular readers of these pixels know, I am neither fair, nor rational, nor sane, so not only will I NOT ignore my 2016 NYCFC predictions, I will draw attention to them in this essay IN SPITE OF THE FACT THAT I, BY AND LARGE, WAS WILDLY OFF BASE.
Take me Back
Let’s go back to April, shall we? When the season was barely a month old. After a particularly frustrating draw against the hapless Chicago Fire, I took a look at the long road of the rest of the schedule (and burned through at least a half a bottle of scotch – oh, the things we do for you fans) to see if game week six was too early to sound the death knell on the season.
For remember, we had played six games and we had taken only six points – and two of those games were against the Fire
I determined then that it was unlikely NYCFC would make the playoffs.
Okay, I was wrong.
Oops
But whose 2016 NYCFC predictions included that amazing mid-season run? Beating DC United in DC and the Portland Timbers in Portland? Beating Philly and Seattle and the Red Bulls and New England? Who saw that? Not me. And not you either.
I will also own up to my lack of enthusiasm for Andoni Iraola, whose play last season was lackluster, but who I believe was a key reason NYCFC succeeded this year. His paring with Andrea Pirlo provided the defensive boost Il Maestro needed. And provided another attacking path through the midfield.
And I will also admit that I did not anticipate Jack Harrison’s value. When the front office’s efforts to claim him as a homegrown player (I think the logic was that he had once changed planes at Laguardia on his way from England to Wake Forest) were rebuffed, and then when they opened up the check book to which ever MLS side grabbed him in the SuperDraft, I was skeptical. A skepticism that was not allayed when he began the season on injured reserve. And yes, the second half of his season was not as stellar as the first half. But this kid’s the real deal. So I was wrong.
I will also admit to being happily surprised by (or said another way, “wrong about”) Patrick Vieira. Some of you may recall my first piece this year was a New Year’s resolution giving NYCFC’s only Chevalier of the Légion d’honneur the benefit of the doubt. In spite of concerns that he’d never coached an adult side, never spent time in the U.S., and appeared to be foisted upon us by the mothership in an effort to keep him from jumping to another premier league side. And while he made some mistakes (two suspensions Patrick?) he had a vision and a plan and he adapted as necessary.
The Right Stuff
Now at this point you may be saying to yourself, “Hey. This guy seems to be wrong about everything. What an idiot.” And I’ll admit, looking over my 2016 NYCFC predictions is starting to make me think the same thing. So let’s see what I got right about NYCFC in 2016.
Well, I correctly predicted that we would take at least two points from the Red Bulls this year. So that’s one.
I also made a plea for John Terry. And while Chelsea’s crew cutted thug, I mean former captain, neither responded to my open letter nor made his debut for NYCFC, the general point of my essay – that we needed some serious defensive timber in our backline – was not ignored. The front office brought over both Maxime Chanot and Frederic Brilliant. So I’ll take that – though I’ll admit it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out.
I also told people not to worry when NYCFC lost to Sporting KC in the third leg of its road trip, because honestly, beating New England was more important. And I was right.
Oh and speaking of New England, I also correctly predicted that the final game against them was NOT going to be the slam dunk everyone thought it was going to be. And it wasn’t.
But look, predictions are, as my buddy JJ Devaney never fails to remind me, a mug’s game. And anyone who engages in them is basically asking to make a fool of themselves in public
Which means yes, you can expect my 2017 NYCFC predictions sometime in January.
