To play this sport \u2013 to play any sport \u2013 one needs a weird kind of brain. One that can fundamentally contradict itself. On the one hand, you need a really good memory. You need to be able to recall at a moment\u2019s notice everything you\u2019ve studied and learned about the 11 men facing you on the pitch \u2013 as well as the other ten on your side. Does the man you\u2019re attacking favor his left or his right, what blind spots does he have, how spent is he, do those first two facts change based on the third? 1,000\u00a0calculations in the blink of an eye based on the video you\u2019ve watched and the conversations you\u2019ve had with coaches and other players before and during the match.<\/p>\n
But you must also have the remarkable ability to be able to completely and utterly forget everything that just happened. To obliterate the past. Blot it out, convince yourself that whatever bad thing just happened, sort of didn\u2019t happen at all. The ability to force yourself not to obsess about a mistake. For obsession distracts you out of the moment, leaving you wallowing around in the muck and mire of the past which, frankly, is a luxury no player has during the game. A goal scored on you must be erased, deemed, at best, a freakish outlier in the overall run of play even if it was not \u2013 especially if it was not \u2013 in order to give you a fighting chance to make sure it never happens again<\/p>\n
Two different skills in one brain. Often functioning at more or less the same time. And no where may they be more on display than in the upcoming match between NYCFC and the Philadelphia Union.<\/p>\n
The last time these two teams met in Yankee Stadium, Frank Lampard notched a goal. Remember him? You know who else did? Andrea Pirlo. In fact it was the only goal he scored last season. Or the season before that. Or this season, for that matter<\/a>. (Okay, that\u2019s unfair. Nobody hires Andrea Pirlo to score goals.) Last time NYCFC and the Philadelphia Union played in Yankee Stadium, one of NYCFC\u2019s players got ejected \u2013 want to guess who? Nope \u2013 it was Jason Hernandez. Oh and speaking of leaving the pitch Kwadwo Poku made an appearance in this match \u2013 remember him? In fact, it may have been his final appearance before taking his talents to South Beach. As it were.<\/p>\n As I mentioned earlier this week, Philadelphia have won only once on the road in ten of their past 11 matches \u2013 that lone victory coming when they beat the stuffing out of D.C. United at RFK. But remember, that win was part of a six-match unbeaten streak \u2013 a streak that didn\u2019t end until they lost to Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto. A streak in which they took an impressive 14 points out of a possible 18. Now, can you recall who their last loss was to before <\/em>that streak started? You guessed it \u2013 NYCFC, when David Villa scored that crazy goal from midfield on Andre Blake \u2013 the one that didn\u2019t win \u201cGoal of the Week\u201d that week.<\/p>\n Encouraging, right? So here\u2019s one more thing to remember: while NYCFC and the Philadelphia Union have played each other fairly evenly over the past three seasons, NYCFC lead the series with three wins and a draw out of the six matches.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s face it, NYCFC are coming off a rather disappointing run of form since defeating Orlando City on May 21st. As Patrick Vieira himself said, the team gave away two points<\/a> on Wednesday against the New England Revolution and made too many mistakes<\/a> against Atlanta the preceding Sunday.<\/p>\n By the same token, the Union are coming off of a loss on the road to Real Salt Lake. A loss where they were uncharacteristically shut out (they\u2019d scored 11 goals in their preceding four matches) which hadn\u2019t happened since they drew the L.A. Galaxy at the end of April.<\/p>\n But the thing is, those points are already lost for both sides. Those opportunities are already squandered, and while there\u2019s much the teams can learn from them, there’s not a hell of a lot they can do to change <\/em>them now. When NYCFC and the Philadelphia Union square off, both sides need to put the past behind them. For as Sean Johnson told NYCFCNation: \u201cThe past few games we came out with results we didn’t want. We need to buckle down and move forward.\u201d Precisely.<\/p>\n Ah but both NYCFC and the Philadelphia Union will have to do that without key players won\u2019t they? Yangel Herrerra will be half a world away facing off against the U.S. U-20 side (how conflicted about this am I?). A U.S. U-20 side, by the way, that\u2019s featuring the Union\u2019s Derrick Jones. Rodney Wallace will be on senior international duty with Costa Rica while Philadelphia\u2019s Alejandro Bedoya will be with the USMNT. Khiry Shelton is still dealing with that hamstring injury. And Andrea Pirlo? I don\u2019t know. I mean, how long does it take for a mystery knee injury to heal?<\/p>\n And even though Alex Ring, RJ Allen and potentially even Ronald Matarrita will be all be back for NYCFC, it will be a short lived return. NYCFC won\u2019t play another match for two weeks<\/em> after Saturday. Two weeks without NYCFC? What will we do?<\/p>\n Oh wait, there\u2019s the US Open Cup match against the Red Bulls in Harrison on the 14th<\/sup><\/p>\n Can\u2019t believe I almost forgot about that one\u2026<\/p>\nI Can\u2019t Remember<\/h3>\n
Do this in Remembrance of Me<\/h3>\n