New York City FC 3 - 0 Charleston - CCC'15

CAROLINA CHALLENGE CUP 2015

Game 3

New York City FC 3 - 0 Charleston

So thats the end of pre season. our first ever pre season has been completed and were heading on our way to the first game in our MLS lives. Out of all the pre seasons ive been a part of and of course all of them ive seen whilst being a fan of the European leagues i must say ours seems to have been very successful and this was shown in the last game.

After starting with a strong line up with the ability to change up positions on the field i think we got to see one of the stronger line up's weve seen in the pre season. With good impact subs to see out the game i think we can feel very positive about the sqaud and the depth available to Kreis.

David Villa had a great half as he managed to turn defenders inside out and this was clear for all to see. Along with Villa we had a strong force up front with Nemec. His large build allowed him to hold the ball up well and play balls to Mix and Grabavoy for more forward and attacking passers.

In the second half i was happily suprised with the impact Khiry Shelton had on the game. He will certainly come into his element coming off the bench with his speed and willingness to chase the ball will make him a very well used substitute when it comes to game time. Also the combination play in the middle of the park really was a joy to behold. Mix yet again claiming man of the match (Certainly the rightful winner) as he managed to top the performance off with a stunning strike too.

I must say we also were very well behaved and didnt let the stupidity from the Charleston players effect the way we played and the way we presented ourselves on the field, something that hopefully continues into our season.

Overall we must look at how successful our first ever pre season has been and must be happy and excited for the upcoming games for what i hope to be a very long and successful MLS Career!

Lets go NYCFC!!!!

Houston 2 - 1 New York City FC - CCC'15

CAROLINA CHALLENGE CUP 2015

Game 2

Houston 2 - 1 New York City FC

Well we decided to go ahead with the game even though the weather was, putting it nicely... Ridiculously attrocious, and still we put in a shift again and this does mean that another 90 minutes again is under the belts of the players.

Before the substitutions in the 61st minute there was little to be please about. Facey and Poku were my two highlighted players that were in the team and when i say they were good, they were very good. Yet again Poku showed how hes focussing his game on his role model Yaya Toure as he drove forward well with the ball and was able to dribble his way out of alot of tight spaces in the center of midfield. His final ball may not be there just yet but he is looking very promising for a player who wasnt known as a midfielder until the start of pre season. Facey also had another good game, he kept the ball well at the back and was a very solid player in the game. He tracks back and with a good speed he was able to cover for Brovsky who seemed to give up with alot of defensive work in the game. Also great news is that Facey has signed a contract now, so we can feel very relieved for the team to have a more stable line up at the back now.

I dont think im the first and im certainly not the last who will say that the 4-2-3-1 formation worked really well for us defensively. We were strong and stable and we were able to break out on the counter very well. This did mean that we were unable to have as much of an attacking threat as we like, but maybe with a player like Taylor who showed he could hold the ball up yesterday as well as have those determined runs at the defense, with Villa and Velasquez maybe in a wider positon this could mean a new formation for us to be using in the future. Something many have spoken about with our ability to change formations easily.

I think out of everything what we viewed yesterday we have to be exteremely pleased with the substitutions which came on. Every player which entered the pitch had some sort of impact, Mix with the goal obviously was a stand out player and showed why hes in the USMNT at the present time. Also with the delivery from Calle, yes it was only 2 or 3, but we got a good glimpse of whats to come from our new man. These were only 2 of many from a very good performance. I've got to say that we have a very good chance with our strongest XI out. I expect to see a good mix between the 2 squads we've seen in the CCC so far, so hopefully we'll be another step closer to the starting lineup on March 8th!

Also added to what we saw yesterday i have to say i was a bit dissapointed with a few players. Khiry Shelton showed how much he needed to develop against a higher level of players, maybe meaning a more impact role. Alvarez also had very little end product, alot of our play broke up from passes he missplaced and his set pieces were extremely poor. However, it is only pre season and there will of course be many changes and more developments as i've spoken about in the past and as we all know, pre season is the time to get these issues out and work on them in training!

Onto the next game on Saturday!!

The Next DP!

So whats going to happen to the next DP Spot?

So were only a couple of weeks away from the start of the MLS season and we havent filled our 3rd DP slot, with one of the others not arriving till the summer and the other a world cup winner playing alone upfront is it time to start worrying?!?

Well of course it isnt!

First of all as we have seen already we have a very strong and a very full roster for the upcoming season. We may have a bit of a leaky back line but apart from this i must say we have a very strong side, especially considering only a few months ago we wouldnt of been able to field a starting eleven. We must look at the fact that in the side we have at the moment we could realistically count 3 DP's.

Mix Duskerud - A player with quality both on and off the ball and the ability to thread the killer balls into the final third, a player we will all continue and for those who dont know him (rare) will love in the future. Im sure he'll chip in with a few goals aswell.

Javier Calle - We may not have seen him just yet, but im sure since hes been declared fit we will be seeing him tommorow night vs Houston which hopefully adds more to our already developing line up.

These two were being talked about as possible DP signings before joining the club so along with Villa i feel we are lucky to have such quality in our team. In my opinion i would love to see a defensive player added to the roster. This could in fact be solved with the addition of Shay Facey. A player with such a seasoned head on his young shoulders he has showed how he can steady the ship in the center of defence, fingers crossed he will fit into the budget with our international slots availbale to us.

Another addition that ive seen spoken about alot is Martin Demichelis in the summer window. Another Manchester City link but someone who could revamp the whole of our defensive unit. He already knows the way we play the game, he has numerous caps for Argentina and although he is on the closing stages of his career, if we were able to add him to the team for the rest of the season, or even a season and a half then i could see this as a strong signing for us.

Of Course we cant talk about DP's without talking about Mr. Xavi. Obviously i would love him to join us and again that would be an absoloute steal for someone nearing the end of his career. A possible trio of Xavi - Mix - Lampard with Velasquez ahead. Shame we'd lack alot of legs in this. Something we may wish for and may complain about, but if it happened would we really be dissapointed??

Finally we must remember that Kreis has alot of knowledge of players in this league. I wouldnt be suprised if we went for a DP already in the MLS to give more stability in the league. Knoweledge of the leauge will be vital this season, as it is in many leagues across to globe. So maybe we're over thinking these... but really a team of superstars is everyones dream right?!

Please leave comments on the blog/post! all are welcome!!

Lampard & Xavi Combination?

Lampard & Demichelis Future?

Orlando 1 - 1 New York City FC - CCC'15

Carolina Challenge Cup 2015

Game 1

Orlando 1-1 New York City FC

Well after this long awaited clash i think we have seen enough to know that this season will be a very interseting one for us, im sure with alot of ups and downs aswell.

Highlighted the most for me was the ability that we can keep the ball well, i know we may have lost it alot in the first half but since we came out in the second half with a belief that is really promising for us. I think that the most prominent comment from Kreis post game was the fact we were trying to be too clever to get out of situations where we needed to just clear our lines. This is a good sign however as we are a very confident team on the ball and we have certainly developed into a certain way of playing the possession game.

Also from the game i feel that we can certainly be pleased with the development through these three phases that we are clearly working on in the pre season training. Our back line have shown that they are still working and gradually developing this alot more, it takes a very long time to build the strong bonds in the back line but thankfully the mistakes we have seen in the St Mirren and Brondby game along with the Orlando game allows them some space to work with which i feel is very beneficial for our future lineup.

Again as seen in the Brondby game we have a very fast attacking and flowing movement going forward, we keep the ball well at the back but alot of time with our attacking players we can break teams down and break quickly, something as a fan of the BPL and many European leagues, is very enjoyable to watch and many goals will be coming from this ability in the season.

Although the result wasnt what we wanted, as many of us have said its only a pre season game, the more we play as a team and as a unit the better chance we have of being a competitve team come the start of the season. Hopefully we can continue this progress in the next game on Wednesday and im sure we will develop further.

On another note, i know Kaka's a talent and his goal was a good finish, however we have David Villa who i feel with have a much stronger impact with us as our DP. Also big up Khiry Shelton netting his first professional goal and our first against another MLS outfit.


Come on NYCFC!!!!

Khiry Shelton's Goal

Formations and Ideas

I know this may seem a bit premature but its just something to think about from the first 2 pre season games we've seen.

Kreis is obviously a keen lover of the 4-4-2 diamond formation, specifically with the 2 central midfielders interchanging aswell as a deeper lying center midfielder. This seemed to be a good fit in the game vs St Mirren as they too did not play a wide formation, or for most of the game at least. This allowed our play to fit in with the possession game and created alot more space for our wing backs (almost) to push forward and form a much more solid line attacking wise, at the same time creating issues for the St Mirren defense.

This was not the case in the Brondby game though. Highlighted in the second half when the left winger for Brondby managed to stroll through the center of the pitch after Brovsky was lost upfield. I know this is only a minor issue however it was clear to see that defensively we were being put on the turn from their wide players most of the time. Although we had a strong partnership on the right with Facey & Brovsky we were left very bare as we had no midfielder to track the players running at the back line, aswell as the fact that when we did attempt to have someone wider (Tony Taylor) this meant that Mullins was stuck up top on his own.

On a brighter note however, the combination play of Mix with Velasquez and Villa in the first half was very joyful to watch and really highlighted the quality that Mix will bring to the team. Hopefully we can begin to see a more settled line up in future games, and maybe not 10 subs at half time, once that comes together i believe we will have a much greater idea about what the team will be in the opener on March 8th.

I've read most of the comments about the game on the forum and everyone seems to agree that this formation certainly is best suited for us, of course this is only a pointer from myself and that alone especially being that we are only 2 pre season games into the whole franchise! However id hope to see that Kreis can adapt our lineup to something more solid defensively in the upcoming matches just to help out our defense, something that im sure will be worked on as they are still working on defensive shape.

Personally i would like to see a 4-5-1 with a CM playing a little further forward, or a 4-2-3-1 which has been used by alot of the top european teams. Although having a quality string of strikers in the club i believe that maybe wouldnt be the best option. (The pictures below are just an idea of the formation, not particularly the players)

I'd love to know some of your ideas of the most suited line up with a favoured formation!

4-2-3-1

4-3-3

NYCFC vs. Brondby

GAME POST:

NYCFC 0 - 2 Brondby

Yesterday i was lucky enough to get myself from Surrey to Manchester to watch our 2nd pre-season friendly at the academy stadium at Manchester City. An incredible facility and unbelievable set up for all of the fans to enjoy.

I do believe that although we may have lost 2-0 there are plenty of positives to take from this game. Also highlighting the fact that making 10 half time substitutes probably changes what the true reflection of the game should have been. Personally from the sidelines i could see that the trio of Grabavoy, Mix & Jacobsen was used to retain possession at all costs, with Mix being the deeper of the three so that he was able to pick up the ball from the back 4. This also allowed more freedom for the forward 3 allowing more creativity and movement, all be it one of them being Nemec who adds a completely different dimension to the team.

I felt that particularly Mix had a good half, a few passes may have gone astray yes. however he played a few remarkable balls cross field along with many simple balls in the middle third. Already in just 45 minutes of football we can see the class and steadiness to the team he will bring.

The parts of the game we seem to be missing is something that Kreis pointed out in his first interview after the St Mirren game. We have a lack of retention of the ball in the final third and we have yet been able to counter on any defensive mistakes from the oppositions. This is something that hopefully we can see develop over the final few pre season games before the huge opener on March 8th.

In the second half there were a few bright sparks that particularly caught my eye. Mainly Poku yet again having a solid performance along with Shay Facey who has proved so far that his is capable of stepping up into the MLS and personally i hope we sign him on loan (space permitting of course). Also Alvarez showed his quality of delivery from set pieces along with Tony Taylor who shows what a handful hes going to be for opposition defenders all season long.

I think despite the result there is plenty of options and I'm sure plenty of knocks on Jason Kreis's door for a starting place come the game vs Orlando. Hopefully the upcoming games give us and Jason a better idea of the structure that we are going to be playing with, along with the players most suited for the way of football!

K :)

Welcome Post

Hi There!

This is my first post of many about our club NYCFC and the inaugural season only a few weeks away now!

i hope that you can follow me throughout the season as i will be posting my views on games, deals and general pieces of the jigsaw about our soon to be famous New York City FC.

K :)