Top Stories

Following USMNT duty, Mix Diskerud relishes Sunday’s big win with NYCFC

Mix Diskerud New York City FC 99

Photo by Reinhold Matay/USA Today Sports

By MICHAEL PENG

NEW YORK — Mix Diskerud raced down the highway on Saturday night from Philadelphia, hoping he would be able to make any type of contribution for New York City FC’s clash on Sunday against Orlando City.

“I was thinking on the drive yesterday that if I come in tomorrow, let’s do something and make something happen,” said Diskerud, who was just coming off international duty for the U.S. Men’s National Team in the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Diskerud was omitted from the starting lineup in the USMNT’s third-place match against Panama on Saturday, but less than 24 hours later, he not only scored a stoppage-time goal to seal a 5-3 win for NYCFC but also realized a childhood dream along the way.

“I told [head coach Jason Kreis] before the game yesterday that, ‘If I’m not starting, do you want me to come and be a part of this game?’ And he said, ‘Great,'” Diskerud said after Sunday’s victory. “So it was just for me to get some good food that I have in Philly and drive as fast as possible and a little bit over the speed limit.”

Diskerud said that the traffic doubled up his time on the road and that he did not go to sleep until 3 a.m. on Sunday, but seven hours of sleep and a four-egg breakfast helped him prepare for the early afternoon game that kicked off at approximately 2:30.

“As professional soccer players, we’ve got to accept those challenges, and it worked out today,” Diskerud said. “So even though maybe I didn’t feel the best, it felt pretty good out there that we came out with the win and I was able to help the team as much as possible.”

Diskerud’s moment came in the final minute of the contest.

With NYCFC holding a 4-3 lead, Orlando City was awarded a free kick in the 92nd minute from about 25 yards out, but Kaka’s direct shot clanked off the right post, and NYCFC quickly went on a speedy counter-attack with the trio of Diskerud, David Villa and Kwadwo Poku.

“That was kind of from hell to heaven within 30 seconds because they almost scored,” Diskerud described the sequence. “We were freaking out there, and suddenly we have the counter-attack, I had a terrible pass to David. I heard everybody around going ‘no!’ and it looked like I ruined the counter attack there.

“I think the ball just bounced or something exactly as I was passing the ball, but [Villa] kind of managed to win that 50/50 ball and then Poku comes around and keeps running because I know they are more tired than I am, and Poku was nice enough to lay that ball off to me, so I owe him one now,” Diskerud said.

The win helped Diskerud shake off some frustration after a disappointing finish by the USMNT in the Gold Cup, and now that he is back with NYCFC, the club’s success is the only thing he is focused on.

“The Gold Cup, I have to say, has gotten better and better over the years,” the 24-year-old midfielder said. “And teams are getting better, and it’s more of a difficult journey, which is great. Of course we wanted to get to the final there, but when that doesn’t happen, it’s just to get back to your club and grind it out there and do work and win games, and that’s exactly what happened.”

Diskerud entered the game as a substitute in the 68th minute to a rousing ovation from the home fans, but about 10 minutes prior to that, Yankee Stadium had already erupted as Italian legend Andrea Pirlo stepped onto the pitch to make his NYCFC debut.

For Diskerud, the significance of that moment cannot be understated, as on June 14 of last year, he tweeted, “My favorite player? Easy, it’s Pirlo.”

“When I wrote that I didn’t really know I was going to play with him a year later,” Diskerud said with a chuckle. “Of course it’s huge. When you’re on the field you don’t really think about it, but for me, he’s a player I’ve looked up to for a very long time.

“I don’t know if he’s the best player in the world or anything but he’s my favorite player, and I love his style and try to learn as much as possible every single week and every single day at training.”

Diskerud said there is a “calmness” surrounding Pirlo and that with Pirlo taking over the role of holding midfielder more, it gives himself a chance to move forward and be more involved in the attacking end.

“For me, it’s just to run around and I’ll just get the ball right in front of me and I’m totally fine with that,” he said. “[Pirlo] doesn’t really lose the ball quite often and it’s nice to have a player like that in a team like this, because I feel like we are all comfortable now with each other and we want to connect and help each other out.”

Leave a Comment