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Diskerud vents frustrations in lyrical Instagram post

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The Mix Diskerud saga at New York City FC has been ongoing for a significant part of the team’s two seasons, but may be reaching a close in the near future, if his lyrical Instagram post is any indication.

Diskerud took to social media on Sunday to vent his frustrations about his treatment in a not-so-cryptic, poetic format. Diskerud has not played for NYCFC since the team’s U.S. Open Cup loss to the New York Cosmos early in the 2016 season.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQ_qc5dlLC8/

Diskerud’s troubles did not begin under head coach Patrick Vieira, but they’ve certainly escalated to an alarming degree. After falling out with previous coach Jason Kreis, many thought Diskerud might have a resurgence under the management of all-time midfield great Vieira, but those hopes were short-lived. Vieira entered the infamous U.S. Open Cup loss clearly stating that the match would be a final opportunity for some players.

Indeed, the match proved a huge turning point for the team, who turned their 2016 season around en route to a second place finish in the Eastern Conference, but it also marked the end of the road for several players. Forward Patrick Mullins saw himself traded to D.C. United, where he’s thrived, while Khiry Shelton was benched for a prolonged period before earning his way back into Vieira’s good graces. Diskerud has not seen any field action since that match and the team has made public their intent to move or release him, a move that would need to occur prior to March 1st to prevent his salary cap from counting against the team.

Diskerud’s poem, while not A-plus English class material, certainly puts a voice to his woes, citing MLS roster rules, his large contract, and ‘mental games’, as gripes against the team’s treatment of him.

Comments

  1. Soft player who wasn’t very good in Norway. Still kind of surprised Klinsmann gave him a WC spot to get him to commit. He’s not special.

    I feel for the guy. He had a dream, chased it, and has fallen short. Maybe he will have a resurgence, who knows, but I doubt it will be here in the States.

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  2. I always thought that Mix would either be flop in MLS or a star, because I thought he might have trouble with the physical nature of the league (it was clear when he played for the USMNT that he did well when there was little physical pressure, but when the opponents made the game more of a contact sport, his bright moments dried up).

    I always hoped he would adapt to the physical nature and be able to fight through to display more of the bright moments he had shown.

    It seems he does not impress coaches with his potential to compete well in the more physical MLS.

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  3. MLS doesn’t owe him anything and the league will NEVER pay part of his wages to facilitate a move elsewhere…Garber cant forget his attitude toward the league before signing with NYC

    He snubbed several interested teams (Portland most publicly) and held out for better contract terms. Portland called his bluff, moved on, and bought Valeri instead. The rest is history.

    I’m a huge fan of his and don’t doubt his talent, but even I acknowledge that he’s made a mess of business (had terrible advice?) and refused to set aside his pride to play in the right environment.

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  4. Mix certainly hasn’t helped his situation at times, but NYCFC clearly regretted the contract they offered him from the beginning and have been trying to force him out ever since. He probably has been played out of position more the last four years than Michael Bradley which doesn’t help his standing either.

    Before last Summer he was fourth among active nat players with six goals, only behind Dempsey, Altidore, and Bradley. He’s proven a much better goal scorer out of the midfield than Bedoya, Jones, Williams, even Fabian (although its hard to compare since a lot of his minutes have come at FB) when wearing the US shirt. Mix is a guy that clearly needs the right situation and NYCFC is not it. Don’t think this helps, but at least it might get a few people to notice that NYCFC has painted him as the villain in an unwinnable situation for him.

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    • Mix has plenty of talent and I hope one day to see him playing at a high level again. It’s unfortunate that he had to choose between making NYCFC honor his contract and using those talents. He chose the former so he can’t really complain about the latter.

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    • When I think about Mullins and his turnaround last season after moving from NYCFC to DCU,…I can’t help but think that’s all Mix needs. This is embarrassing for NYCFC and MLS. MLS should find a home for him. There has to be some team in MLS that can use him. MLS has to incentivize some team to pick him up if he is waived. MLS should pick-up 50%+ of his salary. What about Philadelphia? San Jose? Chicago? Atlanta?

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      • It agree it would be ideal for Mix to move but NYCFC shouldn’t be let off the hook for a bad contract. These big market clubs are already catered to. Being able to offer big contracts with the option to be bailed out if it doesn’t work for them is ridiculous.

      • Agreed,…but it would be bad business for MLS to have Mix rotting away in NYC. He can help a team. What about Minnesota?

  5. i get that he is frustrated but this cryptic message won’t do him any favors. These athletes need to start realizing that you can’t post every and anything when things are going well. Best believe that anyone interested in his services going forward will have seen this too and it will be a part of the consideration process. I hate to say it but when you are rewarded a big contract without having to prove yourself, consternation, ego and laziness can set it. This seems to be Mix problem right now, he instead needs to put his head down and work on his craft.

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  6. what? he couldn’t get his girlfriend to proof read his instagram posts prior to posting? I get that english is his second language but this is an embarrassing ramble about the struggles of being a highly paid bench warmer. if you fail to win a spot in two different managers rotation – on a below average team – then its time to move, if nobody wants your contract because you are overpaid, well then.. your choice; start fighting for some playing time or accept a lower contract at a new club.

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    • While I think he is overpaid in the MLS, I find it astounding when people say take less money to do your job. Like any of us would take significantly less to do our jobs. It is not like he hates living in NYC nor he finds it abusive. I also say significantly less because I do not see anyone offering more than 250-350k a year for him which is about 1/3 of what he makes.

      Fight for scrub minutes Mixx!

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  7. When will MLS teams learn that players in fringe leagues of Europe aren’t necessarily a go-to player here in MLS. MLS is different than Scandinavian leagues, sometimes it seems easier to score in those leagues… maybe they aren’t as physical. Or maybe the American youngster looks good in their system instead of what a MLS team has to run.

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