By AARON CRANFORD
New York City FC head coach Jason Kreis hopes his side learns from their mistakes after their 2-0 loss to Denmark’s Brondby.
After NYCFC’s first game against St. Mirren, Kreis said the defensive performance impressed him the most. He lauded the team’s ability to keep a clean sheet in their first-ever match, but his side’s second test left much to be improved upon.
“The positives are that I still think we still created quite a few goal-scoring opportunities,” Kreis told NYCFC’s website, “and with a little bit more sharpness in and around the box, I think we walk out of here with a goal or two in our pockets.
“Also, I think a big positive is now to see the group how it deals with some negativity because this is our first bit of it. It’s our first loss in preseason, and it’s our first opportunity to get the group together and see whether or not we can respond in a positive way or a negative way.”
A staple of a Kreis-coached side is the ability to keep possession and wear down the opposition, prompting opponents to employ a more counter-attacking approach. Brondby offered that very approach, giving NYCFC a look at a style of attack they will likely run into countless times throughout their inaugural MLS campaign.
“I’m used to seeing a lot of our opponents recognize that in possession, they probably aren’t going to win that battle,” Kreis said, “so to drop off and create us some problems that we need to find answers to, and I still think we tended to get in and around them and get some chances to score.”
Overall, Kreis is happy with his side’s ability to find ways around Brondby, even if none of their attacks ended with a goal.
“I think that today’s game, you look at the scoreline, and you’re a little disappointed,” Kreis said. “I’m a human being. I understand this. But for me, it was a very similar performance to the first game. There are still a lot of positives to be drawn, and there are negatives to be drawn, and so, we have to continue to move forward and try to improve to correct our mistakes.”
i feel like one year ago in preseason, Berhalter’s Columbus Crew and Heap’s NE Rev’s and Sporting KC were all looking like world beaters, while Seattle and LA were looking soft. (not sure how to look up 2014 pre-season data.)
too early to tell, imo.
Definitely NOT taking a shot at the author, nor the editor but honestly–when I saw the byline, the first thought that came to my mind was:
“Wow!?!??! So far, most of the time, this team seems to be almost completely enveloped by negativity!!!”
Given the Lampard debacle, the stadium issues, the “newer, richer Chivas USA” tag…
Then I read the article and realized that it was actually referring to an on the field setback during the preseason.
I will be curious to see what things look like in September if they are sitting at the bottom and depending too heavily on an exhausted Lampard to try to help get them into the playoffs after he finally arrives.
Seems like everyone thinks that NY2 will be a great possession team and dominate games.
Is anyone out there in my camp that they are a marginal playoff team ?
There are a lot of really good teams out there…and Kreis, while awesome, isn’t the only good coach.
I am in your camp. They have a lot to learn about playing together, and they can only learn so much in camp. They’re going to struggle initially, and if they gel after that, they’ll struggle again when they try to integrate Lampard. They have talent, but expecting it all to come together so easily is incredibly optimistic.
I think there are probably quite a few people in your camp, myself included. The roster is “nice” but not dominant, and the Lampard integration is probably going to come with some growing pains. I think they could do themselves a big service by picking up some good early results during opening portion of the season, when everybody is sorting out issues and there is a higher degree of randomness.
This portion of the season usually lasts about a month for most teams, but I think for NYCFC it will probably last closer to 2-3 months, because they have no benchmark for what their “normal” is as a group yet. As you’ve said, the strongest asset this team probably has going for it as far as the table/results go is Kreis. He is an excellent, excellent manager who will bring stability and retain the collective sense of direction when the team hits its inevitable rough patches.
I really am not sure how many “dominant” games this team will really have in its first season. I expect a few highlight reel goals, and perhaps a few high-scoring games when it feels like the offensive thesis is starting to achieve realization. But in my view their season finish and playoff status will depend far more on these early-season results, as well as whether they can find ways to eke out one-goal wins when they aren’t playing well (the way championship teams have a habit of doing), and steal points on the road down the stretch.