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NYCFC’s pride, playoff chances damaged in yet another loss to rival Red Bulls

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Photo by Danny Wild/USA Today Sports

By MATT STYPULKOSKI

HARRISON, N.J. – New York City FC traveled back across the river Sunday night with plenty of disappointment and without any points.

For the third time this season, NYCFC were bested by their local rivals, the New York Red Bulls, in a 2-0 defeat Sunday at Red Bull Arena.

“It sucks,” Diskerud said. “We want to win those games –  for the team, for the fans, for everybody around the club. It’s important for us. When we lose for the third time against this team, it doesn’t feel too good.”

To add to the frustration, the loss only furthered NYCFC’s precarious spot in the standings. Through 23 matches, the expansion side has just 24 points and sits four points behind the Montreal Impact, which currently occupies the sixth and final playoff spot.

“That’s how it is,” Diskerud said. “We’ve put ourselves in this position right now where we’ve got to win some games. It’s going to be tough but it’s a challenge we’re going to take with open arms. We’ve got to win some games moving forward now against good teams. We’re a good team and we believe.”

“The games are getting less, but we know we’ve got enough players to win,” Frank Lampard, who made his first start on Sunday, added. “As I say, there’s some new players in the team. I’m trying to get match fit, I’m sure Andrea [Pirlo] is a bit the same, coming in at this point. I think hopefully we’re all going to improve as a group and then hopefully get the wins we need.”

While those new players have bolstered a thin roster with plenty of talent on both the backline – with the likes of Andoni Iraola, Angelino and Jefferson Mena – and going forward – by way of Lampard and Pirlo – they have also presented a new challenge.

Essentially, NYCFC is a new squad for the second time this season. But unlike the first time the pieces were assembled, there is no midseason training camp for the players to settle in.

Instead, head coach Jason Kries has been left to figure things out on the fly, tinkering as the season moves on and with matches that have playoff implications as his only real laboratory. So far, the experiment has led only to mixed results and flashes of brilliance that give way to periods in which the team simply lacks cohesion.

“There’s no speeding up time,” Kreis said. “Unfortunately God didn’t give me the gifts to speed up the clock. So I’ll just continue doing what I believe is best for the guys. Training sessions are important, the time spent together is important…but the matches are the most important thing.”

Unfortunately for Kreis, time is quickly running out – the regular season closes on Oct. 25 and just 11 matches remain for NYCFC to climb back above the red line.

While Diskerud and Lampard admit there needs to be a sense of urgency in the weeks to come, the club’s coach and core players aren’t hitting the panic button just yet.

“I believe in my heart, I truly believe, that this roster is capable of a lot of things,” Kreis said. “As I said before, I believe that we’ve got an opportunity still, we still have a chance to make the playoffs. And I believe that if we do, there’s going to be a lot of people nervous to play us, because I think this is a talented group – it just needs time together.”

Comments

  1. IMHO…you can, but you really shouldn’t argue the quality of Lampard, Villa, Pirlo and Mix. These are not players coming off previous seasons where they weren’t important to important teams. These guys have quality. Unfortunately, when you spend all your $$$ on these guys the rest of the roster isn’t star caliber. They need to sort out how to play together and get match fit within next two weeks. If they gain momentum they will be one of the best squads in MLS during play-offs. This comes down to Kreis as a People Manager – lets see if he can get them believing and committed to the cause. Should be fun to watch!

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  2. Mix probably thought he was a lot better than he really is going into Mls. Its not his fault. He came from norway…how was he supposed to know?

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  3. Pstand villa, but nyc could have gone for giovani and trade for Gonzales from LA.

    I also think mix is overrated and can barely make a pass or score

    Then u got pirlo and lampard, they better get in shape or they r in deep sh!t.

    As for red bull, dont get excited,you just beat an expansion dysfunctional team from the east.

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  4. Just remember, one almost won the PL, the other almost won UCL, there is no way they wont be able to handle MLS. I read that here.

    I felt like I was watching an intramural college game at the end. You remember it. You were yelling at Pirlo, Lampard and the other midfielders to at least fake they were running back to play D.

    It is only one game, maybe they will be fine, but they couldn’t handle the speed or last 90 minutes of MLS.

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  5. With Montreal still having games in hand, gaining Drogba and maybe Mapp, I don’t see them falling off. I think the Revs will have to continue there slide if they are going to have any chance.

    Reply

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