New York City FC vs. Montreal Impact: Match Recap 3-2 Loss Interviews with Tommy McNamara, Josh Saunders, Andrea Pirlo, Frank Lampard and Coach Jason Kreis Our Coverage Sponsored by Maine Woolens
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Before the match began, NYCFC and Montreal were tied in the standings (along with Orlando) at 24 points, and since in their previous two meetings this year New York has won, we had hoped to tell you about how they were 3 for 3 in wins versus Montreal and do a victory dance in words. Unfortunately, the cookie did not crumble that way and NYCFC continues to experience growing pains as they bring new players to the field and aim for greater success. In fairness, it was a one-goal game which means close, bien sur. (and guess who appreciates the game notes in French when Montreal is the opponent!)
The second half was much better than the first. In the first half, early on we did see positive touch and go chemistry between Pirlo and Villa, particularly in regards to Pirlo setting up Villa (known as quarterbacking across sports, derived from American football. The best example of quarterbacking is Mario Lemieux inside his offensive blue line which resulted in back-to-back Stanley Cups in Pittsburgh-Jaromir Jagr capitalized on these passes the most effectively.) We look forward to this chemistry developing more between Pirlo and everyone on the team, especially Villa. In the first half, we were also impressed with Villa's ability to forecheck. We saw Pirlo pointing and directing players and such communication is essential to eventual goals. Villa almost scored at the end of the first half but was offsides.
One problem we saw during the game is that when the NYCFC defenders had possession of the ball and were looking to move it up the field, a lot of times they'd look for a teammate and no one was open at the moment they were ready to pass, so this needs to click better. Also Josh Saunders needs more help. We wanted NYCFC to be more dominant and creative rather than being reactive, but that will come in time.
Gifted Villa scored on a penalty kick at about the 68th minute and in about the 85th minute Tommy McNamara scored a beauty on a great pass from Angelino, who has great finesse on the field. Those were the two strong highlights of the game, and it was also positive to see Frank Lampard make his debut, coming in after the Villa goal. Thank you to Coach Kreis and the players below that answered our questions.
Post-game, Coach Kreis commented:
Gifted Villa scored on a penalty kick at about the 68th minute and in about the 85th minute Tommy McNamara scored a beauty on a great pass from Angelino, who has great finesse on the field. Those were the two strong highlights of the game, and it was also positive to see Frank Lampard make his debut, coming in after the Villa goal. Thank you to Coach Kreis and the players below that answered our questions.
Post-game, Coach Kreis commented:
(on a good question from someone else-asking what he found most disappointing about the back line in this game)
"We're just trying to be more coordinated. Both goals came in very similar fashion-long balls over the top. And then the connection between the goalkeeper and the back four as well, because I thought with clearer communication and quicker decision making I think both of those aren't goals."
(another good q-how do you assess 3 stars Villa, Lampard, Pirlo in tandem and new back four?)
"I think we're all born competitors in the locker room, so anytime there's a game we're going to be extremely, extremely disappointed [with a loss.] But looking past the result, I would say I was more disappointed in the first 45 minutes."
"We're just trying to be more coordinated. Both goals came in very similar fashion-long balls over the top. And then the connection between the goalkeeper and the back four as well, because I thought with clearer communication and quicker decision making I think both of those aren't goals."
(another good q-how do you assess 3 stars Villa, Lampard, Pirlo in tandem and new back four?)
"I think we're all born competitors in the locker room, so anytime there's a game we're going to be extremely, extremely disappointed [with a loss.] But looking past the result, I would say I was more disappointed in the first 45 minutes."
We had a two part question. First part: Although we saw good moments of good quarterbacking by Pirlo, overall it felt like more of a reactive effort than a creative, offensive effort. How can we please change this and what would you like to see in terms of this?
Coach Kreis said: "We need more time together. Andrea -he's a good player as well-every player that plays in this league- needs to adjust a little bit. I think it's just a matter of time. It's an adjustment for himself and it's an adjustment for the entire team."
Second part: It's obvious that the stars are getting a lot of attention right now. Who do you think are the most underrated players on the team and why?
Kreis: "I think Tommy McNamara's performances need to be spoken about more. Because for me he was the one player in the first half that was moving and really trying to make something happen at the end of the day. I think that that effort was fantastic on his part and he was rewarded by scoring a goal in the second half. So, he's a player that is really, really showing some hunger and to push things along and to do things for himself and for this team."
(on Frank Lampard)
Kreis: "We needed to have Frank in for under 30 minutes...we wanted to get him in there for as long as we could. It was great timing because we just scored the goal and we'd get another emotional push. I think Frank had good moments and bad moments. Again, it was a transition period and he looked a little bit rusty and that's how it's going to be. He hasn't played a competitive match since May and [has been injured.] We'll be training with him this week."
Tommy McNamara comments:
"I expect to put in an effort every time I step on the field representing this club, this fan base, my family and my friends, the state...it's what I expect out of myself; it's not anything out of the ordinary."
We told him what Coach Kreis said about underrated players on the team and asked Tommy who else he thought might be underrated. He said:
"I think a lot of different guys are underrated at different points in the season; they've stepped up and have done something that's helped us be successful and earn points in this league. It's every guy on this team at one point or another."
(on Montreal's defense in this game)
Tommy: "I think it was pretty similar [to the previous two matches.] They were pretty good defensively up in their field but we were better defensively in that game so that was the biggest difference today compared to those games. It wasn't necessarily what they did, but what we did."
Our next question was along the lines of what should everyone understand about the challenges of each player's job on the field that the public might not realize?
Coach Kreis said: "We need more time together. Andrea -he's a good player as well-every player that plays in this league- needs to adjust a little bit. I think it's just a matter of time. It's an adjustment for himself and it's an adjustment for the entire team."
Second part: It's obvious that the stars are getting a lot of attention right now. Who do you think are the most underrated players on the team and why?
Kreis: "I think Tommy McNamara's performances need to be spoken about more. Because for me he was the one player in the first half that was moving and really trying to make something happen at the end of the day. I think that that effort was fantastic on his part and he was rewarded by scoring a goal in the second half. So, he's a player that is really, really showing some hunger and to push things along and to do things for himself and for this team."
(on Frank Lampard)
Kreis: "We needed to have Frank in for under 30 minutes...we wanted to get him in there for as long as we could. It was great timing because we just scored the goal and we'd get another emotional push. I think Frank had good moments and bad moments. Again, it was a transition period and he looked a little bit rusty and that's how it's going to be. He hasn't played a competitive match since May and [has been injured.] We'll be training with him this week."
Tommy McNamara comments:
"I expect to put in an effort every time I step on the field representing this club, this fan base, my family and my friends, the state...it's what I expect out of myself; it's not anything out of the ordinary."
We told him what Coach Kreis said about underrated players on the team and asked Tommy who else he thought might be underrated. He said:
"I think a lot of different guys are underrated at different points in the season; they've stepped up and have done something that's helped us be successful and earn points in this league. It's every guy on this team at one point or another."
(on Montreal's defense in this game)
Tommy: "I think it was pretty similar [to the previous two matches.] They were pretty good defensively up in their field but we were better defensively in that game so that was the biggest difference today compared to those games. It wasn't necessarily what they did, but what we did."
Our next question was along the lines of what should everyone understand about the challenges of each player's job on the field that the public might not realize?
Tommy: "First and foremost I think we should be doing better. I don't think we're doing ourselves justice. At the same time, consistency. It would be interesting to see what the lineups have looked like during the season and see if there's ever been a consistent lineup from one game to the next game. Especially across the back four, which is the most vital part. I think that's been something we haven't been able to fully get a rhythm and consistency for so it makes it a little bit more difficult; but, we're not doing our team justice."
Josh Saunders spoke next.
Josh Saunders spoke next.
"We need to be winning games. We need to be getting shots. It's going to take time, but we don't have time. We need to work harder and we need to get better. Our guys need to be more attentive..."
We said over the span of the season that we thought he was the most consistent if not the most consistent player. We asked him what he thought.
Josh: "I think for me today it was frustrating because I was not consistent with the play."
[Which is uncharacteristic.]
We said over the span of the season that we thought he was the most consistent if not the most consistent player. We asked him what he thought.
Josh: "I think for me today it was frustrating because I was not consistent with the play."
[Which is uncharacteristic.]
Saunders: "I made two bad judgments that led to goals. I need to get back to it and back to making better decisions and win some games....If you look at the quality of the team, we're going to win."
Peachy: Do you think you're going to make the playoffs?
Josh Saunders: YES.
Andrea Pirlo spoke (translated to English):
Pirlo: "It wasn't a great game, but as I said last time, it takes time to build the team so these things can happen. We'll keep improving."
We asked him if there was anything about MLS that surprised him, and if he had any specific goals for himself this year. This is our first question for him ever.
Andrea Pirlo: "There is nothing that I didn't expect; everything is the way I expected it. And of course, one factor is the strong heat."
Later he said:
Finally, Frank Lampard spoke to the press.
(question from someone else-are you ready to start a game?)
"It's a long week off until the next game so I'll take it easy and rest and work, because I need some fitness as well. I need to get my calves right and get fit, and start contributing quickly. We need to win games. I just want to play more now."
(how does it feel to play with Villa and Pirlo?)
Frank: "It's a pleasure and I think time will make us better. It will be great to have a week of training [ahead of us] now."
Peachy: Do you think you're going to make the playoffs?
Josh Saunders: YES.
Andrea Pirlo spoke (translated to English):
Pirlo: "It wasn't a great game, but as I said last time, it takes time to build the team so these things can happen. We'll keep improving."
We asked him if there was anything about MLS that surprised him, and if he had any specific goals for himself this year. This is our first question for him ever.
Andrea Pirlo: "There is nothing that I didn't expect; everything is the way I expected it. And of course, one factor is the strong heat."
Later he said:
"All of us are here to try and improve the success of soccer in America. I hope I'll be able to teach something after my experience in Europe, especially from a tactical point of view."
Finally, Frank Lampard spoke to the press.
(question from someone else-are you ready to start a game?)
"It's a long week off until the next game so I'll take it easy and rest and work, because I need some fitness as well. I need to get my calves right and get fit, and start contributing quickly. We need to win games. I just want to play more now."
(how does it feel to play with Villa and Pirlo?)
Frank: "It's a pleasure and I think time will make us better. It will be great to have a week of training [ahead of us] now."
NYCFC tells Whom You Know:
David Villa continued doing what he does best, but his team-leading 13th goal wasn’t enough as New York City FC dropped a 3-2 decision to Montreal in front of a sell-out crowd of 27,645 on Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.
Tommy McNamara added a goal in the 85th minute as New York City FC fell to 6-10-6 (24 points), while the Impact improved to 8-8-3 (27 points).
"I know it’s hot out there and these are difficult games to play in, but there was another team out there that had more energy, more effort and more commitment than we did for 45 minutes," head coach Jason Kreis said. "But I'm pleased with our response in the second half. I’m also pleased our team is coming together. This is not an easy place to be in when you’re in the middle of the season and we’ve had as many changes as we’ve had. We have to continue to push forward and continue to make efforts to improve."
Dominic Oduro and Ignacio Piatti gave the visitors a 2-0 lead in the first half, but New York City FC got within 2-1 on Villa’s converted penalty kick in the 68th. Villa back-heeled a lovely pass to an overlapping McNamara down the left side. The midfielder was tripped up in the box and the referee pointed to the spot.
Villa converted his fourth penalty of the season to make it a one-goal game.
New York City FC then introduced Frank Lampard, who was making his Club and Major League Soccer debut, coming on to a thunderous ovation in the 69th minute in place of Andrew Jacobson.
"We needed to limit Frank to under 30 minutes," Kreis said. "If our training staff had their way we would have limited him to under 20, but we made a negotiation so 25 was the answer. It was great timing because we just scored a goal and would get another emotional push with his introduction."
Added Lampard: "It was fantastic to run out on the pitch at Yankee Stadium with the fans showing their support. I really enjoyed that moment, obviously.
Montreal added to its advantage as Piatti added his own successful penalty kick in the 84th minute. New York City FC continued fighting and made it a one-goal game less than a minute later as McNamara rifled a left-footed attempt into the bottom far corner for his fourth goal of the campaign.
New York City FC couldn’t get in a rhythm early in the match and Oduro’s goal in the sixth minute didn’t make things any easier.
Laurent Ciman played a long ball over the top that the speedy forward latched onto. Oduro beat Jefferson Mena, who was making his first start for the Club, causing goalie Josh Saunders to come off his line. Oduro beat the goalkeeper as well and easily tapped it in for a 1-0 lead.
New York City FC fell victims of the long ball again in the 32nd, but it was Piatti who made them pay this time.
Andres Romero played the ball over the top and the Impact captain gained possession by outracingJason Hernandez. Saunders (six saves) again came off his line, but Piatti chipped the ’keeper to make it 2-0.
That scored remained at the break.
"This is a disappointing one for sure," McNamara said. It was a huge opportunity for us today specifically for our goal which is to make the playoffs. To come out in the first half the way we did, give up two goals, be down at halftime and having to chase the game is disappointing for us.
"We weren’t good enough on the ball. When we did turn over the ball, they caught us. They had speed up top and played their counter-attacking soccer very effectively in the first half."
Kreis made a pair of substitutions in the 59th minute, bringing on Mix Diskerud and Kwadwo Poku in place of Ned Grabavoy and Javier Calle.
The duo got involved quickly, with a nice series of passes in the 63rd minute that set up a shot from distance by Andrea Pirlo, who was making his first start for New York City FC.
New York City FC return to action on Sunday, August 9 against the Red Bulls. Kickoff is 7 p.m. ET from Red Bull Arena (FOX Sports 1, WFAN, WADO).
"There are things we need to improve because we aren’t winning enough games," Lampard said. "I don’t have too many fears because with the quality of this team I think once we get a bit of time together, it’s within us to do what we want. There’s enough ability here to go on a run of wins and put us in competition for a playoff spot which is what we all want."
