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YES PIRLO.
YES PARTY.
YES PASSES.
YES WINNING.
We'd like to add YES PLAYOFFS in the coming weeks, and last night was a gigantic step in the right direction towards that ultimate goal of the season. NYCFC continues to persevere in their inaugural season, and looking back at our own experience, we've seen a total of 3-4-4 at home which is something to be really happy about in the first year of the franchise, especially with more of an upswing at the end. Right now is a highly pivotal time for the team as it is absolutely do or die in upcoming games. It's getting increasingly exciting, as evidenced by this victory!
No one caved into the pressure in front of the crowd of 28,262, and there is no better pressure cooker geographically than the City of New York, where we all seem to be addicted to the energy, buzz and of course, the stress.
The spotlight last week was on Shay Facey, who again proved his worth by saving the team by kicking out an early opportunity for DC. If you have been watching closely all along, you will appreciate the greater cohesion experienced on the field, which now is most notably dominated by the Pirlo Pass. The vision and anticipation Pirlo has in the first place that enable his passing ability- in the few games we've seen him play so far reminds us of Wayne Gretzky's vision on the ice (see quote here) and the players that receive those passes possess the same vision. Though DC was first in the standings coming in, the teams were extremely evenly matched and NYC contained DC throughout and emerged victorious.
Though David Villa was named player of the game, it's clear that Tommy McNamara, Kwadwo Poku and Andrea Pirlo were instrumental in the offensive efforts and equally deserve the honor; they are really clicking. The goals are even more beautiful than the Bergdorf Goodman windows, so maybe BG should think about putting them in them. The first of the three was Villa to Poku to Tommy (his 5th goal); the second was Villa from Pirlo for the go-ahead goal and in the 88th minute to match his number, Poku scored the 3rd goal from McNamara. Their efforts hugely exceeded the three that went in; their persistence paid off. A final result of 5-1 would not be unimaginable and they were robbed on a few. The video is better than any description:.
"For me it was an all or nothing situation," Coach Kreis commented post-game. "In the first half we played quite well but to not score a goal and at least be level - it's discouraging that we had to go into another halftime being down a goal...[the pass from Pirlo to Villa that resulted in the second goal] for me, this pass was out of this world. What I'm hopeful for is that this [win today] starts a new season for us and really, really pushes us forward. Oftentimes it takes adversity and some response to adversity to push you in a positive direction. I think we played a really good game against the Red Bulls, who are one of the best teams in the league. If we weren't playing such a quality opponent I think we probably would have won that game to be honest. To see the guys come out tonight and perform well and be down a goal again at halftime and to come back and win the game can be really instrumental to something special here and that's my hope."
"I needed to be forgiven for the bad pass that led to the first DC goal; Villa was very good at picking up on my pass to connect on the second goal," Andrea Pirlo said through an interpreter in Italian. "In Italy, normally there is prep time [for a team to assimilate] for at least a month but here the additions are different and there is a need to play right away. The first three to four games were just starting out games and now it's going better and better and it will continue to be that way going forward."
We asked Pirlo about his passing and if that's something he can teach others or if it's innate. He said, "I was lucky enough to be born [with good passing ability] and of course there's been a lot of training and practice but deep down it is a God-given gift and I thank my parents who gave it to me."
"Andrea Pirlo plays passes that frankly, people don't see," says Tommy McNamara. "He's extremely dangerous and he showed his ability today. We got the three points; we played well for a lot of the game. The new players have been in for a few games now. I think we're in a good spot and we have a good shot in the playoffs. We're in the mix. The new guys are a little bit more settled."
"Everytime I see the fans up there cheering for us I feel like I've got to give it all I have, to make them happy. That's why they are here. That's why we are here," said Kwadwo Poku. "I thank all the fans for supporting us and they should keep supporting us because we're going to make it."
David Villa spoke to the press in Spanish only. We wanted to know how he'd assess the offensive ability so far over the course of the season, so one of the other members of the press that is Spanish-speaking asked for us and said that Villa said in summary that since the addition of players like Pirlo to the team it spreads out the pressure better and makes the other players better.
Maybe we can repay the favor in our broken French sometime!
We think that NYCFC sometimes plays up to teams of high caliber and down to the level of teams that are subpar, however there has not been enough consistency to say for certain. They are getting more consistently good though and that's what's important. Now we want to see someone score a hat trick because we've never seen it in soccer. We did see the Red Bulls game on tv last Sunday and the shooting accuracy was much better in this game vs. DC by NYCFC.
So, who's the MOST United?
NYCFC.
Our previous home game coverage in chronological order:
New York City FC vs. Philadelphia Union: 1-1 Tie
New York City FC vs. Portland Timbers: 1-0 Loss
New York City FC vs. Seattle Sounders: 3-1 Loss
New York City FC vs. Chicago Fire: 2-2 Tie
New York City FC vs. Houston Dynamo: 1-1 Tie
New York City FC vs. Montreal Impact: 3-1 WIN
New York City FC vs. New York Red Bulls: 3-1 Loss
New York City FC vs. Toronto FC: 4-4 Tie
New York City FC vs. Orlando City SC: 5-3 WIN
New York City FC vs. Montreal Impact: 3-2 Loss
[We did not attend the first two home games.]
NYCFC tells Whom You Know:
There was a message written on the whiteboard in the New York City FC locker room in reference to their match against D.C. United on Thursday night at Yankee Stadium.
Our backs are against the wall...
Are we ready to fight?
The players showed loud and clear they're ready to fight with a dramatic 3-1 victory over Eastern Conference-leading D.C. United in front of a sell-out crowd of 28,262, earning a vital three points as the Club vies to qualify for the Major League Soccer playoffs in their inaugural season.
New York City FC snapped a two-game losing streak with the victory and improve to 7-11-6 (27 points), while D.C. United fall to 13-8-5 (44 points).
"It was an all-or-nothing situation," head coach Jason Kreis said. "I made it clear to the guys that we had to have three points tonight. To get them is extremely important and I’m very happy. It’s an important win. I think this could be a really, really huge win for us and a season changer and momentum changer for us."
With the score knotted at 1-1 in the 80th minute, midfielder Andrea Pirlo played a pinpoint perfect pass from near the midfield line over the top to David Villa. After two bounces, Villa somehow controlled the ball despite being sandwiched by D.C. United defenders Sean Franklin and Bobby Boswell then fired home the go-ahead goal inside the near post.
"We held up pretty well against the best team in the Eastern Conference," said Villa, who leads the Club with 14 goals. "It’s an important victory because of the three points, but also because of the morale boost."
It was Pirlo's first assist with New York City FC.
"We were convinced that we were able to do a lot better," Pirlo said. "Not just in terms of our ranking in the standings, but to further the morale of the team. We’ve been working really hard and thank God that the fruits were there for us to eat tonight.”
New York City FC weren’t done, though, as Kwadwo Poku sealed all three points for the home side with a goal in the 88th minute.
Poku received the ball on the right flank and drove on a backpeddling Boswell, turning him in and out and in again before blasting a shot past Bill Hamid at the near post for a 3-1 advantage.
The Ghanaian midfielder was also involved in the Club’s first goal of the evening in the 51st minute.
Villa had the ball on the left side and played a lovely through ball to Poku in space on the right. Poku drove into the box and dribbled past Hamid to his right before feeding the ball across the middle of the goal mouth to Tommy McNamara, who slotted it home.
It was Poku’s team-leading seventh assist and McNamara’s fifth goal of the season.
"We came in this afternoon and everybody knew we needed all three points," Poku said. "It's really important for us."
After a back-and-forth first 35 minutes, it was the visitors who broke the deadlock in the 37th.
Pirlo’s attempted back pass near midfield was picked off by D.C. United forward Chris Rolfe, who beat a defender and streaked down the left side. Rolfe got to the 18-yard line and slid the ball across the middle to Alvaro Saborio whose side-footed effort went into the back of the net for a 1-0 advantage.
The score remained 1-0 at halftime.
New York City FC came out the stronger side in the second stanza, dominating possession and it seemed only a matter of time before the pressure paid dividends with a goal.
Six minutes into the half it did.
"I am hopeful that we are sticking our flag in the ground right now and will move forward positively," Kreis said.
New York City FC begin a two-match road swing with a match at Columbus on August 19. Kickoff against the Crew is 7:30 p.m. ET from MAPFRE Stadium (YES Network, WFAN, WADO).
"We have our backs against the wall a little bit and are running out of time," defender Jason Hernandez said. "We knew we needed to get the full three points. They’re a great team and they’ve shown it all year. We’re really happy to get the victory tonight.
"We’re going to get back to work and prepare ourselves to play our best on the road. They’re two great teams, but we like our chances coming off a big win."