It was the sort of goal where the idea of each player came to life.
Maxi Moralez orchestrating in the middle. Anton Tinnerholm making a lung-busting overlap run on the right. Jesus Medina finishing off the play after a smart run into the box.
Medina’s goal was NYCFC at its slick, attacking best and set the tone for a commanding 2-0 win over the Philadelphia Union last weekend.
Across the Hudson River earlier in the day, the Red Bulls won by the same scoreline, in no small part due to new forward Fabio’s tremendous hold-up play.
These weren’t just wins, but ones with clear blueprints to replicate.
No, NYCFC won’t play against 10 men every game (Philly’s Jose Martinez was sent off just 16 minutes in), and Caden Clark won’t score every volley he attempts. But both New York squads were deserved victors last weekend, and have clear plans of action moving forward.
Starting with NYCFC (Saturday vs. Orlando City), which has now recorded clean sheets in consecutive games, and have allowed the second-lowest xG (2.0) in the league to opponents. The sample size is still small, but I’m confident we can bank on this defense being, at worst, above-average.
That brings us to the offense, and Ronny Deila’s interesting setup last weekend. The team nominally set up in a 3-5-2, but essentially played six midfielders when in possession. Moralez was constantly dropping deep, and with the Union pinned back almost the entire game, wingbacks Tinnerholm and Gudmundur Thórarinsson stayed high and wide.
I don’t expect Deila to use this approach every game, but it offered a good example of a lineup that fits around its personnel, and not the other way around.
Tinnerholm, the club’s (joint) third-highest scorer last season from defense, was allowed to focus on getting forward, and Medina had freedom in the middle instead of hugging the touchline. Even James Sands, usually a holding midfielder nowadays, benefitted from moving back to defense and getting a bit more space on the ball. He consistently broke Philly’s lines with his passing.
Throw in some more accurate finishing from Taty Castellanos (and the eventual return of Heber), and this team could look a whole lot like 2019’s squad, which led the East in overall points and goals.
It was only one game (against a team with a Champions League match in its sights), but NYCFC battered one of the league’s stronger opponents. Deila should take note of how he did it.
Gerhard Struber, meanwhile, moved away from a back three to his favored diamond formation, eventually wearing down the Fire in the second half.
Fullbacks Kyle Duncan and Andrew Gutman were both focal points — registering the most and third-most attacking third touches on the team respectively, per FBRef— while both New York (Saturday vs. Toronto FC) goals came from smart runs by midfielders Clark and Cristian Casseres Jr. Neither of these points — playing with width and utilizing delayed runs into the box — will come as revelations to Struber, but they will be key strategies for New York going forward. Better yet, there’s reason to be cautiously optimistic that they have the personnel to make it work often enough.
Furthermore, if last weekend is any indication, the scoring success of the team’s midfielders will be largely aided by Fabio. The Brazilian won, held and supplied the ball for Cásseres Jr.’s opener before nodding down softly for Clark’s karate-esque volley. Keeping the ball is even more important when you’re not a particularly high-possession team, and Fabio played that target man role perfectly vs. Chicago.
Beyond individual play, however, New York will be fairly reliant on Struber’s management of this retooled roster if it’s to make the playoffs. Early signs show a coach willing to be proactive if nothing else.
The Austrian has made subs by the 55th minute in every game, and has also made at least four changes in each contest. For someone still learning his players and the league, it’s a positive sign he’s willing to admit his mistakes so far.
Struber may not have the exact recipe for his diamond yet, but he’s clearly willing to tinker until he does.
