Kreis may favor the diamond, but he won’t be married to itFor 45 minutes, New York City FC picked up where Jason Kreis’ Real Salt Lake left off, as far as formation is concerned. With Chris Wingert and Ned Grabavoy running the left flank and Sebastian Velasquez installed at the point of the midfield diamond, you could be forgiven for experiencing a little déjà vu.
The difference? While RSL are now eight years into what has become Kreis’ signature setup, NYCFC are still learning the ropes. And they often looked like it, especially for the final for 35 minutes of the first half.
Apart from a nervous start from both sides – a 10-minute period that saw some guy name David Villa smack the crossbar from 20-some yards – Orlando City were the clear aggressors.
With the Lions’ pair of midfield destroyers (Amobi Okugo and Cristian Higuita) and three-man midfield front (Neal, Molino and Kaka) severing the connection between the backline and midfield, Josh Saunders, Andres Mendoza and Wingert were too often forced into lumping hopeful balls forward for Tony Taylor and Villa to chase.
Villa, in particular, had a few moments of frustration, but a planned second-half tweak brought equilibrium – and eventually an equalizer – to the match.
Off went Velasquez and on came first-round SuperDraft pick Khiry Shelton to act as a fulcrum up top and a threat in behind. The midfield, meanwhile, shifted into what generally looked a flat 4-4-2, and Villa, instead of drifting left into isolation, began picking up the ball in positions to turn and run at the Orlando City backline.
The result, as you might expect with Villa more involved and the connection between midfield and defense restored, was an uptick in possession and positivity.
Eventually, the goal came via a Villa through ball and tidy finish from Shelton, with Kreis saying after the match that he was pleased with the increased endeavor in the second, but also cautioning that observers shouldn’t read too much into the tweak in formation, a move that was always in the cards rather than a reaction to the state of the game.
So what does that mean for what we’ll see at the Citrus Bowl on March 8?
Well, it means NYCFC aren’t a one-trick pony. That there’s a Plan B (and almost certainly a C, D and E). While the diamond remains a core part of Kreis’ approach, don’t expect it to be only defining characteristic of NYCFC’s tactical identity.
http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2 ... -new-york-NYCFC clearly still working on their system. It may result in a slow start for them this season.