NYCFC traveled to Cincinnati for game three of the opening round of the MLS Cup Playoffs and kept the number three seed in the east to a nil-nil draw. The game was decided by penalty kicks and Matt Freese proved to be just as important in the moment as he has been all season long.
This week Mike Anderer, J.R. diBart and Mike Allen look back at round one of the playoffs and look ahead at the all-important Hudson River Derby matchup on November 23 in CitiField.
NYCFC hosted FC Cincinnati in CitiField on Saturday for the second leg of the first round of MLS Playoffs and the Boys In Blue solidly defeated the higher seed opponent.
This week Mike Anderer, J.R. deBart and Mike Allen discuss the game from last week. There is plenty of post game audio as well as a conversation with Justin Haak from training in the midweek.
In the ten season history of NYCFC, the team had only lost to Montreal twice. Once was in 2020 during the “Covid” season that will forever be tainted by the impact the pandemic had on rosters, venues, and fan support. The second time was in NYCFC’s inaugural season under head coach, Jason Kreis. Back in 2015 NYCFC was a project. It was not well-oiled machine like it’s counterpart in Manchester. But in 2024, already with a championship and an international trophy already in its case, the team should be more than a project. More than a young coach and youthful squad going through a multi-season long process. The team at this point should be “plug and play” with depth both on the roster but also in its reserve squad. And yet, here we are, again, limping into the playoffs grasping at the thin chances of advancing to the meaningful moments in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
This week Mike Anderer, J.R. deBart, and Mike Allen look at the 2024 regular season with a discerning critical eye and also recap the loss in Montreal that brought up the memories of the team under Jason Kreis.
This week’s episode could almost be recorded at any given time in the year. The USMNT under performed under Gregg Berhalter and NYCFC won a home game and then lost a road game. There really is not much shocking about these occurrences.
This week the guys take a moment to talk about Berhalter’s future with US Soccer and possible replacements both from a pipe dream level but also realistic options.
Second segment is all about the home match versus Montreal in CitiField and in the final segment they discuss the loss in Austin.
There is lots of post-game audio shared from the Montreal match.
NYCFC has a history of bright young players that burst on the scene hoping to secure a spot on the squad and cement their relationship with the fanbase. This year Malachi Jones did both with his speed, talent and smile. Sadly during the 4-2 victory from Friday against Orlando City, the winger suffered a devastating injury that will most likely see him out until next season.
Mike, J.R. and Mike Allen talk through the injury, the impact to the roster depth and what players might see minutes in the rookie’s absence.
The trio also use the second segment to have a quick conversation about the USMNT with that group’s final match of the Copa America kicking off immediately after recording.
It has been said in creative circles that a key to success is to create to an audience of one. The creative juices flow easier when the distractions of trying to please others are removed and the end-product is better.
This week Mike Anderer tests that theory. J.R. Debart was a last minute scratch from the show due to a work conflict so the decision was quickly made to have J.R. deliver soundbytes on a few topics so they could be inserted into the show during post-production.
This week the guys talk about the thrilling match in Yankee Stadium versus San Jose and the incredible performance by Alonso Martinez, but the real story of this match is the return of 37 year old Maxi Moralez.
Post game audio from Nick Cushing, Maxi Moralez, Matt Freese, James Sands, Mitja Illenic, and Birk Risa round out the show.
After falling in their last home game of five in a row to Colorado there was some nervousness amongst the NYCFC fanbase, and it was justified. The team was pathetic on the road in 2023 and had a difficult schedule looming. Nick Cushing quipped after the Colorado loss, “We’ve won 10 points out of 15 from the home stand, let’s see where we are after the next 5 games because three are on the road.”
NYCFC would go on to take the next nine available points defeating Toronto last week and completing a sweep of cross-river rivals in Philadelphia on Wednesday and Red Bull on Saturday.
This week Mike, J.R. and Mike Allen dig into the changes Nick Cushing is making to move NYCFC up the table.
This episode is full of post-game audio from Saturday’s Hudson River Derby.
New York City FC won. New York City won by scoring more than one goal in a game. New York City won because they scored more goals than the opposing team. New York City FC… you get the idea.
This week Mike, J.R. and Mike Allen look back the team’s win against New England from last Saturday. The guys also discuss the latest updates on the stadium progress.
Inside the episode is audio from Nick Cushing, Matt Freese, Augustin Ojeda, James Sands, Thiago Martins, Malachi Jones, Birk Risa, Mitja Ilenic, Kevin O’Toole, Hannes Wolf, Andres Perea, Monsef Bakrar, and Keaton Parks.
New York City FC has been in a horrible scoring drought since the end of 2022. In 2023 the club average just over one goal per game and things are not looking better to start 2024 with the club in scoring in only half of their first six matches and only scoring more than a single goal only once this year.
The questions continue for the club. Both Sporting Director, David Lee, and Head Coach, Nick Cushing, have spoken highly of the new roster additions but many of the new players have yet to feature in matches. Cushing remains consistent in his approach of “form over freshness” by giving the same players minutes despite their lack of goals.
This week the guys take a look at the game from Miami, the questions about Nick Cushing’s tactics and look ahead at the next five home games for New York City FC.
New York City FC played its home opener on Saturday in front of 24,000 freezing wet fans and conceded two goals after the 80th minute to lose to Portland 1-2, and that’s the good news.
The team came out blazing in the first 25 minutes and did well to control the rest of the first half despite a surge from the Timbers. It was when the second half started that all of the old habits of a young New York City FC came out and the team lost complete control of the match.
This week the guys look back at the home opener and all the woes it exposed. Both Mike Anderer and Mike Allen had the chance to also sit down with New York City FC CEO, Brad Sims, to discuss the play on the field, the roster construction and the plans and renderings for the stadium in Queens. There is plenty of audio from that exchange as well as post game comments from Nick Cushing, Keaton Parks, Hannes Wolf, Mounsef Bakrar, Andres Perea, Andres Jasson, Mitja Ilenic, Matt Freese and Tayvon Gray.
It’s long episode but one that we enjoyed recording so we hope you enjoy listening to.
