New York City FC might have a new-look kit and a new-look squad, but the first matches of the 2024 season are giving us flashbacks. Two games, zero goals, a total of four shots on target. We hate to say it, but these dismal results are becoming too familiar.
What’s worse, this NYCFC is stacked, at least on paper: Two strikers, two No 10s, more wings than what you find in a chicken bucket. Nobody goes to CITYPARK expecting to dominate St. Louis City, but this NYCFC should have given the hosts more trouble.
Instead, we were left praying for a consolation goal. Is it too much to ask for a nice run of play that ends with a clinical finish? Just something to give us a little hope.
We had no such luck, and your Player Ratings reflect that. This is why, in a Hudson River Blue first, the referee earned the highest numbers on the night.
That’s right, according to you, the replacement ref from Nicaragua had a better game than anybody wearing the 24/7 Kit. (Such a good shirt btw.)
Read on for your NYCFC vs St. Louis player ratings, and why we decided to name Erick Lezama your POTM — which today is short for Personnel of the Match.
Mounsef Bakrar – 4.3
Santiago RodrĂguez (off 74′) – 5.1
Hannes Wolf (off 67’) – 4.8
Keaton Parks (off 80′) – 4.3
Andrés Perea – 5.3
James Sands (red card 83′) – 3.0
Mitja Ilenič – 4.0
Kevin O’Toole – 3.8
Thiago Martins – 4.2
Birk Risa – 4.8
Matt Freese – 5.4
AugustĂn Ojeda (on 74′) – 4.5
Julián Fernández (on 67′) – 4.3
Jovan Mijatović (on 80′) – 4.3
Nick Cushing – 1.7
Give credit to St. Louis: They had a clear game plan, with the coaching and ability to pull it off. NYCFC looked lost in comparison.
More to the point, New York City seemed completely unprepared to handle the St. Louis press. You saved your lowest rating of the night for the gaffer who now has the players to get a result – even when on the road against a tough opponent – but whose team looked outmatched.
Erick Lezama – 5.6
The ref gave his whistle a workout in St. Louis. Lezama called 34 fouls (20 against St. Louis, 14 against NYCFC), and handed out cards like mini peanut butter cups on Halloween: Eight yellows (five to St. Louis, three to NYCFC), and a straight red to James Sands.
To be clear, your rating is less a testament to Lezama’s excellence than the poor performances by NYCFC. The ref’s rating is fairly standard, but those of the players dropped into a nose-dive. In the land of sub-optimal performances, the one with the 5.6 is king.
Personnel of the Match
Erick Lezama
For the first time in the history of HRB Player Ratings, a referee is the POTM.
The replacement referee might be new to MLS, but he’s no rookie: Lezama called 304 top-flight league games in his native Nicaragua, and has six international matches under his belt — including a FIFA World Cup Qualifier.
True, Lezama wasn’t on the POTM ballot. But we made this call because your choices for the players were all over the place, with 12 receiving votes and a multi-way tie for first and second places. Safe to assume it wasn’t because you were dazzled by the collective effort of the team, and couldn’t possibly decide whose light shined brightest.
Let’s take a moment to explain how unusual this is. Normally, one or two players have the strongest support, with maybe another one or two in the mix. We would have to go back into the archives to find six players splitting the vote. Twelve? That’s so far outside the expected range that it temporarily crashed our servers.
And so, Lezema. We could have asked the MIT Statistics and Data Science Center to go through our numbers, but instead decided to give the POTM to most-deserving of the undeserving.
funny & sad
What about Perea?
Appended! Thank you for the catch.
For what it’s worth, I though every yellow and red card was earned. So good on the ref to not be afraid to be an authority figure out there.
ref had a good game for sure, even regarding being a replacement. nothing biased or unfair as far as i recall. he actually helped NYCFC not being biased getting affected by the home team advantage. just finished watching “every”-yes every—MLS game over the wknd, just to be able to make sure myself standing on an objective POV not to get my bias being a founding member of a struggling team. we are far behind the elite level, in fact far behind even the regular level. soccer is simple sports. you lose* (aka don’t win) when you don’t score, you can’t defend and you can’t change the game. the team now don’t—can’t—score, don’t defend and don’t—can’t—have an ability to change a game. evidence? the team lost two games in a row with a same exact fashion that had put the team in the bad shape hence the bad result in the last season (and the pres-season friendies).let me assess if i may: 1. players don’t cut. (yes i love them, but)Barkar: slow & dull. diligent but amateurish first touches. Illenic: the boy had potential, on a confident-less diminish (and i put this on the coaching staff). O’toole: slow and mediocre. his touches not up to his soccer IQ. hard to justify he’s the choice after sacking Malte & Cufre (and again, this is on the coaching staffs). Santi: maybe OK if he’s not a DP #10. far behind the DP #10 level even in MLS. most of his weapon is whining for a foul than a creative play that controls the game. Justin, Jasson, I don’t think so—-rry. 2. players need to push more (aka less results than potential)Sands: loving to see him on the way taking away a ‘gentleman’ label. but hey your competitions in that positions are likes of Jose phil-cking Martinez or Darth Nagbe. that position can’t be pretty. you can try to be pretty when you become Pirlo and even Pirlo didn’t leave a good taste on our mouth. Perea: prove yourself man, you’ve got our support. Keaton: let’s get out of just a master of pinballing. we need more than that. your pass should aim something. Jovan: pls talk to Maxi while you can. the Spiderman in your lockeroom had mastered how to survive and even reign MLS with that height. ask also him the phonenumber of an old guy named Giovinvo. Risa: stop partying, you look 5 years older than last year, and we see you still got it. tell CFG you are up no more for the fancy promo videos. we needs you on the ground, not on those ads. 3. players need to “lead” more (and thank you)Martins. Freese. Perea. Wolf. perhaps only a few i can feel ‘comfy’. and condolences for them to lead a currently a hopeless bunch with such a mediocre and directionless coach.4. coach needs need to goi’ve been careful not to hopelessly to say a coach switch as it usually would lead a team to another half season’s unsetttlement no matter how high-profile the replacement skipper will be. but now. this man gotta go for the next three reasons:A: lack of vision & strategy: his team don’t seem to be prepared, don’t seem to have a game planB: lack of game-changing decision when goes south: always the best performing one gets subbed off then goes gambling with youngsters. praying for miracle is enough for once of twice. what has not happened will not happen and your prayer didn’t work, as the pitch is not a chapel. C. (the biggest) ALMOST EVERY YOUNG POTENTIALS ARE ON A DECLINE SINCE implemented. this coach don’t seem to have an ability to incubate the youngsters to the expectations, period. gotta write more, but sorry. wanna have a better feeling week. see y’all at the Yankees. i’ll hold a small #cushingout sign.
Comprehensive assessment, and sobering. Do others feel the same?
orangeology provided far more detail and observation than I could hope to offer. I love the passion. As for feeling the same, the parts I primarily agree with: we are still having a difficult time with offensive finishes (obviously), and our defense seems to freeze up or at least slow up at some crucial points (notably one of the goals against STL City). On the bright side though, it’s early in the season and I think these guys will gel and improve. Maybe it’s because I love this club but I’m taking the glass half full perspective.
Anyone else find it ironic and sad that the team has so many young players with potential and a coaching staff apparently determined to destroy it?