Crooks: Time Is Now For The Light To Go On For NYCFC

By Glenn Crooks
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When New York City FC meets Columbus Crew FC this Sunday at Yankee Stadium, the home side can assure itself a place in the Eastern Conference semifinals and avoid that dreaded one-off, mid-week playoff game.

Consequently, there is plenty of motivation for the second-year franchise, whose goal to reach the playoffs was realized three weeks ago. Along the way, the aspirations have been elevated to Eastern Conference champion and a bye to the semis. With those two ambitions present last Sunday at D.C. United, NYCFC submitted a performance that would have barely received a passing grade by even the most lenient professor.

"This is a really important match for us," midfielder Andoni Iraola said three days prior to the 3-1 loss at RFK Stadium.

"We didn't show up -- we didn't compete," first-year coach Patrick Vieira said just minutes after the substandard performance. "I can accept if the other team is just the better team. What I can't accept as a coach is when we are on the field and not giving everything."

Thus, this New York City side qualifies as an enigma -- and no longer in contention for the top seed in the East barring a miraculous goal differential swing on the weekend. In four of the last six matches, the head coach has admonished his team publicly for their effort in the opening 45 minutes. The role of a coach as the motivator can be debated but for reasons that remain unexplained, NYCFC has become a group where supporters are not sure what they are going to grasp from match to match.

"Sometimes it happens -- it's hard to explain," blue collar technician Tommy McNamara said at training this week. "Occasionally it happens in professional sports. We're not scared or nervous because we had a bad performance. We need to learn from it and take away how we can start the game better."

MORE: 'Soccer In The City' Podcast: Another Sluggish Start Dooms NYCFC

"The minimum I want from every member of the team is to work as hard as they can," added Vieira, an effort player in his day. "We are really ambitious, but it is not enough to say it."

City will speak to that urgency on Sunday against a team it has failed to master in four previous attempts. Columbus has scored six goals in two home matches against NYC this season -- a 3-2 triumph in mid-April and a 3-3 draw two months ago. David Villa scored twice in both matches, two of his six games with multiple goals this season.

"I've watched their last five or six games and it's hard for me to understand why they are not in the playoffs," said Vieira, whose team is unbeaten in its last seven at Yankee Stadium. "They play some of the best football in the league."

Columbus, under Claudio Reyna's former high school teammate Greg Berhalter, is second in MLS with 393 completed passes per match -- New York City is third in that department -- and has scored the second-most goals of any MLS team since Sept. 15 (D.C. United is first).

While Columbus will attempt to solve Villa, City would be wise to decipher a plan for Justin Meram and Ethan Finlay, who have shredded NYC with three goals apiece in the series. Columbus, an MLS Cup finalist last season, has lost 10 matches on the road this season. Only the Chicago Fire has more defeats away from home. Crew FC and NYCFC have met just once at Yankee Stadium, a 2-1 City defeat in August of 2015.

Throw-Ins

-- If NYCFC wins 6-0 and the New York Red Bulls lose 6-0 in Philadelphia on #DecisionDay this Sunday, NYCFC would still remain one goal shy of the Red Bulls in the tiebreaker for the top seed. RBNY currently has a three-point advantage and a plus-13 goal differential over second-place NYC.

-- With just 2,000 tickets available as of Friday morning, New York City officials are expecting a sellout for the final regular season home match. Kickoff for every match in MLS is 4 p.m.

-- Frank Lampard participated in full training this week and is expected to be on the squad on Sunday. Vieira indicated that he would play the team's second-leading scorer only if the match dictated his entry. He will not play Lampard for the sake of getting him minutes. Lampard, with 12 goals, has been unavailable the last four matches due to a calf injury.

-- Lampard is in the final year of his contract with New York City and Vieira suggested that there is plenty of time to talk about a new deal. With Villa and Andrea Pirlo inked through the 2017 season, Lampard has publicly stated his desire to return to NYCFC. Meanwhile, a media report from overseas suggested that Villa has encouraged Andres Iniesta, his former Barcelona and Spain teammate, to join him in the Bronx.

-- Diego Martinez entered the game as a substitute for the injured Ronald Matarrita last Sunday. The league is currently investigating the claims that Martinez uttered a homophobic slur to a ball boy.

Martinez speaks limited English. He is polite and humble. One would hope that the exact comments were misplaced in translation in the midst of a frustrating night for New York City.

Matarrita left RFK on crutches and Vieira has devoted the week to alternative plans with both personnel and shape at the back.

-- Name the person behind the quote: "There will be no change. Until the last day of my career as a coach I will try to play from our keeper."

If you presume this is from Vieira, who has remained steadfast in his demand to build from the back, you are incorrect.

It was from the manager of Manchester City FC, Pep Guardiola, following a 4-0 loss to Barcelona in the group stage of the Champions League on Wednesday. His keeper, Claudio Bravo, made a disastrous decision with his feet which changed the course of the match. A couple of former Manchester United players, now pundits, made declarations that are familiar criticisms of Vieira this season.

"The personnel aren't up to executing Guardiola's ideas," said former United defender Rio Ferdinand.

"Manchester City's approach to the game was very brave -- but very stupid," added former Vieira combatant Roy Keane. "Everyone loves to see good football, but it's your decision about when to play and when to clear your lines. The decision making was all wrong."

-- An annual friendly match between the NYPD and the FDNY men's soccer teams to raise money for each group's respective charities will take place after the final whistle of NYCFC versus Columbus on Sunday. The NYPD plays in the Cosmopolitan League, while the FDNY competes in the Long Island Soccer Football League.

For all things NYCFC and the world of futbol, please follow Glenn on Twitter at @GlennCrooks