Know Thy Enemy: Revolution at NYC, Farewell to Yankee Postage Stamps
Good riddance to a bad stadium situation...which only moves the Revs at Gillette higher up on that dubious MLS list.
It appears that the infamous postage stamp outfield with overlaid infield grass field at the illustrious Bronx baseball staple will be no more.
NYCFC will have a new home fairly close to their other home this year as “The Cube” at Willets Point as the renderings have been dubbed looks to be approved at a site next to the Mets Citi Field where the Pigeons have scheduled a few games this year.
My semi-annual trek wearing an appropriate baseball jersey into NYC sadly could not take place today, however I will miss my mostly direct MetroNorth trips to Yankee Stadium (transfer at Harlem 125th St) and have to suffer instead a wonderful train trip all the way to Grand Central and hop on the 7 train into Queens. Oh the humanity…
So that leaves you New England…or at least Everett which is currently in the political debating stage. A site that I guess seems promising in that no one currently wants it. I will leave the debates as to how much public transportation access and parking is needed to make that site viable up to other surely well informed and logical persons in the area that live much closer than I to Everett.
I have probably stated this many times before, but the only issue with the Revs at Gillette Stadium is that it’s just not a great place for soccer. It’s a throwball field, the fans are set back fairly far from the players, and playing at a quarter capacity makes the place feel empty. But the no rent, free parking stuff is still pretty cool and the Revs did build their training site next door to Gillette.
Personally getting to Gillette Stadium for me is a two-and-a-half-hour drive and an inexpensive chain hotel room away. I’m not sure what it would be if and when the Revs move out of Gillette into an SSS, be that Everett or literally anywhere of prospective sites past, present, and future.
I am immensely jealous that I can access both the Pigeons and Energy Drinks stadiums with relative ease via train and would expect any Boston area stadium to have the same kind of access. No, I don’t expect to get there via Metro North, but at least a park and ride onto the T seems doable, right? Right?
Anyway, NYCFC getting a much deserved new stadium only highlights the lack of one the Revs have been able to produce over nearly two decades of trying. With the World Cup on the horizon and Gillette pivoting to grass, it’s entirely possible the Revs situation will improve by default. But the Revs situation is far from untenable like Yankee Stadium was, it’s just not ideal in a league that has mostly pivoted away from NFL sites. Any Revs SSS site that doesn’t have major public transit access should be a deal breaker right off the bat.
I don’t subscribe to the idea that the Revs SSS clock has been ticking since 2007 (though I will like all tweets that do for historical accuracy) but if I can get to three NY/NJ area stadium sites largely from MetroNorth then there should be a way to run that commuter line in and out of Foxboro on game days.
Now if Bridgeport, CT gets an SSS before the Revs you’ll never hear the end of it from me. I will be more insufferable than when the UConn Men’s and Women’s basketball teams win titles in the same year which happened in 2004 and 2014 and did you know they’re the only school to do that?
I will not miss the narrow pinstripe-wide postage stamp of a field in the Bronx, but I will miss how easy it is to get there. And hope that one day greater Boston might enjoy a similar trip…might have to throw the whole T into the harbor first though.
As always we are joined by our frenemies over at Hudson River Blue and this week Matthew Mangam is kind enough to answer our questions ahead of today’s game at 730 pm. None of which included if he enjoyed Rutgers transfer and moderately insane person Cam Spencer winning a national title with UConn Men’s Basketball, which is a bad job by me.
You can check out my answers to Matthew’s questions over on their site.
1. NYC plays all four games in April at home, including two at Citi Field, how important is this stretch for the team to build momentum and improve on what seems like an average 1-1-1 home record for the Pigeons?
1. This stretch is extremely important, there is no way to stress that even more. If New York City FC could pick up some wins and climb the Eastern Conference heading into the summer, it would be huge. After missing out on the playoffs last season for the first time since 2015, the team needs to bounce back and finish in the top half of the East.
NYCFC hasn't played too great this season, especially on the road, but being at home for the entire month of April is a great way to build some momentum. To improve the 1-1-1 home record, New York City FC needs players to step up. We saw Alonso Martinez step up with a nice goal to earn a point on the road against Inter Miami, but as I will elaborate on in the next question, the offense just needs to get going.
2. Talles Magno (6 mins) and Maxi Morales (0 mins) essentially haven't played at all this year, can Mounsef Bakrar, Kevin O'Toole and Santiago Rodriguez carry the offense by themselves? Or does this team need someone else to step up/add a replacement in the summer?
2. Talles Magno was in and out of the starting lineup towards the middle to the end of last season, but ended 2023 on a better note than how he started. Maxi Moralez was brought back to bring a spark to the midfield but was injured almost immediately upon arrival. Magno has been out for basically the entire season thus far with a knee injury and Moralez won't be back until at least the summer, so NYCFC has had to look elsewhere.
Mounsef Bakrar has had all the attention this season due to his struggles and is yet to score despite starting in six of the team's seven games. Santi Rodriguez is the guy who can make things happen, but he can't do it all alone. As I mentioned earlier, Martinez has started to find his form but guys like Hannes Wolf and Julian Fernandez have been disappointing to say the least. New York City FC cannot just rely on Rodriguez, but Bakrar, Fernandez and Wolf need to start scoring as well as creating goals.
3. Who is a newer or under-the-radar player we should pay attention to for NYC this weekend? Or someone you think should be getting more minutes?
3. I have repeated it a lot, but Alonso Martinez has looked well in the most recent games. He scored his first goal for the club against Inter Miami and has since earned a spot in the starting XI. I think most players have gotten their fair share of minutes, but I would like to see Andres Perea involved more in the midfield. The Colombian signed from Philadelphia was very impressive throughout the back half of last season but has not seen the pitch as much in 2024.
Lineup/Injuries/Predictions/Etc.
Lineup: 4-2-3-1: Freese (GK), Illenic (RB), Martins (RCB), Risa (LCB), O'Toole (LB), Parks (RCM), Sands (LCM), Martinez (RW), Rodriguez (CAM), Wolf (LW), Bakrar (ST)
I could see Strahinja Tanasijevic start at CB as well or Andres Perea get the start in the midfield, but I do think Nick Cushing will keep the lineup almost the exact same as he did against Atlanta United. Besides Talles Magno and Maxi Moralez, newly-signed striker Jovan Mijatovic is still in Serbia due to what seems to be visa issues.
Score prediction: NYCFC wins 2-1