Know Thy Enemy: Revolution at NYCFC Big East Edition
There's a big game in NYC today, no we're not talking about the one in the Bankee Stadium outfield.
I genuinely thought about getting on a train later today to make the magnificent trip on Metro North to Yankee Stadium to represent the visiting New England Revolution as they take on New York City FC at 730 PM EDT (MLS Season Pass).
However there would only be one game in NYC I would actually want to go to today and that’s the Big East Men’s Basketball tournament final at MSG, and even with UConn’s semifinal loss last night…I’m significantly more interested in Creighton-St. Johns than I am in NYC-Revs.
Now, I admit my bias that March Madness is the greatest U.S. sporting event and even the conference semifinals/finals occurring today are much better than any Week 4 MLS game. The America East MBB final between Maine-Bryant (11am, ESPN2) will be better than the Revs game today because it means someone’s going to the big dance. I don’t care if it’s as a 16 seed, it’s still better than a March MLS game.
This has little to do with the current form the Revs are in, though that doesn’t help, and more about just how awesome I think college basketball’s setup is. Two weeks of men’s and women’s conference tournaments followed by three weeks of the greatest bracket ever of all time that should not be expanded upon in anyway. 68 teams is enough, just like 32 teams is enough FIFA.
But the deciding factor that kept me home today was essentially…motivation. I couldn’t muster the energy, care, strength, or what have you to shell out $100 between travel/ticket/concessions to watch the Revs in person. That’s a damning indictment on the Revs right now.
Yes, Caleb Porter is correct that a lot of the players weren’t here last year and while he doesn’t think it’s fair to put last year’s pressure on them…I disagree. The Revs are eight points back of first place Philly already and could be six points back of NYC with a loss today. You can not make the playoffs four games into a season but you can absolutely knock yourself out of them.
If Porter doesn’t understand the urgency of the situation he’s facing than I don’t think his team will either. That’s a problem, perhaps a bigger problem than an attack that has put a total of 4 shots on goal through three weeks. Every team the Revs have on the schedule through April is an Eastern Conference team that already has at least four points, Cincy has six.
Oh, and did I mention the Revs have two home games combined in April and May? They’re going to play eight out of ten games in that stretch away from home. So not getting at least four points from these next two games against the Red and Blue halves of the Hudson could be the foundation for another disastrous year.
As always we chat with our good friend Matthew Mangam of Hudson River Blue who properly spent his time this week covering the second best Divison I school in New Jersey that begins with “R” with a 2OT loss to USC in the Big Pac 10/12 first round. You can check out their site for their coverage of NYC-Revs as well as my answers to Matt’s questions.
TBM: NYCFC has already run the emotional gambit through three games: giving up a late equalizer to Miami, late winner to LAFC, going back ahead against Orlando after two minutes...is there any way to describe those first three games? What's the biggest positives/negatives for NYC after three games?
MM: The first three games of the Pascal Jansen era have been extremely interesting. The results against Miami and LAFC hurt, looking at the circumstances of things, but in reality, one point from the first two games is promising. The positives are that the defense looks solid. Strahinja Tanasijević has looked surprisingly good and with Matt Freese in net, NYCFC is always in good hands. The biggest negative is that with Santiago Rodríguez gone, New York City’s offense has taken a hit. You can’t rely on 38-year-old Maxi Moralez to do it all on his own.
TBM: Alonso Martinez has two goals already after a 16-goal campaign in 2024 so we know he's been fantastic...but I'm here for the Maxi Moralez comeback tour, does the old playmaker have one more great year in him?
MM: Moralez is one of the best players in NYCFC history. I have full faith that Moralez can have one more solid season despite being limited in minutes. Jansen has said that Moralez must be protected due to his age. But when he is on the pitch, anything can happen — that’s how talented Moralez is.
TBM: Who is a new signing that's stood out so far for NYC and a new signing/youngster you're excited to see more of?
MM: NYCFC didn’t sign anyone this offseason that was significant, but the recent breakthrough of 17-year-old midfielder Jonathan Shore is worth mentioning. He stuffed the stat sheet in his first-ever MLS start: six tackles, six recoveries, seven duels won, one interception, one clearance. Jansen speaks highly of Shore, and I’m very excited to see more of the homegrown talent.
Lineup/Injuries/Predictions/Etc.
I’m not sure if Tayvon Gray (leg) or Birk Risa (illness) will play. Risa is more likely than Gray. Malachi Jones is recovering from a season-ending injury in 2024, but we haven’t heard much about an estimated return. I think NYCFC will come out on top with a 2-0 victory in front of a nice crowd at Yankee Stadium.
4-3-3: Freese; O’Toole, Risa, Thiago Martins, Ilenič; Moralez, Shore, Parks; Wolf, Martínez, Fernández