PBP: 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs Eastern Conference Final: Union vs. NYCFC, December 5, 2021

Sooo....Kacper scored 17 goals in all competitions.....MLS' Golden Boot Winner scored 17 goals......just giving some context.

 

Still in somewhat of a shock from yesterday...but overall I'm happy with the progress of the club. Jim C has done a great job, and I hope he and Earnst are together for some significant time. We've built a solid pipeline of young players and it's been paying off on the field and in the coffers. Looking forward to getting to more games next year. I'll be there on Feb 26th.

 

Love the work he does. This year he scored 12 in league play, but the next highest scorer on the team had half that total. They need more help there. The best teams have at least two guys in double-digit goal totals.

 

NYC FC had one player with double digit goals. Portland had two, (11 and 10). New England had two (Buksa 16, Bou 15), and one with 8, after that there is a steep drop off. SKC had two (16 and 15) after that there is a huge drop off.

The Union were still 6th in the east for goals scored. They just need to keep the secondary option healthy.

 

NYC has the highest scorer in the league and a guy who put back 9. If you count up the total between their top three that gives you 35 goals in league play (with their third highest producer scoring at a rate of 181 min/goal). By comparison, the top three of the Union combined for 22. I really think that the Union should look to invest in an upgrade between Santos (247.8 mins/goal) and Burke (249 mins/goal). However, I also do not believe it is going to happen.

 

Kacper is a good MLS striker. For a lot of teams he would be an upgrade. But we are trying to be better than that. I think striker is our clearest need of upgrade and I would be very disappointed if we went into next season with him as our #1.

Also re: 12 goals. It's nice. But the guy played 2930 minutes. That's 244 minutes a goal. That's not nice.

A team such as ours simply needs more. If it were up to me I'd go for a Montiero-tier DP at striker, sign Darboe as a HG, and my striker depth chart would be (back to the 4-4-2 diamond): 1. DP 2. Santos 3. Kacper 4. Darboe/Burke

 

It was a great game - great atmosphere though...
The "card/mylar" thing was and is dumb. Let us cheer/clap and make noise not hold up something so it looks good on tv.

We need some stadium friendly chants. The three clap Union one (primarily on corners) is good...the Lets go union is ok though never seems to spread to entire stadium. Something else?

I though everyone played well. No one really stood out and only Mbaiso with the two mistakes which led to goals.

Kacper was done at the 70th min. He didn't make more than one real run after that. Somewhere around the 70th they went to get Paxten from the warm up and then sent him back. No idea why Paxten wasn't in earlier. And no idea why they took Flach off instead of Kacper.
Playing for the tie in regulation and then bring the kids in for the extra time maybe?

 

I'll be pissed if there were players sat at home vaccinated and tested negative but ineligible because of 'protocols' written last year. Positive tests I have no problem with. Guess we'll never get that information for privacy reasons.

Wouldn't be surprised if new protocols were at up after this.

 

Healthy players sitting at home? If true, this burns my butt a little bit...

 

I just want to go on record as saying that I can't stand NYCFC. No team that plays on a pitch that small should be in a top flight league. Also I hate the Yankees and Man Shitty. So, all in all, NYCFC are garbage.

 

Not to be a dick, but did you hate West Ham too? The Boleyn Ground was the same size as the pitch at Yankee Stadium. West Ham played there for over 100 years....

I get the fact that Philly hates NY Teams. I understand how most EPL fans don't like CFG. Setting that aside, CFG is spending lots of money on the NYCFC Academy. They're developing and playing young American players. They haven't been using NYCFC as a feeder team to Man City either as was first feared.

I'm more pissed that MLS HQ never updated their Covid Protocols and quite possibly cost the Union their first MLS Cup.

 

Upton Park had a regulation pitch. I don't think NYCFC does.

 

They are the same size....

Upton Park's field dimensions: 110 yards x 70 yards
Yankee Stadium Soccer Dimensions: 110 yards x 70 yards

Yes, soccer in Yankee Stadium looks terrible...on TV. That's because the camera angles (i.e. the mounts for the cameras) are setup and built for baseball broadcasts. The in person viewing is not bad at all though. At least from the away section when I saw the Union play there.

 

Plus, their persistent flopping (particularly Castellanos) and petulant whining to officials keeps NYCFC in my top 2 hated MLS teams.

 

It's helluva an optical illusion then. It looks about 60 yards wide.