Atlanta United will play at NYCFC on Sunday.
Dylan Butler has been reporting about soccer since graduating from St. John’s University in 1997. An ardent Newcastle United FC fan, he’s covered all levels, from youth to World Cup qualifiers and has been the New York City FC beat writer for MLSsoccer.com since the club’s inception. He is on twitter @Dylan_Butler
Butler was gracious enough to answer five questions about NYCFC ahead of Sunday’s game:
Q: NYCFC has yet to win two consecutive games this season. What is the primary reason for the inconsistency?
A: There’s been a few factors. The injury to left back Ronald Matarrita (high ankle sprain 4-6 weeks) has been a huge detriment because it’s forced Vieira to tinker with the right formation and personnel, especially at left back. His first response was to move Rodney Wallace there, but it hindered his ability to get forward in the attack. Ben Sweat was his second option, which was relatively successful in a 3-2 road win over Columbus Crew SC.
On a team with legends in David Villa and Andrea Pirlo, Matarrita, the 22-year-old Costa Rican, could be the most valuable.
Orlando City SC has been a tough matchup and NYCFC has two losses to the Lions in their first seven games and Vieira’s experimentation with a 3-4-4 formation at D.C. United was perhaps a bit too early, which proved costly.
Q: Who has been the team’s biggest surprise this season?
A: Maxi Moralez and Alex Ring have proven to be invaluable to Vieira’s midfield trio. Ring, the Finnish midfielder, is the destroyer, the guy who does all the dirty work and a lot of the running for Andrea Pirlo and Moralez is the link between the midfielders and the forwards. He has free reign to float around the field, though he does track back defensively, and he’s tough to take off the ball despite being just 5-foot3, 115 pounds.
Q: Who needs to improve the most?
A: This might sound blasphemous, but Pirlo has been a disappointment through the first eight games of the season. At 37, Pirlo is a defensive liability because of his lack of mobility and while Vieira has defended the aging star numerous times, citing his professionalism and calling Pirlo “the one who turns the lights on for us,” Vieira has also subbed off Pirlo five times this year and left him on the substitute’s bench in favor of 19-year-old Yangel Herrera in the 3-2 win over Columbus. One of the league’s leaders with 11 assists a year ago, Pirlo has no points in 526 minutes so far.
Q: What is the matchup to watch in this game?
A: There are a few intriguing ones, including Vieira and Martino’s tactical jousting. Maybe the most interesting is Carlos Carmona and Maxi Moralez in the midfield. Both are highly technical players and former teammates at Atalanta in Italy’s Serie A.
Q: How has Atlanta’s Sean Johnson adjusted to playing in New York? How is he doing this season?
A: Johnson has been great, bringing consistency and a bit more athleticism to the position. How he’d do with playing the ball with his feet was a preseason concern, but he was quick to point out that just because he wasn’t asked to do that with Chicago doesn’t mean he’s unable to and that’s been proven on the field. Johnson has conceded nine goals on the season, but at least four were a result of defensive blunders stemming from Vieira’s call to play from the back and were not Johnson’s fault.
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