MLS Countdown: NYCFC sharp heading into derby rematch

by Ridge Mahoney

By winning back-to-back games heading into a derby game with the Red Bulls, NYCFC has, again, shown signs of “turning things around.” That’s not necessarily a good thing.

Fans cringe at their memories of what happened the last time NYCFC took on its bitterest rival buttressed by success. Unbeaten in five straight games when they kicked off at Yankee Stadium May 21, NYCFC conceded three goals before halftime and allowed four more in a 7-0 rout that matched the largest margin of defeat in league history.

That stomping was NYCFC’s fourth game in 14 days and seventh in less than a month. The rematch is Sunday at high noon on ESPN.

“Like I’m going to mention to the players, that was a one-off game,” head coach Patrick Vieira said on the team Web site. “What I want, of course, is that result to be somewhere in our mind, but the main focus will be on ourselves, how we want to play, how we’re going to play, respecting our game plan. That will not change. We’re going to concentrate on ourselves and how we can hurt them.”

The only bright spots of that beatdown were the appearances of rookie Jack Harrison and veteran midfielder Frank Lampard. Harrison, the No. 1 overall pick in the January SuperDraft, had been sidelined with a pelvic injury and made his pro debut as a sub in the 57th minute. Lampard had been struggling since preseason with a calf injury, and finally got onto the field to replace Andrea Pirlowith 15 minutes to play.

Since then, Harrison has started all three games, scored a goal, and earned an assist. Lampard celebrated his first goal in a 3-2 defeat of Philadelphia June 18 in which fellow DPs Pirlo and David Villa bagged the other scores, and Lampard netted again last weekend -- apparently with his arm -- as NYCFC outclassed Seattle, 2-0, for its MLS-best fourth road win of 2016. The Sky Blues are in second place at 6-5-6 (24 points). The Red Bulls (7-8-2) are a point behind in third. 

“I watched the game again [Monday] and we played even better than I thought we played,” Vieira said. “I was really pleased with how we conducted ourselves on the field, with and without the ball.”

Harrison set up Villa’s goal by stealing the ball in his own half, storming forward to the edge of the Union penalty area, and dropping a neat back-heel that Villa put away for his 11th goal. A late start notwithstanding, Harrison has already shown enough to edge his name into consideration for Rookie of the Year, and on Sunday comes a big chance to impress a lot of people.

“He’s a good player, technically he’s really good, he understands the game, he can come and link with our No. 9, he can run behind their back four, his football brain is fantastic,” Vieira said after Harrison's debut. “He’s a really young talented player. We just have to build him up. We don’t want to put him in a difficult situation. It will take time for him to get back to his best.”