Snowbirds in the Desert

NYCFC Tactics looks at what we learned about NYCFC this preseason at Coachella.

Deserts provide an intriguing backdrop to start a story, from Spaghetti Westerns to Timothée Chalamet leading an indigenous uprising.¹ It is this backdrop where we were able to catch the first looks of the 2024 version of New York City Football Club at the Coachella Valley Preseason Invitational out in Indio, California. The town not only plays host to the renowned Coachella music festival and the Indian Wells Open, but it also serves as an arid retreat for Snowbirds from Canada seeking respite while waiting out the winter. Simultaneously, Indio is a place of stark emptiness and bustling activity. It's truly the perfect place to play games that may not officially count, yet undeniably do.

For a fanbase hungry for any signs of growth from the dark 2023 season, these, thankfully, broadcasted games were a tiny, little oasis of hope from a faraway desert.

The Press: Recommitting to the City Way

The most easily discernible sign of improvement at Coachella was the heightened intensity of NYCFC’s press in the final third, particularly evident on opposing goal kicks and possession recycling from deep. This aggressive pressing style has long been a mainstay of the City Football Group (CFG) “City Way '' of playing soccer. However, for reasons unknown in 2023, the club deviated from this approach and saw a significant reduction in pressing compared to the Vieira, Dome, and Deila years.

Cushing is continuing with his primary defensive shape of 4-4-2, which uses the No. 10 role in tandem with the No. 9 to hunt the opposition center backs in their defensive third. While this philosophy aligns closely with the approach from 2023, the notable difference lies in the increased intensity observed during the three games in the Sonoran Desert. This shift is facilitated by the presence of better athletes and enhanced squad depth. The heightened ferocity displayed during these matches shows that nothing motivates athletes like internal competition.

The risk in this strategy is that the opposition may opt to play more directly to their forwards, and the NYCFC center backs may struggle to win their aerial duels. This revised NYCFC approach places significant pressure on Birk Risa and Thiago Martins, demanding that they engage in 1v1 defensive situations against opposing attackers. Martins, possessing elite pace, was specifically recruited for this purpose. However, Risa remains a somewhat unknown quantity with just 900 minutes of MLS play under his belt.

Additionally, the success of this tactic hinges on adept identification of cross-field press triggers, which may vary depending on the opponent. In the example above, a simple short pass to the opponent’s left center back triggers Mounsef Bakrar to aggressively close, while Wolf gets between the ball and the left back. However, this maneuver leaves space for James Sands, Keaton Parks, or even Mitja Ilenič’s man to provide an outlet to the now-pressured man with the ball.

The most noticeable change in the press from 2023 was how committed, especially the central midfielders, were in relentlessly chasing their mark wherever they went. Seeing Sands and Parks closely shadowing midfield counterparts wasn’t common last year. For all of this to work, Santi Rodriguez, operating in the No. 10 role, needs to make the pass back to the goalkeeper an unappealing option for the opposition. Furthermore, the opposite field winger, Talles Magno, has to have his head on a swivel and must maintain awareness of the actions of the right center back, while also anticipating reactionary movements of the right wingback. In playground terms, Magno assumes the role of the “monkey in the middle”.

Additional Offensive Firepower

With all these new toys, including the recently acquired Agustín Ojeda and Jovan Mijatović, how all of these new faces will be deployed will be of great interest. There was great excitement to see if new player announcements and visas came in time for these publicly available games. Despite all the fanfare, the only acquisition available was Hannes Wolf.

Because of limited new blood to pick, the minutes played leaders in the three broadcasted matches were largely as expected, with one notable exception – the newcomer Wolf. The Austrian demonstrated remarkable versatility, showcasing his ability to play both on the wing and at the No. 10 position. While he understandably requires more time to familiarize himself with his offensive teammates, Trey Fillmore highlighted on the last episode of Blue Balls that Wolf's adeptness at finding small pockets of space and strong defensive workrate underscores why Cushing has allocated a significant portion of preseason minutes to expedite his integration.

During the seven days at the Empire Polo Club, as depicted in the graphic, ten players average over 45 minutes per game. Notably, the position that emerged as the most fiercely contested was left wing. Magno accumulated a total of 129 minutes, while 2024 MLS Super Draft pick Malachi Jones’ secured 96 minutes and even Santi got the start against the Galaxy. With Ojeda, Jovan, Wolf, and Santi potentially getting minutes, the spot has a ton of competition for the Brazilian Young Designated Player. Expect a short leash that more than likely relies on defensive performance for anyone in the front three in 2024.

The most surprising development of the preseason is Malachi Jones making NYCFC’s first team. He is set to be the first outfield player drafted in the first round to secure a spot on the 30-man roster since Jonathan Lewis, a similarly dynamic winger. At Coachella, Jones showed tier-one pace, the ability to run with the ball as an inverted winger, and a willing presser providing needed competition to Magno- who is not always the most interested defensive participant.

Bakrar may not be a newcomer, but this marks his first preseason with the club. This developmental time has given him the stage to adapt not only to game-to-game instructions but also to gain a better understanding of the overall footballing philosophies that constitute the “City Way”. In 2023, NYCFC desperately needed a natural No. 9, a role that Bakrar delivers. His ability to lead the press, his channel running allowing him to be an option over the top of the defense, and being an above-average target for set pieces made him stand out at Coachella. However, the dynamic may change when Jovan shows up, putting substantial pressure on the Algerian who has a half-season head start adapting to the demands of the role.

Concerns at Fullback

In terms of positional depth, the fullback spots were of particular concern at Coachella. Based on the way minutes were allocated, Ilenič and Kevin O’Toole project to be the day one starter, but both are inexperienced and have limitations. The concern is how both these Squabs fit into the “City Way”. At Coachella, O’Toole had moments where he was stepping into the midfield, but it remains uncertain if this movement complements his skillset. On the other hand, Ilenič is not a short-passing savant. The Slovenian struggled in his 185 minutes to connect with the winger in front of him and delivered poor vertical passes which are key to progressing the ball into the final third. 

The other problem is that the alternative options competing for these fullback spots are not convincing either. On the left, homegrown wunderkind Christian McFarlane has emerged as the next man up. In his 72 minutes of play, the Englishman did not seem physically out of place which is a notable feat for a 17-year-old. In that time though, he did not produce a dominant aerial duel, killer final third cross into the box, or Pirlo-esque calm on the ball. At the same time, he showed understanding in his positioning and press responsibilities, nor was he the target of the opposition's press. With more time, more of his abilities will be seen. Expect him to get over 1,000 first-team minutes in 2024 and ample opportunities to prove himself.

On the right, Tayvon Gray presents a contrasting style to Ilenič’s propensity to overlap. The Bronx homegrown player had playing time at both center back and right back this preseason on the merits of his exceptional 1v1 defending. His ability to keep himself goal side by using his lateral quickness and strength is top-class. The issue for the Jamaican international is that by the end of 2023, he was the trigger point for most opponents' presses and was the weakest link in terms of maintaining possession that's required to make the best eleven. In the desert, these three games did not yield new data to dispel concerns about his passing ability meeting CFG standards. My gut instinct is that he will compete with the new Serbian signing and Jovan babysitter, Strahinja Tanasijević, for the understudy role behind Thiago Martins.

This is the part of the roster where David Lee is taking the biggest risk. Both fullback positions have obvious selection trade-offs and player development timelines that may not perfectly align with the elevated expectations of 2024. Without a significant increase in abilities and performances, these are the roles that will be a potential source of frustration for the NYCFC faithful.

Fear and Loathing in Coachella

2023 was a year that prompted many NYCFC fans to assess their fandom. The team transitioned from being a program on the rise to one in the process of rebuilding while striving to uphold lofty expectations. The club's historical difficulty in proactive communication left supporters interpreting not only different pages but also different books. Expectations for 2024 appear to be more streamlined.

The desert brought visions of the high press, creating most of the goals in Indio. With not only the players in camp, but those signed before the season, NYCFC looks to have made the team more aggressive in defense and, hopefully, its lethality in attack. There seems to be no shortage of players willing to put work in on both ends of the pitch. The only cloud on the horizon is the depth of the fullback positions, but if the attacking quality of the attacking front three can produce, those positions will become easier to play. Not that we needed all the answers from this trip, but once you get locked into a collection of attacking players, the tendency is to take your conclusions as far as one can. ❧

Image: Georgia O’Keeffe, From the Faraway, Nearby

1. Editor’s Note: I am very excited