Crooks: NYCFC Looks To Bury Home Woes As MLS Play Resumes

By Glenn Crooks
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The international break was a welcome respite for Patrick Vieira and the New York City Football Club.

Coming off an agonizing draw with Orlando City FC at Yankee Stadium and followed up by a torturous home loss against Real Salt Lake, it was an opportune time to pause for reflection and calculation by both the team and staff, two matches shy of the midpoint in their Major League Soccer campaign.

It also allowed the 20,000 season ticket holders an opportunity to drift away from the home perils for the moment and reignite their hopes and anticipation for the second-year club.

After all, New York City has surrendered five leads at the Stadium this year, including a 1-0 second-half advantage against RSL before the cessation for Copa America Centenario.

The MLS season resumes Saturday in the Bronx against the Philadelphia Union. However, competition returned Wednesday at Fordham University, where City played host to the New York Cosmos in the fourth round of the U.S. Open Cup.

Although only three regulars started the match for NYCFC, a familiar late-game scenario ended any hopes for City hardware in this event. Danny Szetela's headed goal in the 88th minute gave the Cosmos the 1-0 victory.

Kevin Molino scored in the fourth minute of stoppage time for Orlando City in the 2-2 draw that preceded the international hiatus.

NYCFC is now 0-6 in derby matches (0-2 versus the Cosmos and 0-4 against New York Red Bulls), and the ire of the supporters was exposed in part on Reddit's NYCFC reaction page.

lilchoiboy: "Honestly this team has become indefensible. I will always stand by this team, but there's not a single justification I can make to a non-fan as to why NYCFC isn't a terrible team to follow."

conflicted_unicorn wrote: "I'm out here by myself in Indiana and I can't ever persuade anyone out here to watch games with me because I'm embarrassed. The late goals are starting to not even phase me. It's like I almost expect them anymore."

Gratefuldog: "Could this club for once take a match against a local rival seriously?"

"I chose the team that I thought could win the game," said City manager Patrick Vieira after the match. "It was a priority. I made it clear to the players. When you at look at the performance of the players, we had players who did not perform at all. And that's disappointing."

MORE: 'Soccer In The City' Podcast: An Interview With NYCFC Coach Patrick Vieira

These represent the harshest comments by Vieira since his arrival.

"I don't think the Cosmos were better than us tonight," he continued. "When players don't perform -- and some of them didn't -- they let myself down and they let their teammates down, and this is not acceptable for me and the football club."

Vieira avoided specific player references, but his postgame wrath was directed at the attacking side of the ball where the quartet of Kwadwo Poku, Mix Diskerud, Patrick Mullins and Khiry Shelton contributed in minimal amounts.

Meanwhile, fullbacks Diego Martinez and Shannon Gomez received positive reviews. Gomez and 6-foot-7 goalkeeper Eirik Johansen made their 2016 debuts against the Cosmos.

With the resumption of MLS play against the Union, Vieira needs to consider not only his starting XI but the 18-player unit for the match. Those absent from the squad Saturday are the obvious culprits in Vieira's disillusionment.

Throw-Ins

• NYCFC has a lone win in nine matches at the Stadium this year. The one home triumph is tied with Toronto FC for the fewest in MLS, although Toronto has played just four home contests due to the refurbishing of BMO Field.

• New York City's reliance on Villa is statistically startling. Villa is the only NYC player with 10 or more shots on target this season with 36. Next are Diskerud and Thomas McNamara with seven shots on frame. In addition, Villa is also the franchise leader in chances created with 76. (Andrea Pirlo is next at 57.)

• Villa's 28 goals since the start of the 2015 season is second only to Sebastian Giovinco in MLS.

• The Union are third in the league in goals conceded per match (1.14), fueled in part by goalkeeper Andre Blake. Blake is expected back in goal following Jamaica's elimination from Copa America. The Union allow half a goal a game more when Blake is missing from the lineup.

• Rolando Alberg's stoppage-time goal led Philadelphia to a 1-0 win over City Islanders FC in their U.S. Open Cup match on Wednesday in Chester, Pennsylvania.

• The Union defeated New York City earlier in the year, 2-0 in Chester. C.J. Sapong scored the second goal and has now scored in three consecutive matches against City. The three goals are his highest against any league opponent.

• City has one win, a draw and two losses to the Union in four all-time meetings.

For all things futbol, please follow Glenn on Twitter at @GlennCrooks. You can also read his work at Empire of Soccer.