The coaches and players that comprise New York City FC are determined.
The Club's recent performances may not have yielded the desired results, but play has improved, especially in the first half of matches. New York City FC remain upbeat and positive following Sunday's unlucky 1-0 loss to the Portland Timbers at Yankee Stadium.
Dylan Butler of MLSSoccer.com points out the positive tone of the locker room after the recent defeat:
"The panic button is not being pressed. There are no storm clouds hovering over New York City FC.
Yes, the expansion team is in the midst of a five-match winless streak following a 1-0 loss to the Portland Timbers, but interviews Sunday weren’t conducted in hushed tones.
The locker room remains positive."
Mark Cannizzarro of the New York Daily News also mentions the players' upbeat attitude on Sunday.
He writes: "The talk in the NYCFC locker room afterward was one of determination not to let this five-game winless skid drag the club down.
'None of our guys are losing faith and I hope the fans don’t lose faith, because we love them and we’re going to give them something to cheer about pretty soon here,' NYCFC defender Jeb Brovsky said."
New York City FC has been unfortunate in recent matches, allowing late goals to the Philadelphia Union on April 11 (2-1 loss) and a 1-1 draw five days later. Dairon Asprilla's goal in the 79th minute took a tough deflection that guided it into the back of the net on Sunday.
Butler concludes by quoting New York City FC head coach Jason Kreis:
"'I have to believe that over the course of the season, we’ll get some luck on our side and this will all level out,' Kreis said.
While the results haven’t gone their way, the morale in the NYCFC locker room is still high.
'I think it’s really important that we try to recognize that right now the results aren’t going our way, but the performances are,' Kreis said. 'I have to believe – I’ve been in the league long enough to know – that if the performances continue like this, that the results are right around the corner.'"
Ives Galarcep of GOAL.com also mentions New York City FC's signs of progress in their inaugural season.
He writes:
"For Kreis, what Sunday’s match lacked in goals, it made up for in promising signs of progress for an expansion team enduring a rash of injuries, including an ill-timed ankle knock suffered by U.S. national team midfielder Mix Diskerud just a day earlier.
'I’m actually very encouraged with the performance in the last two matches, it shows me that we are moving in the right direction,' Kreis said. 'I think we have the necessary qualities to be a very good team in this league, but for whatever reason I feel that we are getting quite unfortunate. I have to believe over a course of the season we’ll get some luck are our side and this will all level out.'”
While many of the headlines this week have focused on New York City FC's progress and encouragement, Paul Elie of The New Yorker provided a more in-depth, first-person account of New York City FC, particularly the Club's first two home matches -- on March 15 against New England and March 28 against Sporting KC.
Elie, who attended the matches with his family, had seats by the right-field foul pole:
"While the section might have an obstructed view for baseball games, for soccer the pitch is chalked over the infield in such a way that one corner is at the foot of the pole. The corners are where corner kicks are taken, where players push and claw at one another out of sight of the officials. The corners are where the action is, and watching from one feels like watching a street scene from a candy store or tavern where the entrance is cut on the diagonal."
Elie wrote how he enjoyed the simplicity of the experience, citing Miller Lite's slogan of "Great taste, less filling."
"For now, an N.Y.C.F.C. match is free of history. It’s a sporting event, that’s it. Years from now, when the club has moved into the gleaming new soccer arena envisioned for it, when every seat has an unobstructed view, I’ll look back and remember how simple it was when we sat near the corner at Yankee Stadium, back in the beginning."
