It really was a crazy last weekend in MLS…
Events in California unsurprisingly dominated the narrative where NYCFC stayed unbeaten for the season behind a 2-1 comeback win over San Jose…
Oh, and elsewhere in the Sunshine State, Zlatan Ibrahimovic did Zlatan Ibrahimovic-y things on his LA Galaxy debut at the StubHub…
Head Coach Patrick Vieira linked up with Zlatan twice in his playing career, at Inter and Juventus, so knows the Swedish superstar better than most – as he revealed to WNYE 91.5 FM’s NYCFC analyst, Glenn Crooks in his pre-game interview.
PODCAST:Soccer City – Inside New York City Soccer with Glenn Crooks
“I think he explained it best in his press conference that it’s not about arrogance but about confidence,” Vieira said. “When you look at all the teams he has played for and all the coaches he has played for; he always delivers always scoring goals. He gave the LA fans what they expected. They wanted Zlatan and he gave them Zlatan.
“He’s a really lovely character. He’s a team player and tries to put a really good atmosphere in the dressing room. Of course he’s a strong character but he’s a nice person. The LA players, they will love him.”
The respect between the two men is mutual… as Ibrahimovic has previously revealed in an interview with the Express.
“Patrick wanted to destroy everybody, but not destroy in a negative way – in a positive way,” Ibra said. “Like how you train is how you play, and I watched him and I learned a lot. Every training session he was like a monster.”
Another star man last weekend was Sean Johnson, who made nine saves to keep San Jose at bay and earned a place in the MLS Team of the Week.
Johnson told Pro Soccer USA: “Some games you have to deal with more crosses and you don’t get recognition for that,” Johnson said. “Some games, that’s a deciding factor. It could be bigger than saves.
“You probably make 100 decisions in a game – maybe it’s a thousand — you never know how small they are,” Johnson said. “It’s repetitions and mindset. It’s not about the last action, it’s the next action.”
Ismael Tajouri-Shradi also came in for special praise in an article posted on Hudson River Blue.
Their story reads: “Enter Shradi, who has started the last 3 matches, and contributed in every single one of his starts — scoring a goal against Orlando City, then a brace against the New England Revolution, and finally making a beautiful pass in the box to find Maxi Moralez against the San Jose Earthquakes in their come-from-behind road victory.
“That puts him at 3 goals scored and 1 assist in his 3 starts this season, playing both as a center forward and on the left wing.
“While his first goal was a bit of a gift, his quality and talent really shined in his performance in New England where he scored an impressive brace and helped claim a point on the road to keep City undefeated on the season.”
That's it for this week's media roundup - enjoy the weekend off and see you at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night when RSL are the vistors.
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