In the 3-2 Hudson River Derby win over Red Bulls, Patrick Vieira saw the perfect blend of silk and sweat from his charges.
Chasing a 2-1 deficit with 20 minutes remaining, a David Villa-inspired NYCFC roared back with two unanswered goals to take the three points and the local bragging rights.
The determination and effort was there for all to see, especially in the closing ten when Red Bulls were piling forward in search of an equalizer, only to find every avenue closed.
It’s this collective resolve which Vieira is eager for a repeat of when the Boys in Blue throw down against LA Galaxy on Saturday night.
Vieira told NYCFC.com: “I expect the team to work as hard as they did against the Red Bulls, I’m looking for the team to be sharp in their minds and to give everything they have on the field.
“We have to play well, we will have to be focused and concentrated from the start to the end – we have to challenge them. If not, it’ll be an easy game for them.”
READ: Major Keys to NYCFC vs. La Galaxy
Galaxy come into this one chasing a first home win in eight games.
It’s beginning to look like it could be a transitional season for Saturday’s hosts but Vieira feels as though his team are in for a tough game, regardless of LA’s recent form.
“It’s always a difficult team to play against," Patrick continued, "They had some up and downs in the season but if you look at their team individually there is a lot of talent and, like always, it’s going to be really tough and difficult.”
LA are likely to welcome back Romain Alessadrini after he missed the defeat to Portland last time out and new signing Jonathan dos Santos could also start for the first time for Sigi Schmid’s men.
For Vieira, their quality is unquestionable but he knows it would be foolish just to focus on one or two players in the home team’s XI.
Vieira added: "These players are part of a collective and that collective will help them to express their talent, so we have to stop them developing their game.
“We will have to defend really well, we’ll have to be compact and we’ll have to be smart. Overall, we will have to work as a team. We’ve shown that we can do it, like against the Red Bulls – it will be important for us to keep the momentum going and to repeat the same game.”
