New York City FC: Ebenezer Ofori doubles up on proven method

New York City FC were proven geniuses for engineering the team around Alexandre Ring, now they are doubling up with Ebenezer Ofori.

Switching from Andrea Pirlo to Alexander Ring is like switching from an artisanal salad to a steak. It’s not an easy follow either, from Ring’s point of view, to step into the shoes of an international legend, but yet again, Patrick Vieira showed that he knows exactly what he is doing with New York City FC.

Ring was, dare I say it, reminiscent of a prime Vieira over at Arsenal. He was a wrecker, but he had enough tactical astuteness to not be a burden in the attack. His passing was the best it has ever been in his career and the his defensive assistance speaks for itself.

But, as became clear as the season wore on, Ring’s tenacity often left him begging for some assistance. Assistance the likes of which New York City FC were unable to provide. There was no reinforcement for Ring if things went wrong. Thankfully he faced minimal time off.

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Vieira saw how well the system worked, however, and went after an understudy, per say, but this “understudy” could quickly prove himself so useful that he may well become a supporting actor.

Ebenezer Ofori is the cavalry that Ring has been waiting for.

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New York City F.C. brought in Ofori on a one-year loan with an option to buy and, ideally, they will exercise that option to buy. At just 22 years old, Ofori has had a brief stay in the international spectrum. While he hasn’t necessarily won the hearts of nations, he has shown enough to be considered the man that Vieira and Ring need to turn this midfield into the force it deserves to be.

Ofori has shown his athleticism and tenacity and these traits have been highlighted by Vieira, using words that are quite similar to how he described Ring when he was acquired last summer. Again, it doesn’t need to be restated, but if Vieira knows anything in the world of football, he knows the importance of a good, hardy, athletic midfield.

Consider Ring and Ofori the potential Vieira and Gilberto Silva of New York City FC. And no, I’m not getting ahead of myself. Think proportionately, I should add.

Ofori will likely take some time getting acclimated, but MLS is ripe for players like him – players that aren’t afraid to make tough tackles and allow their aggressiveness to be their primary attribute.

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Give it time though, Ofori is joining a system that has been proven to work well with players such as him. It wouldn’t be all that surprising if he catches on just as quick as Ring did.