New York City FC: Power devised from being proactive

New York City FC looked powerful last year, but this year they have gotten even better, and that’s because any problems they might have had are already fixed.

New York City FC are on a pretty clear trajectory. Every year since their conception, they have gotten better and better and this year, they are perfect through seven weeks. With how this team was shaping up, it isn’t unreasonable to say that this isn’t surprising.

Mostly because any and all problems that this club could have had were fixed in the offseason. Most clubs around the world don’t recognize they have a problem until it bits them in the arse. Injuries or poor quality will force their hand and they’ll sign someone to fill the gap.

New York City FC did things differently. Rather than wait to see if they could cope with any potential problems, they went ahead and addressed them before they could even become problems.

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There were two potential flaws in the sky blue armor. The first was Alexander Ring, who has become vital to operations, but can also find himself missing in action due to international duty or suspensions.

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New York City FC landed Ebenezer Ofori for those times. Ofori hasn’t been of the same caliber as Ring, but with a team as strong across the board as this team is, you don’t need to have supreme quality waiting in the ranks. There’s so much quality around every position that it’s easy to compensate.

Ofori has the upside to challenge for that midfield, but also has enough quality to be the gap-filler that was needed.

And then there was the David Villa problem. New York City FC have long depended on El Capitan, and for just cause. You don’t get much better. But this year, Villa has only featured in 257 minutes of MLS action.

In his stead, Ismael Tajouri, another offseason acquisition, has been filling the gap left by the prolific Spaniard. Tajouri has snagged four goals and an assist in just 372 minutes because he fits exactly what this side needed, mixing parts of Villa with parts of an eager youngster.

Meaning he is proving to be a clinical finisher, a-la Villa, but unlike Villa, he isn’t someone who has to dominate proceedings. In fact, he is better moving off the ball and finding the space that his team mates need to find him.

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This was already a stacked team. But these two crucial – and relatively low-key – acquisitions have given them the security they need to feel incredibly confident with where they currently are.