New York City FC: Why they can win MLS is Back

New York City FC will resume their season in July with the MLS is Back Tournament. If the team fixes some issues, they can win it all. Here is why.

New York City FC will resume their 2020 season in July with the rest of Major League Soccer. The club was drawn into Group A for the MLS is Back Tournament, the only group that has six teams rather than four. Despite the six teams, NYCFC will only play the Chicago Fire, Orlando City, and the Philadelphia Union in the group stage. While the Pigeons have had success against all three clubs, the players are under immense pressure to perform and ultimately win.

The club not only has to finish in the top three of the group to qualify for the knockout stages; the group round counts toward the regular season and every point picked up could be invaluable later in the season. This is especially true given NYCFC’s current situation. Despite only playing two games, they have zero points and desperately need to win. To do that, they must fix the issues from the start of the season.

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Fortunately, the club predominantly has the same players as 2019, where they were first in the Eastern Conference. They have the talent and ability to compete among the best. Plus, despite losing the first two regular-season games, the players still played well. It was small mistakes and lack of clinical play in the final that cost them points. Moreover, in 2019, NYCFC also started off slowly. There is little concern for the team, both then and now.

Now, with the pandemic changing the season, the need to play well is obvious and necessary. No one knows how long the season will truly last. Meanwhile, the team lost time in getting used to Ronny Deila’s playing style. Players were still adjusting at the beginning of the season so it is possible playing under a new coach could impact their group-stage performances. There is pressure to adjust quickly and Deila must tighten the areas of the Pigeons’ game that need polishing.

One such issue was the defense. While their defensive woes improved over the first few games, errors still led to goals. That simply cannot happen in a tournament in which every match is vital. The defensive players must tighten their line, the distances must close between one another, and the individual errors cannot continue.

Furthermore, New York City FC has not scored since their first two CONCACAF Champions League games, despite creating numerous chances. Deila must work with the team to ensure the scoring drought is left in the pre-pandemic era. Players like Alexandru Mitriță and Héber must be 100%. Confidence is key.

One thing that all teams will have in common is the time off due to the pandemic. So no matter what, every MLS team has to work towards match fitness. With New York City FC, they are no different. However, according to goalkeeper Sean Johnson, they are all at a good position fitness-wise:

"“There’s been rust, which was to be expected. But our team did a fantastic job of staying in shape. Everybody committed themselves to staying in a certain condition that allowed us to pick up at a point where we’re further along than I think a lot of teams will be at this point in time.”"

The positive news on the fitness front means fans have one less item to worry about. This also leaves the Pigeons with more time to work on the aspects of their game that need fine-tuning.

And so, if NYCFC can fix what plagued them during the first few games, return to their scoring ways, and adjust to Ronny Deila’s playing style, they will go far in the tournament. In fact, with a little luck and a return to 2019 form, they might just win it all.