The American flag melted rather than hung in the humid, stagnant air of a New York City summer’s day. Yankee Stadium was hot. So hot that you wistfully looked back at the frozen nights watching the nascent team dodge snowflakes on the pitch. So hot that water, rather than beer, was the beverage of choice. So hot that you might consider trading a goal for even the hint of a breeze. But no, no you wouldn’t. Not in this game. Not with these two teams.
This was a grudge match for Toronto FC. A chance to provide some payback for the hackathon of the pair’s last meeting. This was their chance to do what all of the teams of the Eastern Division want to do — knock the new lads down a bit. Problem is, it’s tougher than it looks.
To their credit the Third Rail, The Blue Ladies of NYC, Hearts of Oak, Brown Bag SC, and others in the supporter section didn’t wilt. They were on their feet, bouncing, and chanting the entire ninety minutes, energized rather than subdued by the heat. The away supporters, filling only about five rows of the away section, sat politely quiet. Cheering when Toronto scored, and then, returning to silence.
New York City FC started strong, jumping quickly two goals ahead while their legs remained fresh. David Villa, wanting to make the most of his remaining set pieces until Andrea Pirlo arrives, scored beautifully on an over the wall to the low corner penalty kick that was too strong for the keeper to stop.
On his second attempt the keeper was able to block but Patrick Mullins stayed on the ball, delivering a shot hard at the near post that deflected off of a Toronto defender, turning the miscue into a second NYCFC goal. The crowd erupted. Andoni Iraola was carrying himself well in his debut for the club and the midfield was pressing forward. Life was good.
With a bit of hubris we started counting three points and our fifth win in six matches. But the beautiful game is nothing if not compressed drama and so, as if on cue, the Atomic Ant and the porous New York defense headed by Kwame Watson-Siriboe decided to make an appearance. Sebastian Giovinco’s style of play allows for quicker legs and extra steps. Camping at the top end of the formation, he waits for the counter attack, carefully monitoring where the offside line is moving. And then he is off, bursting past the heavier legs of the NYCFC defense. Frustrating them into poorly timed fouls or snaking through and finishing. Within a span of nine-minutes he had a hat-trick added to his stats, strutting in front of the almost rabid supporters after each goal as the rest of the fans sank deep in their seats hoping that the team could make it to the half without any additional damage.
The question would be, who would arrive back on the pitch after the half? NYCFC has a habit of coming out weak if they go in to the locker room behind. They tend to lose their confidence and play reaction football instead of the attacking style Jason Kreis desires and the fans were anxious as to which side they would see, the attacking Boys in Blue that have started to show themselves in the past six matches, or the back on the heals, defending one of early matches. At the half, Kreis subbed in Angelino to make his club debut, joining Iraola on the back line to anchor down the sides.
NYCFC quickly let it be known that they would not sit back during the second half as they pressed forward hard and when legs tangled in the box and Villa went down, Referee Ted Unkel let it be known that today he would be handing penalties out like Oprah. You get a penalty, and you get a penalty, and you get a penalty. He would end the day with four. Villa stared down the keeper and with a shot to the upper left tied the match at three. Kwadwo Poku came on and the game became physical with tempers flaring in the heat.
Some of the blows New York delivered were more like body checks in hockey but without the side boards. Bodies left the ground as they went out of play. The message being delivered— think twice before going for the ball or risk getting knocked. Giovinco didn’t care. In the 82nd minute he streaked down the wing, deflecting an attempted last minute foul and fed the ball to Marky Delgado who again silenced the crowd with a shot to the back of the net. As New York tried to quickly restart, Toronto sauntered back to the midfield, taking as much time off of the clock as possible.
In one of this writer’s pet peeves, a few fans started to leave. Why? This is New York City, there is no parking traffic to beat. The subways run fine with crowds. How could you leave? Where are you going? Then karma hit. A fast break two minutes later, a well formed attack, and NYCFC had answered to level the score in the 84th. Those who had left heard the roar of the crowd from their place outside the gates. Inside it was joyous, raucous, celebration.
Then the agonizing play of the last four minutes where City attacked only to leave themselves dangerously open to counter. And then it was over. The final whistle blown. The players exhausted from play fell to the turf, and fans, exhausted from the roller coaster of emotions in the soggy heat, slowly headed for the exit. Taking with them a hard fought and deserved point. And the supporters who had lost pounds of sweat bouncing in the bleachers celebrated the team for another well fought match at home.
The day was supposed to be about some guy named Lampard who has been seen in the stands with Pirlo. But it turned into another showing of why Villa is our captain and hero. And it was a good day to be in seat 9.