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NYCFC Have Odds In Their Favor For Inaugural MLS Season

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By @DFresh39

2015 NYCFC Preview

Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

With the Frank Lampard saga behind them, NYCFC are ready to start their first season in MLS. All the hype and billboards in New York City will take a back seat to actual game play. They can be encouraged by their play in the Carolina Challenge Cup as coach Jason Kreis continues to toy with his preferred starting XI. NYCFC are supposed to open play in front of 60,000 fans at the Citrus Bowl against Orlando City with a chance to make a statement.

As expected, NYCFC’s owners spent a lot of money to help build a competitive roster. Lampard is still abroad, but David Villa was also on the early billboards. Mix Diskerud was then brought in and his jersey instantly became one of the most popular in MLS. A rumor has surfaced this week that Xavi Hernandez will be the third designated player on the roster. If Xavi is added the 15/1 odds to win MLS Cup, third best in the Eastern Conference, will get even better.

The biggest question on the team is the defense. Jeb Brovsky and Chris Wingert have claimed their starting roles. The rest could be a revolving door as Kreis finds the right combination of Josh Williams, Kwame Watson-Siriboe, George John and Jason Hernandez. Andres Mendoza has even seen considerable time in the preseason. Looking at the lineups from the preseason, Williams’ flexibility seems to have won him a position.

Diskerud’s positioning is still up for debate, but he will be starting. A couple of former Kreis players, Mehdi Ballouchy and Ned Grabavoy, have been deployed on the wings of the midfield diamond. Andrew Jacobson will be a pivotal player until Lampard arrives. Both Thomas McNamara and Javier Calle add depth and bring flair to the pitch.

Villa is the lead striker, but Kreis’ current system calls for two up top, so Villa will be looking for the right partner. Adam Nemec and rookie Khiry Shelton add size, and Patrick Mullins could prove to be the steal of the Expansion Draft.

NYCFC have enough star power to carry them to a playoff spot in a weaker Eastern Conference. The current makeup of the team looks like it could give up plenty of goals but has the creative ability to score plenty of goals as well. It is expected that a Kreis-coached team will find chemistry defensively. There are good soccer minds working together for the new franchise and plenty of financial backing. NYCFC will stay competitive.

2015 prediction: 12-8-14, 50 points, Fourth in the East

Douglas Smith is a soccer writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @DFresh39, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.

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