NEW YORK — Patrick Vieira tried telling us he would, from a tactical standpoint, do things a bit differently as head coach of New York City FC. It didn't take long to get a sense of how differently Vieira would do things.
NYCFC deployed a 3-4-3 formation in its home opener against Toronto FC on Sunday, and while the unique system did present some challenges for TFC, it ultimately didn't deliver victory for Vieira in his first match in charge at Yankee Stadium, with NYCFC settling for a 2-2 tie.
Major League Soccer has long been a league where the four-man back line is king, and the sight of a three-man defense has mainly been confined to situational usage, mostly in late-game situations when a team might be chasing a goal or trailing by quite a bit.
Vieira chose to play a 3-4-3 a week after using a more traditional 4-3-3, a move that made sense for his team for a variety of reasons. For one, the narrow field at Yankee Stadium doesn't leave much room for true wing players to operate. Secondly, NYCFC has a wealth of central midfield talent, and the 3-4-3 system allows Vieira to put more of his best players on the field.
NYCFC's defensive line kept things tight behind the midfield, providing Andrea Pirlo the kind of support he needs to offset his inability to cover as much ground as used to. Vieira partnered young Argentine midfielder Federico Bravo with Pirlo as a deep-lying central midfield tandem that worked to clog passing lanes and give the three-man defense ample support in the form of consistent passing options and defensive pressure.
"Our objective was to control the game, and this is the reason why we played Federico next to Andrea," Vieira said. "That gave us a little bit more solidity."
Vieira also pointed to the team's defensive struggles in its season-opening 4-3 win against the Chicago Fire as another motivation for trying the 3-4-3 against TFC.
"Regarding the first game we played, against Chicago, and the difficulties we had when they were going into counter-attack, and the direct game," Vieira said. "We knew Toronto is really direct, and when they get the ball their objective was to find Giovinco in space straightaway, and it was really important for us to block that space, and I believe with three at the back we did it quite well.
"I was really pleased because we didn't spend so much time on that system, but the way the players played tonight, and their understanding, was really good. We will use that system later on, no problem at all."
As unique as the system was, and despite how little Vieira stated his team had worked on it in preseason, the overall sense was that NYCFC liked playing in the 3-4-3.
"It's definitely a different system, but I think the more we practice it the better we're going to get," NYCFC midfielder Mix Diskerud told Goal USA. "At times today I thought we did it pretty well. At times we didn't, but we'll try to get better. The coach told us before the season started that we would try some different systems for different games. It worked out well for a period of time we were winning 2-0."
"The style here is keeping the ball on the ground, and playing one and two touch," Diskerud added. "That's the soccer I love, and always want to play. As long as you win games that's when you have a lot of fun, but it's good chemistry in the group. You can see that. It's a good vibe."
From Toronto FC's vantage point, the 3-4-3 did catch the visitors off guard a bit because NYCFC hadn't used it in the season opener, but some in-game adjustments by Toronto FC eventually helped provide the Canadian club with the necessary defensive support to combat the overloaded midfield.
"We just had to reorganize a little bit because we started off with wingers," TFC head coach Greg Vanney said. "We brought those wingers in underneath the striker and took away the spaces, and then we were able organize a little bit better."
A look at Toronto FC's positioning, and how it shifted from the first half, to the second half, shows how TFC eventually adapted to the challenges the 3-4-3 presented:
"I think on most fields you can't get away with (playing a 3-4-3)," TFC midfielder Will Johnson told Goal USA. "If a team tried to do that at StubHub (Center) it would be pretty difficult. This field obviously allows you to play with things a little bit more, and experiment with overloading the middle."
"Most teams don't play three out of the back because it leaves you pretty exposed," Johnson continued. "I think you saw that today, maybe on a better day, later in the season, we have three, four, five goals."
The viability of the 3-4-3 as a system of choice for NYCFC depends on a wide range of variables. It requires the central defender to play a near-flawless match, serving as the lone organizer in the back, and a player with much more ground to cover than a central defender does in a traditional 4-4-2. Jason Hernandez played that role excellently on Sunday.
The system also requires midfielders capable of maintaining possession and providing ample support, both defensively and in terms of being a consistent outlet. Pirlo and Bravo handled those roles excellently.
You might look at the result and think the experiment of using a 3-4-3 was unsuccessful, but the reality is TFC's first goal came off a set piece, while the second came courtesy of some Giovinco magic. The blown lead wasn't about NYCFC's formation, but rather about defensive mistakes, which are nothing new for a club that was plagued by them in 2015.
The 3-4-3 isn't likely to become the system of choice for NYCFC, but we should expect to see three-man defenses a fair amount at Yankee Stadium. Not only because of the narrow field, but also because of Vieira's desire to see his team play a proactive style. Delivering attractive soccer to the big crowds at Yankee Stadium has to be among Vieira's top priorities, and for stretches on Sunday, NYCFC's system provided just that.
There is also the logjam of midfielders on NYCFC's roster. Playing a system in which he can use four central midfielders makes sense for Vieira, and might make even more sense once Frank Lampard returns to full fitness. With Diskerud and Tommy McNamara playing well together, Vieira could struggle to find minutes for everyone. That logjam already has led to the early-season disappearance of NYCFC fan favorite Kwadwo Poku, who has yet to play a minute this season and didn't even make the bench Sunday.
Another priority for Vieira will be to keep opponents guessing, and while he's only two matches into his career as a pro head coach, Vieira clearly has some tricks up his sleeve.He will be looking to stay unpredictable as he continues to shape NYCFC into a team known for winning consistently, and not just a team known for its narrow field and uncommon formations.
"We may go back to a 4-3-3, or three at the back, or we may go with three at the back, three in the midfield and four up front," Vieira said of what we might expect from his team on Friday when Orlando City visits Yankee Stadium. "What is really good is that we have a system that we can play around with, and try to control games."
