MANCHESTER, England | New York City FC forward Patrick Mullins said it felt “awesome” to take to the field for the first preseason clash in Club history, and hailed the support of fans on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.
Another chapter in the New York City FC history books was written on Tuesday night as the Club recorded a first-ever win over Scottish side St Mirren at City Football Academy, courtesy of goals scored by captain David Villa and Tony Taylor.
Mullins acknowledged that it was a special feeling to scrimmage alongside his teammates as preseason steps up a gear, but said there’s more work to be done before the season kicks off on March 8 at fellow expansion side Orlando City SC.
“It felt awesome to get out on the field," he said. "When you’re in preseason there’s lots of training and long sessions with the boys so it’s good to get 45 minutes against somebody else. We got two goals and a shutout, which is big for how we want to play, and for me personally, I thought it was great to get a win over here in such an amazing atmosphere and in great facilities. So it was a pretty perfect night from that point of view, although we’ve got a long way to go yet.”
Although he’s an attacking player by trade, the two-time Hermann Trophy winner while at the University of Maryland admits he takes pride in the team’s clean sheet, especially given the emphasis on defensive work throughout the Florida and Manchester training camps.
“I thought defensively we were very good,” Mullins said. “That’s something we worked on a lot during our first training camp in Florida and I thought we implemented it well, and then we’ve taken on some attacking tactics and I think we were pretty sharp last night for this stage of the camp. I think there’s room to build which is good, but I thought we were at a high level last night which is also encouraging.”
Fans in Manchester turned out to watch the game, many sporting New York City FC merchandise, while thousands more watched live on NYCFC.com from around the world.
The 23-year-old Mullins expressed his gratitude to the Club’s passionate fan base and explained that the players feel the same way about their club.
“We’ve had that support since the start," he said. "Since I’ve joined the team I’ve seen that support from New York to Manchester and beyond. Obviously that’s what you want as a player -- you want the supporters to be engaged and passionate about what we do and we feel the same way about the club. It’s really encouraging and awesome to hear it all.”
However, while he acknowledges it’s an exciting time for the Club, the forward is focused on constant improvement and development – especially in the scoring charts, so he can look forward to a first competitive victory.
“I’ll be happier when it’s our first regular season win rather than preseason," said Mullins, who scored four goals in 21 games (14 starts) for New England last season. "These things will all come in due time, but it’s business as usual for us, too, and at this stage it’s about getting as fit as we can and gelling as a team.
“As a forward I want to be more clinical with our chances and maybe create a couple more. I think we had some good possession spells and made the other team work which is a part of how we want to play. But as a forward I want to make sure we’re putting the numbers on the board, too, and I think we can get a couple more goals.”
Head coach Jason Kreis agreed wholeheartedly with his player’s sentiments, expressing his satisfaction at the good result but explained he’ll be looking for even more from his men when they take on Danish Superliga outfit Brondby at 7 a.m. EST on Feb. 15.
Kreis was pleased with a display in which his team succeeded in dominating possession and territory over St Mirren, who are currently in the middle of their regular season.
“As a coach you’re always looking for how you can get a little bit better, but I was certainly pleased with the efforts and the performance of the guys," Kreis said. "A lot of them are taking on the messages we’re trying to give them. When you look at the matches you’re always looking for answers to questions, and I think we had some positive answers.”
However, like Mullins, he’s looking to add more clearcut opportunities to score when the Club returns to the field at the weekend.
“I think we need to be a little sharper with the ball," Kreis said. "The guys worked extremely hard and got ourselves into some really good positions to have meaningful attacks but I feel we fell just a little bit short in the final third.”
New York City FC vs. Brondby kicks off at 7 a.m. EST on Sunday, February 15. The match can be watched live on NYCFC.com.
