The Other Three Points: FC Cincinnati

Photo by John Jones/Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesWeek 1: 3-2 home win over FC Cincinnati

On the eve of the season I laid out three criteria by which to evaluate the team in 2020, and the season opening win over Cincinnati gave me plenty of fodder for measuring the state of those three points as 2020 kicks off.

Tactics

The team’s new 4-2-2-2 shape generally moved together and in sync, which led to FCC’s hapless backline getting dragged out of position with frequency. In this sense, the game recalled last season’s home opener against San Jose, where in the second half RBNY was able to drag Almeyda’s man-marking scheme across the field to create simple streaking runs leading to goals. This…