New York City's Time in Manchester Ends in Defeat as MLS Preparations Continue

With Manchester City given a free weekend as a result of their FA Cup exit at the hands of Middlesbrough last month, all eyes were on their American counterparts, New York City, as they took on Brondby in Manchester as part of their preseason preparations.

NYCFC, who are set to begin their inaugural MLS season next month with a trip to Orlando City on March 8, have spent a week at City’s CFA facility in order to fine-tune their squad ahead of the new season.

They lost 2-0 to Brondby on Sunday at the Academy Stadium, with goals from Martin Omskov and Ferhan Hasani doing the damage, but given the Danish side are in the midst of their league season while New York City are three weeks away from starting theirs, it was always going to be something of a mismatch in terms of sharpness.

Head Coach Jason Kreis can be pleased with aspects of the performance, even if the result was disappointing. Mix Diskerud made his first appearance in a New York shirt and although his mistake led to Brondby’s opener, he impressed with his desire to get on the ball and start attacks from deep.

Peter Morrison/Associated Press

And David Villa, starting in attack alongside Adam Nemec, showed some lovely touches in his first-half cameo. He will surely be a wonderful addition to MLS football.

It’s clear that Kreis is looking to recreate the style he implemented during his time as Real Salt Lake manager, with a diamond midfield and focus on possession-based football key to his vision.

Kreis’ squad will now depart Manchester and head to Charleston in South Carolina where more friendly matches are scheduled in order to ensure full fitness ahead of their US top-flight opener in Orlando.

Afterwards, Kreis said that neither this game nor the win over St Mirren on Tuesday, were perfect, but that there were positives to be drawn. “It’s interesting because you come out of the first game winning 2-0 and you come out of the second game losing 2-0 and I though basically the same thing, which is neither one was anywhere near perfect,” he said.

“There’s a lot of room for improvement and that is what preseason is all about.”

He also praised Diskerud, a U.S. international, after a controlled display in midfield. “I thought it [his performance] was really solid but he had the one mistake that led to the goal,” said Kreis. “But he wasn’t the only one. We were behaving a little bit arrogantly about holding the ball in some situations where it makes a lot more sense to knocking it into their half.”

“I think he fits in well with our midfield—they all want the ball. He fits in very well.”

Coming to Manchester and using City’s £200 million academy setup shows the kind of benefits NYCFC will have being part of the City Football Group.

Sharing data and scouting information, loaning young players and generally having the support of an established Premier League side could be a significant advantage for Kreis’ team in the coming months.

“I think from New York City’s point of view, one of the best things that comes from this [the Manchester leg of their preseason tour] is that there’s a recognition that this is our home as well,” said Kreis. “This isn’t just Manchester City’s academy that we’ve been so fortunate to use. It’s our academy and we play a part here.

“Our players have had some experiences that some of them have never had before. It’s been terrific,” he continued.

Ray Stubblebine/Associated Press

The link-up between Manchester City and NYCFC is an interesting development in the world of football, the like of which has never been seen before. Clubs have forged relationships before that involve preseason games and loaning players from one to another, but this is an altogether much closer bond.

Quite how things will play out is unclear at this time, but Kreis' side certainly look set to benefit greatly from their association with their established Premier League partners in Manchester.

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2014-15 season. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter: @RobPollard.