WASHINGTON – Prior to New York City FC’s impressive 2-0 victory in Week 8 at D.C. United, NYCFC head coach Dome Torrent revealed to club radio that he felt on the hot seat.
After a victory that should cool it considerably, he elaborated, saying those comments came from seeing his team's previous results and they had nothing to do with the belief he has in his players.
He was particularly frustrated following a 3-3 draw last week at the opening of Minnesota United FC's Allianz Field, in which he thought the performance merited more.
“I said to them at the time, ‘You are much better,’” Torrent reflected postgame at Audi Field. “‘Maybe you don’t have the right head coach. But you are much better than what you think.’
“When I saw these players in the training session, I say they can win in D.C., and [Los Angeles] and every single stadium.”
They made good on half of that Sunday, snapping a six-match winless start in D.C. with a surprisingly dominant win against the Eastern Conference leaders, led by goals from Alexandru Mitrita and Heber. With the return of that finishing touch that was often lacking before Week 8, they’re now 1W-1L-5D and within a point of the Eastern Conference’s playoff line.
“If you have a doubt, ask them,” Torrent said. “But I said to them (after today), ‘Thank you so much.’ I’m not long here. I knew that before this game. I will try to improve this team. It’s my job.
“Our supporters, our club, everybody is not happy with the results (before today). But I am sure I have the confidence of my players, because every time they show me how hard they train, and the confidence with my staff they have.”
Whatever pressure Torrent is feeling, he still had the confidence to take an unexpected approach against D.C., going back to the 3-4-3 setup he abandoned at halftime of the draw at Allianz Field.
The idea, Torrent said, was to account for players like Luciano Acosta and Darwin Quintero, who rove from flank to flank behind a center forward. This time it worked expertly, suggesting his players are still buying what he’s selling.
“Everybody (has) supported Dome since the very start,” said defender Anton Tinnerholm. “And I think today we showed the way he wants to play and finally we got a win. If you look at the season, we’ve got one loss, but the problem is we haven’t found a way to win the game, and today we did that.”
