First Team Season Review and Happy Trails
The boots have been packed away for a few months and all of the lads get to enjoy a couple months of respite before a new Cosmopolitan League season starts again. The Boys in Black and Gold ended their campaign with some highs, some lows, but overall, and objectively good season. After a wake-up call into their new home in the second division, losing in a controversially contested match 2:0 to NYPD, they went on to win 5 in a row and at one point, getting within 4 points of taking the automatic promotion spot. Outside of the league, they were making waves as well in the Kilby Cup, beating the likes of Hoboken, eventual Div. 1 winners, in the semifinals, drawing 1:1 against Shamrock Rovers in the group, and taking Div. 1 Powerhouses, Borgetto to PKs in the Finals. After the Cup run, the wheels came off a bit for the Lions resulting in a temporary feeling of disappointment, finishing 6 points off from the playoffs, in 4th place. Ultimately the end of the campaign saw NYIC 11-3-6, 46 GF, 24 GA, 36 Points. I hopped on Zoom with Manager Philpott to discuss his thoughts and feelings on the season overall.
The Pride: Now that the season is over, what are some of the highs and lows from your POV?
Gary: Reaching Top 4 in our first season in the new division and reaching the Kilby Cup Final was an objective high point, especially with our results against first division sides. I have incredibly high standards for myself and the squad so I couldn’t but feel a bit of a low and disappointment with how the back half of the season went. At one point during the season, we were in second and only 4 points from the first spot. We would also be the only team to beat CPR.
Gary cntd: Another high for me was just how successfully we managed the jump from 3rd Div. to the 2nd. We went from managing 20 men to a 50-man squad, even getting near 60. Again, however, this came with a low. In the first half we had huge numbers of dedicated and committed players who seemed ready to fight for the cause. I’m not sure if it was complacency but there was a drop in commitment from players. We also were hit heavily by injury, we went from having an average of 30 people for training sessions to 15, but this ultimately is the nature of lower league football.
The Pride: You spoke about the Cup Run being a high for you, what were your highlights from that experience?
Gary: Firstly, the commitment from the lads was immense. The Cup started early so there were many nights where training happened at 9PM on Randall’s Island with negative temperatures. It was inspiring to see so many invested in the cause. This commitment really paid off. Our biggest win during the campaign has to be against Hoboken. They would ultimately win the 1st Division which made our win that much sweeter in retrospect. There was a lot of preparation and analysis that went into the match. We had an idea of how they wanted to play and played around it.
The Pride: Let’s discuss the disappointing Spring Campaign. What factors played into these results?
Gary: As I stated before, I think there was some complacency on our part and a lack of discipline. I think it was so disappointing, from my perspective, because we saw the Cup results, the first half results, and trainings, so we knew what kind of quality we have when we played our game. I think we also lost our identity a little bit, we have a style of play we like to play and unfortunately, we didn’t. We focused too much on what we couldn’t control than what we could. After preparing and playing to the levels of first division squads, we ended up playing the bottom of our league table to their level than our true potential.
The Pride: So, were some of your biggest take aways from your inaugural season in the 2nd Division?
Gary: Although I was disappointed at the time, after some perspective checks from peers and mentors, there’s a lot to be proud of. We didn’t just promote, we promoted and thrived from the 3rd Division. It has taken some teams years to move from Div. 2 to Div. 1 and we almost did it our first go. Now that we have cemented ourselves in the 2nd Div., I think we can start instilling the club culture we had in our small group from Div. 3 to a larger group of fellas.
Gary Cntd: Outside of the performance aspect, we also successfully began getting closer to the community, which was one of our larger scale goals. We have had an organic growth and naturally, success helps. People in the community would have seen how we performed in the Cup and since we are at the forefront in utilizing social media, in the Cosmo League anyway, it has been easier to get our names out there. It has also been great to network and do community engagement. We starting to build connections and volunteer with EV Loves NYC, on the day we volunteered, 1600 meals were prepared. We also started up the Davide 5K (article incoming) which opened up a whole landscape of engagement.
The Pride: This concludes our coverage of the season
and now we can get into the difficult part of this interview, you will be
departing the club for an undetermined amount of time, correct?
Gary: *Chuckles* yeah buddy. I’m heading off to South America for a while to recharge the batteries. Don’t worry though, I’m leaving the City but I’ll be very much involved with the club in different capacities.
The Pride: A while ago, The Irish Times did an article on you since you were a former Cork City player turned finance guy in the US. In the article you mentioned something relatable to most people, losing passion for the game. How did you refind your passion for the game?
Gary: Yeah, I really have to thank Nick (Platt) for pushing me back into the game. Since founding the club, I quit my career and put my focus back into the game. I’ve been working on getting my coaching badges and have had the pleasure of working with a youth academy.
.JPG)
The Pride: Coming from Europe to the US, how surprised were you with the football scene in NYC?
Gary: Man, there is just so much hidden talent here. Most of these CSL Clubs are made up of immigrant communities who are either first or second generation. You have your Albanian Clubs, Ukraine, Irish, Afghani, so on and so forth who brought the skills from their home countries. The standard in the CSL is immense.
The Pride: What are some of your personal highlights during your unclosed chapter in the CSL?
Gary: As I stated before, the Cup Run and who we beat and even taking Borgetto to penalties. I’m proud of how aware we now are about how good we are. Again, we were the only team to beat CPR. The Organization has won, essentially, 5 trophies, and 3 Championships since its inception. Finally, making enough of a presence to now have a Supporter’s Section.
(Gary's First Red Card in the Black and Gold)
The Pride: Whenever you do come back, what role do you hope to take in the club?
Gary: Honestly, whatever the club needs of me. Would I love to come back and manage? Selfishly, of course. *laughs* But if the current manager is doing a great job, and I have no doubts that they will, I would never push to move them out. While I’m in South America, I’ll go back to doing stuff that we did last season and early this one, a lot of opponent analysis to help with team tactics as well as some of the media side.
The Pride: What message do you have for the team, the supporters, and the incoming manager?
Gary: On our club badge it says, “Rise Together as
Champions” and I 100% believe in that. We’re in this together. This club isn’t
just about me and it took and will take the community to make it successful. I
feel safe leaving for South America knowing that the club is in good hands and
moving to the right direction, I would have delayed a move if it wasn’t the
case. My heart and DNA will still be here in the city and on the pitch. To the
players, never forget why the club was created. For the Supporters, thank you.
Thank you for coming out for the matches, celebrating with us, crying with us,
and expanding our network. For the manager, the new season starts today. Reach
out to your core group of players, start building the team culture with the new
guys now. Set your standards and establish accountability early in and stick
with them.
In honor and love for Gary, I’ll “sing” Gary’s Chant one
last time in vain:
He’s our Gary
Our fucking Gary
He came to New York, from Irish Cork
He’ll never know just, how much we love him
So please don’t take our Gary, away
.JPG)
Comments
Post a Comment