Harrison, N.J. – There were plenty of frustrated folks wearing black and sky blue at Red Bull Arena on Sunday night: The 1,500 or so New York City FC fans who made the trip across the Hudson River to see their side lose, NYCFC players who failed to take advantage of a 10-man Red Bulls crew – and even head coach Jason Kreis, whose club continues to sink towards the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
But it was NYCFC’s captain, veteran Spanish international David Villa, who seemed most upset of all.
In his first start since returning from a hamstring injury that had sidelined him for three weeks, Villa was subbed out of the game in the 68th minute. The former FC Barcelona man put in a relatively quiet shift and occasionally seemed disconnected, at times finding it difficult to put himself in dangerous spots or connect with his teammates.
Villa’s stroll off the pitch during his substitution seemed a bit leisurely given the fact that NYCFC were down two goals with 20 minutes to play. And when Kreis suggested that he pick up the pace, Villa gave him an eye roll and kept walking.
After the match, Kreis acknowledged his star’s frustrations and shed some light on the decision to remove him from the action.
“I think he was a bit confused as to why he was coming out. He’s such a born, natural competitor that he wants to stay on for the full 90 and probably if it was up to him he’d go ahead and get injured to help us get a point,” said the NYCFC boss. “I spoke to him briefly [after the match] and there are no issues.
“At the end of the day, we have to make decisions that are a little bit more future-thinking than just about getting a result tonight. So at 70 minutes, I made the decision – let’s protect him for the next one and keep him healthy.”
Villa met a throng of media in a hushed NYCFC locker room and did his share of explaining as well, taking a diplomatic path when asked about his display of frustration after such an early exit.
“At that particular moment I wanted to keep playing, but I think Jason obviously wanted to be cautious after a couple of weeks out,” Villa said in a Spanish-language interview. “I mean obviously, I don’t like not being on the field. I want to be with the team.
“So yeah, I was frustrated when I was walking off the pitch, but Jason pulled me aside [afterwards] and explained his reasoning to me, and I think obviously he did it for the good of the team."
It seems unlikely that the episode will have much impact moving forward. Over a 15-year club career, “El Guaje” has earned a reputation as a consummate professional, and after his side’s loss to the Red Bulls, Villa displayed deference to his head coach.
"It doesn’t matter whether I could’ve gone 90 minutes,” said Villa. “Obviously Jason is my boss and he doesn’t even need to explain anything to me, though he did. He was obviously just looking after me.
“I was fit enough to play the 90 minutes but you have to take into account my hamstring injury, also my abductor injury. Again, [Kreis] was just being cautious."
