Why Thiago Andrade is not yet a regular starter for NYCFC

Scoring goals in Major League Soccer doesn’t seem too tough for Thiago Andrade.

In his first two matches for New York City FC last month, the 20-year-old scored twice as a substitute, including an electric finish after streaking down the wing to score a late winner against D.C. United.

That doesn’t mean Ronny Deila is ready to make Andrade a fixture in the starting 11 just yet.

After Andrade started for the first time last weekend in a loss to the Columbus Crew, he then began on the bench Wednesday and played just eight minutes to close NYCFC’s 1-0 victory over CF Montreal. Maxi Moralez, who typically plays as an attacking midfielder in the center of the pitch, spent much of the night on the left wing. Deila said Andrade needs to improve his defensive play before he’s a lock to start.

"The big thing with him is that he has to learn how to defend well," Deila said. "And I knew today that if we didn’t defend well we would get punished."

Deila hasn’t soured on one of the club’s latest signings. As fellow Brazilian signing Talles Magno nurses a knee injury, Andrade doesn’t need to be rushed, the coach said.

"He’s adapting still to our style and our play, but he’s been good every time he gets a chance," Deila said. "He’s very fast, his muscles are really explosive, so the load on him as well, he’s not used to the way we’re training and so many things, so we need to take care of him so he doesn’t play 10 games in a row from the start. That would be too early for him. We have to [prevent] injuries and small things because he’s so powerful when he gets going."

Still, having a strong defensive presence on the left, where Andrade would be asked to contribute, is key for NYCFC against certain opponents. That’s especially true with offensive minded Gudi Thórarinsson getting most starts at left back.

"It’s basically about closing spaces and where you position yourself, and Thiago hasn’t been with us for a long time, so he needs just a little bit more time to get it right," said Thórarinsson. "His offensive qualities are amazing, his speed obviously in 1-v-1 situations. So as long as he works a little bit more on the defensive position-wise, that’s probably where he has to learn the most. He has all the physical abilities to do it. As a left back, it helps so much, just closing spaces.

"It can be small things, it can be three yards here or there that help so the opponent doesn’t play through us. Maxi obviously knows more of what we want and Thiago will get there, he just needs a little more time to understand the way we want to play."