Dr. Santi and Mr. Rodriguez:

The duality of a DP.

“Man is not truly one but truly two”

Santiago Rodriguez is both one of the most important, and simultaneously one of the most polarizing players for New York City FC. Let’s not mince words, this season he has been near inevitable. The Pigeon’s success almost always hinges on his individual performance. With seven goals and five assists on the season so far, he leads the team in goal contributions. However there has been, and continues to be, some questions around some of the facets of his game: Where is Santi’s best position? What are the qualities that make him so dangerous? What role should he play on this team? Is he a leader? 

What stands out about these questions are the dualities of the answers. He is so talented that he can play any attacking role on the field, but sometimes his talent overshadows his decision making and hinders his ability to play certain positions well. His physical skills are second to almost none in the league, but sometimes his mentality can make him a liability for the Pigeons. He is one of the best creators, and the most consistent scorer. He is a leader, but the pressure of carrying the team leads to a decline in his ability. It lends to the point that Santiago Rodriguez is both his best friend and own worst enemy. 

He is a true Jekyll and Hyde. 

“I felt younger, lighter, happier in body; a solution of the bonds of obligation…an unknown but innocent freedom of the soul”

Since he was given the number ten shirt, Santi Rodriguez has had a similar role of freedom that his successor, Maxi Moralez, had. He has been allowed to operate in space, making him the primary creator through the midfield for New York City FC. However in 2023, and the beginning of 2024, that creativity had not been there. New York City was allergic to scoring goals, struggling to play through opponents. The attack was incredibly predictable, leading to what was nearly the worst season in team history.

However, the boys in blue have turned a corner over the past two months. A lot of that is due to some stylistic changes in the Pigeon’s game-play. Nick Cushing, recognizing the talent of his star players (Santi), shifted slightly from a possession-based style to a transition style. 

Santiago Rodriguez is not a “ten” in the traditional way that the position is played. He prefers to take matters into his own hands instead of letting the ball do the work. He is not an orchestrator in the way that Maxi, Luciano Acosta, Carles Gil, or any of the other “traditional 10s” that are still playing in MLS. Pure data can show you that: 

But he is dangerous, as his raw statistics have shown, and he is a creator in his own way:

Routinely, he creates danger for both others and himself by just beating opposing players with talent. 

“You must suffer me to go my own dark way”

If Santi is the primary means of attacking threat for New York City FC and he is playing well, then why even write this article? The most notable duality of Santi Rodriguez rears its somewhat ugly head here:

Santiago Rodriguez’s Dribble Statistics

He is in the 98th percentile for total dribbles attempted and the 97th percentile for successful dribbles attempted, but only has a dribble success rate of 43.21% which puts him in the 42nd percentile. Reading between the lines, this means that Santi tries a lot of dribbles per game, which are more than likely unsuccessful. 

 These are the moments that induce ire for proponents of “possession-based” soccer. There’s a dark side to his game that seems to be related to his desire to be the person to create a moment. In game-states where the team is chasing a goal and has been frustrated, Santi can personify that frustration through his choices and body language. He forces errant passes, and tries to take on three or four defenders in inopportune situations – all to shove a square peg into a round hole when that hole doesn’t exist in the first place in the name of “chance creation”. When the pressure builds, Santi does not always make the best decision, which can lead to significant unintended consequences. For example, this goal in the game versus Saint Louis SC:

“If I am the chief of sinners, I am the chief of sufferers also”

New York and Santiago Rodriguez are completely intertwined. When Santi is playing well, the Pigeons are winning, and vice versa. Consequently, Santi’s personal profile is rising – becoming the rising star of New York, and potentially all of MLS. That pressure is unimaginable. To have the city of New York on your shoulders as a 24 year old is immense, but it is well deserved. Santi’s raw skill is second to few in this league. His persona seems to be Kobe-esque — choosing to dial his own number to make something happen. Unfortunately, something isn’t always a positive thing.

Decision making as a midfield player is only second priority to physical skills. It affects how the game is played in its totality: Does this team keep the ball and recycle it when there is not an advantage? Does this team hit on the counterattack when the opportunity arises? Does this team beat other teams with a press? All of this is decided by the personnel on the field, and specifically, the midfielders who dictate that pace of play. It is unsurprising that as Santi has grown into his attacking-midfield position, the Pigeons have reinvented their style to fit his best attributes. New York now plays a more counter-attacking style, choosing to hit in transition more often. It’s part and parcel to what makes Santi so integral to the Pigeon’s recent successes.

However, it also makes New York City FC sometimes incredibly predictable (and beatable). If New York gets possession conceded to them vs. a low block, they can become toothless. Beating a low block is inevitably one of the most difficult things to do in soccer. However, in those moments, it becomes the most creative player’s responsibility to reinvent their style to find ways to beat these types teams differently than was planned. And ultimately, New York has chosen to hinge their successes on Santi’s ability to figure out how to beat the teams in front of him. Santi is not always great at adjusting his game to those situations. However, his raw talent is usually enough to just force the issue — leading to the last question: Should Santi really change his game?

The answer is marred in the same duality that Santi is. If Santi changes who he is to play differently or better in certain situations, does that take away his bite? Does that affect who the team is? Will they be able to adjust to this new style? These decisions are unenviable as Nick Cushing tries to get the best out of the team he has. However as sport imitates life, there is an interesting parallel between Santi and humanity itself – an imperfect representation of who we all are, multi-faceted just trying to do the best we can.

 “I learned to recognise the thorough and primitive duality of man; I saw that, of the two natures that contended in the field of my consciousness, even if I could rightly be said to be either, it was only because I was radically both.”