How NYCFC helped Alex Ring evolve into MLS’ top midfielder

At 27, Alex Ring should be at a crossroads in his career. Most players entering their prime might see their next steps take them abroad or to a new challenge. In Ring’s case, he’s already played in Europe and isn’t exactly in a hurry to go back.

“The options were there for me to go to Europe, but I signed here long term to commit,” Ring told The Post about signing a contract extension with New York City FC last week. “In the end, you can never be sure if something comes up that’s unique or something I want to do, I’ll always be straight and up front. But the thing I want to do is win in New York and win MLS with New York.”

There was “concrete interest” from teams abroad, according to Ring, but he was never close to leaving. Ring wouldn’t name teams or leagues in which were interested because he isn’t interested in distractions.

For him, everything is working out just fine in the Bronx. Off the field, his family is happy: one of his daughters was born in New York while the oldest started school recently. On the field he’s become one of MLS’ biggest revelations due to clarity in his own game which he obtained under former coach Patrick Vieira and has honed with Vieira’s replacement, Domenec Torrent.

Before joining NYCFC in 2017, Ring wasn’t necessarily always the wall before the defense or the bridge that funnels fluidity to NYCFC’s attack. At Kaiserslautern, where he crafted a similar leadership role, his versatility was seen more valuable than how he’s used as a defensive midfielder, or No. 6, at NYCFC, a role that’s cemented Ring as the best in MLS.

“The biggest thing was when Pat put me as a lone No. 6,” Ring explained about his improvements at NYCFC. “That’s my best position. I think that’s when you know you take your game to another level when you play a position where you know your strengths and you don’t do more than you have to. It’s like everything comes natural. I’ve played as a No. 6, 8, 10 in my career and people say, ‘It’s central and it’s in the midfield’ but there’s fundamental differences between all those positions.

“After settling in as a No. 6 with (Patrick’s) guidance and Dome’s guidance, overall maybe deciding the rhythm of the game, when we need to play fast, when we need to play slower, seeing signs when we’re in a little bit of trouble or when we are really dominating. Maybe reading the game overall has been the biggest difference to my game.”

His ferocious limb-offering defense hasn’t gone unnoticed this season. Ring averages 2.7 tackles per game, according to WhoScored, which ranks in the top ten in the league, while his precision passing has been hailed by soccer analytical writers. In June, he became NYCFC’s first non-designated player to be named to the All-Star game in Atlanta.

But even with his current success and NYCFC believing he’s entering his prime, Ring surprisingly announced his retirement from the Finland national team in September after 44 appearances since 2011.

“You look at how many times I flew in for the national team and I came back injured every time,” Ring said. “I’ve been playing through injuries the last two seasons – at some point, you just have to be honest about your body. Last season, I was injured the last two months and was numbing my foot every game and I couldn’t practice…

“My opponents shouldn’t know this and I don’t want any pity or anything… My teammates – national team – my friends, family, always knew how much it meant to me to play for Finland. I know there’s people who will say I don’t have the fire or desire to play for Finland but those are people who don’t know me.”

With two matches remaining in the regular season, Ring is confident NYCFC can make noise in the playoffs. Despite the team crawling toward a third-placed finish, which’ll grant NYCFC home-field advantage in one of the Eastern Conference knockout games, he believes NYCFC is properly-tooled for a run in the playoffs and believes in Torrent’s project.

“I’m just trying to embrace the good times I’ve had here. I want to continue to have them,” he said.