LANDOVER, Md. – David Villa met the press at FedEx Field on Friday afternoon, the first time the prolific goalscorer had done so since being announced as the first player of MLS’ 21st franchise, New York City FC.
Villa – as well as Spanish national team teammate Xabi Alonso and head coach Vincente del Bosque – fielded a wide range of questions, most of them focusing on Spain’s form and fitness heading into their final pre-World Cup tune-up, a Road to Brazil friendly against El Salvador on Saturday (4 pm ET; beIN Sports, Univision).
Villa spoke briefly about his move stateside, expressing optimism and excitement at the possibility of creating something special in New York City.
“As far as coming here – this has been in the works for quite a while,” he said. “I’m happy to be in New York; I love this part of the world. I’m hoping to meet the expectations that people in this part of the world have of Spanish players.”
Though Villa’s teammates earlier in the week shared their excitement at the former Atlético Madrid forward’s transatlantic move, his national team coach seemed nonplussed. With the World Cup opener less than a week away, del Bosque appeared to have other matters on his mind when asked about Villa’s latest adventure.
“As far as I’m concerned, we’re worried about the World Cup right now,” del Bosque said. “All of the players, they have their agents who are worried about their future at the club level. Obviously in Spain, we have tons of players who play in La Liga who make a move abroad; David Villa’s case isn’t really any different.”
