You can find the 2014 Year in Review HERE, and the club-by-club history of MLS HERE.
The year started with a coach and a sporting director.
It now finishes for New York City FC with a growing roster of 19 players, including Designated Players David Villa and Frank Lampard, and a hunger from a fan base already featuring 11,000 season ticket holders for the start of the inaugural season.
They said it...
Midfielder Frank Lampard:
“I am really excited about joining New York City FC and helping to play a real part in building something special in one of the sporting capitals of the world. The passion of the nation’s fans at the World Cup was second to none and I am looking forward to meeting New Yorkers and tapping into their love of the game.”
Head coach Jason Kreis:
“You can look at this in the sort of negative way and say what an unbelievably difficult project we have in front of us because we do. It’s certainly challenging. I prefer to look at it in a very positive way and say this is a terrific opportunity for the likes of Claudio and myself and David to start from scratch. Literally every player who will be there on Day One of preseason has been particularly wanted from the staff.”
Forward David Villa:
“I’ve done a lot in Europe already, a very good career; an opportunity to start from zero, to start over again is something I thought was exciting. … The thing that attracted me to the project was being one of the first players, being part of a founding team from the beginning.”
A few days removed from leading Real Salt Lake to the MLS Cup title game, Kreis ended his seven-year run with with RSL and was announced as the first NYCFC head coach on Dec. 10, 2013.
After an early January unveiling, Kreis immediately jetted off to Manchester to familiarize himself with sister club Manchester City’s set-up, beginning a year-long
On June 2, the club announced the signing of its first player – all-time Spain leading scorer David Villa. More than a month later, Lampard was introduced as the second Designated Player.
As those two cornerstones fell in place, Kreis and his staff starting using their knowledge of the league to bring in a group of experienced MLS players, the team revealed a new jersey and crest, and the puzzle of the expansion team started to take form.
Buzzworthy moment
There was already a buzz when NYCFC announced Villa as the team's first player. It went to another level in late July when Lampard was introduced to the media at a press conference in Brooklyn.
The Chelsea legend said he was ready to be an ambassador for the sport in North America, in the same vein as David Beckham when he signed with the LA Galaxy.
“It’s important, and I’m very aware of that role. I take it very strongly,” Lampard said of his new role. “Hopefully my football will do the talking. But as an ambassador to a new franchise, I think it’s important not just what we do on the pitch, but embracing the community.”
Lampard would soon be loaned to Manchester City, where he’s performed well in a second stint in the EPL. The possibility of a loan extension with the high-flying Blues has created its own worldwide buzz.
Stadium situation
The new franchise's first home stadium was announced in April, with the iconic Yankee Stadium serving as a temporary home for the 2015 season.
But where will the club’s permanent home be built? That is still very much up in the air.
The first site to be discussed was Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens, even before the club was announced. That all but died, however, following opposition from parts of the community about building a stadium on parkland.
There were talks of a stadium across from Yankee Stadium, but New York City major Bill de Blasio expressed opposition. Then, NYCFC was reportedly interested in a site by Aqueduct Racetrack, back in Queens.
But the year ends without any concrete plans.
Supporters groups
The day it was announced there would be a second MLS team in the New York City area, Chance Michaels started a fan blog. Then in July, Michaels started a membership drive for the club’s first supporters group.
“I honestly didn’t know what to expect. When we first started this, there weren’t any players, there wasn’t a logo, there wasn’t anything,” Michaels said. “I thought if by the first match we could have 500 paid members, I’d be happy. We passed 500 members in three weeks.”
After a vote on the name, the Third Rail was born and the team itself immediately embraced the group.
“They participated in what the badge was going to look like, we let them choose where they wanted to sit at Yankee Stadium,” NYCFC Chief Business Officer Tim Pernetti said. “That’s the culture we’re trying to create. I think supporters are growing because they have access to this club.”
Coaching philosophy and tactics
Kreis said he was hired “for a reason,” and part of that reason was the attractive, possession-oriented soccer he employed at Real Salt Lake, usually with the team set up in a 4-4-2 diamond formation.
A former MLS star himself, Kreis explained that he learned the importance of building a team starting with the center of the park in his second year at RSL, and promptly backed up his words with the signings of Lampard and Villa.
“As we’ve gone from there, we’re looking for players to compliment those two players’ styles and also fit in with the way Manchester City wants to see the game played and also the way Claudio and I want to see the game played,” Kreis said. “We’re always looking for players who fit into the style of soccer and the type of group we want to be.”
Needs
1. A full roster: The roster has increased from six players to 19 in about two weeks following the conclusion of the MLS season, but it is still very much a work in progress.
The next phase, according to Reyna, includes college and international players.
The acquisition of the former will play out in the days leading up to the 2015 MLS SuperDraft on Jan. 15. As for the latter group, there's a possibility of up to four Manchester City youth players coming on loan, while Kreis and his staff have been scouring South America in an attempt to find the same kind of quality players he was known for signing at RSL.
2. Another DP: Kreis and sporting director Claudio Reyna have said that the club wants to bring in a third Designated Player prior to the start of the season.
Will that player be a USMNT regular? Perhaps Jozy Altidore or Mix Diskerud? Or could it be another international star? Maybe Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard, who has also been linked to the New York Red Bulls?
It’s all a bit murky right now and part of a roster build that has been less than fun for Kreis.
“Right now it feels like torture,” Kreis said. “But come Jan. 24 when we have the whole group together and we’re on the soccer field and I’m a soccer coach again, I’m going to be extremely happy that we were able to do it.”
