Why You Should Support NYCFC
With the upcoming Major League Soccer season approaching, we at the Grace Gazette and ourselves as NYCFC season ticket holders decided to make a season preview for the NYCFC squad. This season looks like a make or break year for the boys in blue after the same finish in the past two seasons: elimination during the Eastern Conference semifinals in the MLS Cup. Last year, NYCFC finished second in the Eastern Conference during the regular season as well as the year before. It looked like last year would finally be the year that the team would make the jump to the first seed in the East, but despite a good season, they ended with a disappointing second-place finish. Back-to-back years in second place shows that NYCFC has been playing well, but they are unable to pass the threshold into becoming a championship caliber team.
After last season ended, one of the team’s three designated players, the legendary Andrea Pirlo, retired, freeing up one spot for a new designated player. Instead of following the MLS stereotype and trying to sign a former European star, the club signed twenty year old Paraguayan starlet Jesús Medina. Medina, a Paraguayan national with one singular cap, scored a goal on his debut for the club against Sporting Kansas City. The team currently has four wins, one draw, and zero losses in league play.
In addition to the departure of Andrea Pirlo, the team also lost a few players: RJ Allen Frederic Brillant, Jefferson Mena, Ethan White, Jack Harrison, and Khiry Shelton. RJ Allen, last season’s starting right back, was traded to Orlando City in exchange for a 3rd round draft pick. Khiry Shelton was traded for Saad Abdul-Salaam, which was a good acquisition. Ethan White, Jefferson Mena and Frederic Brillant were all released by the team due to their slump in play. Jack Harrison was transferred to NYCFC’s parent club, Manchester City. Out of all these players, we expect for Harrison to be the player who is missed the most by the club because of his performance up front last season in both the scoring and assisting departments. He finished with 10 goals and three assists last year.
Overall, we would project the NYCFC team to make a strong push for the MLS Cup and to be the first seed in the east at the end of the season. Their start is promising and their momentum will carry through the season. With former Arsenal Legend Patrick Vieira as manager, expect the team to play a defensive counter attacking style of soccer with goals to come from designated players David Villa, Maxi Moralez and Jesús Medina. Although all three of the designated players are attackers due to Vieira’s defensive style of play, the team will be tough competitors in any game that they are involved in.