NYCFC PRAYING FOR A SAVIOR?

The mood surrounding the New York City Football Club, Before Saturday’s Match against Real Salt Lake, was starting to look more promising. They were coming off a huge come from behind draw against the Chicago Fire, also were down a man. Entering Saturday the team you would think was going to come out strong. We were sadly disappointed. The team didn’t even show up, they were shutout 2-0. The game was never in doubt for Real.

The same questions arise after every loss that the Blue and White suffer. The Attack was stagnant, the Mid Field is just a barren waste land where the ball is lost, and the back line has more wholes then Swiss cheese.  Sadly we cannot address all of these. The team has tried internally. They have played with the lineup, they have moved guys out of position, and they even have tapped the local market in signing Old Bridge New Jersey Native R.J. Allen.  All have gone by the wayside as the team continues to struggle.

With July approaching quickly, this means the Transfer Market within the MLS starts to heat up. As all the leagues around Europe finish off their season the MLS is just getting to the middle of their schedule.  This also means players around the FIFA universe start to look for new teams and contracts.  We already know of major moves like Steven Gerrard leaving Liverpool to join the Galaxy or Frank Lampard ending his BPL career to join the NYCFC in the MLS. This is the one thing that NYCFC Fans have been clamoring for, since Lampard’s ETA has been a bit of a mystery. According to SI.com Lampard will make 6 million for 1.5 years of service.  

In most leagues outside of the MLS there is no cap, but just like most American sports there is one in MLS. Any team is allowed to sign three players over the cap; this is known as the David Beckham rule. As it stand right now the City has 2 designated players (Villa and Lampard). They will search for one more, many believed to be an aging legend from overseas.  Many have been linked to the Big Apple and the MLS but most rumors are just negotiating tactics older stars use in Europe.

From what I have gathered is that there are a few legit Rumors. First there is Didier Drogba, who turned down an offer of 10 million in 2012 to join the MLS. As reported on by The Telegraph in the UK, NYCFC has reportedly made an offer to the 37 year old Chelsea forward. He would reunite with his old teammate Lampard.  Drogba scored 4 times for eventual champions Chelsea.

Next, there is Italian futbol legend Andrea Pirlo. He is currently preparing for his June 6^th match against Barcelona to decide the Champions League. This hasn’t stop the Rumor mill from turning, as his name has popped up several times. He too has been linked to NYCFC and Lampard. According to David Amoyal of Italian transfer experts GianlucaDiMarzio.com, he says that "Pirlo is very intrigued by the possibility of playing in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty, he prefers moving to the United States over the option of playing in the Middle East. Sabri Lamouchi, the coach of Al-Jaishnin, had offered Pirlo a huge contract to play in Qatar a few weeks ago. Pirlo continues to have ongoing conversations with the United States as he prepares for the Champions League final in Berlin." This is very encouraging but we must take every rumor with a grain of salt.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

There is so much speculation and gossip right now. Here are a few more players I think are real possibilities, Ashley Cole of Italy’s Roma is a good place to start. The 34 year –old Fullback would definitely bolster a very lackluster back line. It was reported by David Amoyal as well that Cole has met with Roma’s Brass about a move to the MLS.  There have been speculation about other high tier players leaving for the MLS but I call shenanigans on all of them.

Before I make a prediction of who I believe our third DP will be I will leave you with two Dark horse picks that haven’t had much if any ties to the Blue and White. Kevin-Prince Boateng was recently released by FC Schalke 04. He obviously has a lot left in his legs seeing as he is only 28. He has been linked the a return to Milan but also has had rumors to the RBNY (shot down that pretty quickly). This again is just my opinion but If NYC (who is owned by the Yankees and Manchester City) wanted to make an epic splash they could go after him. The other which may have more legs to the rumor then the last is Zlatan Ibrahimovic. He recently applied for a work visa, this causing the MLS world to get giddy that the Superstar may make his way state side. He would be by far the Best Talent to make his way to Major League Soccer. I could dream can’t I?  

Photo Credit: cctv-africa.com

When it’s all said and done I believe that Drogba will be the final move made this summer for the Boys in Blue. He is old and good friends of Lampard. He wants to be able to perform and if he played in America he would instantly be a top twenty player in the League. With that being said it will be a fun July. 

GALLO 

NYCFC New York’s Newest Team, May Take MLS by Storm this Summer. Just Ask the Chicago Fire

New York City Football Club, the newest professional sports team in New York. They are owned by two of the richest franchises in sports world wide, Manchester City of England’s Premier league and The New York Yankees. They play their matches in the Bronx at, you guessed it, Yankee Stadium. 

They started the season with a bang by winning their first home game at Yankee Stadium. Soccer legend and current superstar of the Blue and White David Villa scored the first goal ever for the club. Besides that they haven’t won any other games. Their current record is 1-6-4. They are currently stuck in an eight-game winless streak. They have given away a lot of hard fought games late.

Photo Credit : (Adam Hunger/USA Today Sports)

After losing the first Hudson River Rivalry to their rivals in New Jersey the Red Bulls, they were set to play the Chicago Fire on Friday. The crowd was loud and the match started. No longer than 14 minutes later Razvan Cocis scored off a free kick to make it 1-0. In the 27th minute, rookie RJ Allen received a red card for his slide tackle in the box. The penalty was made and NYCFC now was down to only ten men and were trailing 2-0. Even the always energetic supporter section Third Rail was dumbfounded for a few minutes. The outlook was very bleak, they were dead in the water, OR WERE THEY?

As the first half went on, it looked a little like NYC was just going through the motions waiting for the ref to blow the whistle to end the half. Only one person looked to have life. Spain’s David Villa, the captain, was playing hard and trying to get his team going. You could see how hard he wanted to fight back. Finally right as the half was winding down, Villa had a run with some great dribbling and let a shot rip from 25 yards out. Off the rebound Ballouchy, the teams leader in goals, put the shot in the back of the net after he was clearly fouled. Walking off the field Villa received a yellow for not letting this one go. This may have been the turning point not only of the game but the year.

The second half started and NYCFC looked like a totally different team. They were all alive and attacking. Mix Diskerud who had struggled to that point looked like a maniac in the second half, playing box to box. Villa kept his hard play going and the team was definitely feeding off of it. The team slowed down a bit, looking tired. NYC’s manager Jason Kreis decided to put in super Rookie Khiry Shelton. The game surged on both team trading blows. In the 92^nd minute NYCFC finally broke through to tie the game. Villa kept a ball alive and managed to get the ball through to Shelton who put it away and Pandemonium had taken over Yankee stadium. The game would end shortly after.

Yes it was a draw and yes it doesn’t snap the winless streak but this was a huge game. You are probably asking yourself, “Why is a draw a big deal?” Well this team had play hard in almost every game and the results didn’t show. They were starved for some excitement. They were a man down and dominated. This team now should have a much different outlook on the season. With a crazy loyal fan base and the Third Raill keeping the crowd involved throughout the games it will be hard to win at Yankee stadium. The team has Frank Lampard, England Legend, coming over in July and one of their Designated Player spots open (one of the MLS stupid cap restriction rules that could be explained here: http://pressbox.mlssoccer.com/content/roster-rules-and-regulations ) 

PHOTO CREDIT: NYCFC.COM

The season is still young and the US Open Cup has yet to begin, this team has room to improve and grow. With a young team and a Roster that will improve we will see a new team and hopefully a playoff run in their future.