Another big coup for NYC FC as they have signed Chelsea and England midfielder Frank Lampard to go along with the signing of Atletico Madrid and Spain striker David Villa.
The 35-year-old Lampard has been linked with a move to Major League Soccer for several years now, and the move brings to an end a glittering career at Chelsea that saw him win three Premier League titles, four FA Cups, two League Cups, the Champions League and the Europa League. He is also Chelsea’s record scorer with 211 goals.
Two things I like about NYC FCs signings of both Lampard and Villa, who will become the faces of the franchise. One is that between them they have won everything. World Cup, Euros, Champions League. Europa League, Premier League and La Liga. They know what it takes to win and they will bring that winning attitude into the NYC FC dressing room. Two is that they are still playing at a very high level, they are both heading to the World Cup to represent their respective countries. To often we see MLS sides linked with players who are obviously past their best, Rio Ferdinand, but in Lampard and Villa MLS gets two players who can still play at a very high level for another couple of years. And that will benefit not only NYC FC but the league also.
Like Villa, the issue is what does Lampard do between the end of the World Cup and January when NYC FC start preparing for their first season in MLS? Will they go out on loan for five months to a European side, or will they stay in NY and help with the publicity side of the team’s launch?
I wonder what the New York Red Bulls think of their “noisy neighbors?” While Thiery Henry and Tim Cahill are good players, they are not as good as Villa and Lampard. Are the Red Bulls in danger of becoming the Mets to NYC FCs Yankees?
