MLS: Kaka stars on NYC and Orlando debuts

Steve Brenner 04:28 10/03/2015
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  • Kaka scored a crucial last minute equaliser for the hosts

    The party started three hours before kick-off and continued to rage right until the bitter end. Even when Mix Diskerud’s superbly taken opener for New York City FC on 75 minutes looked to dampen the opening day jamboree, still they sang and bounced.

    The 62,000-plus crammed into the brilliantly revamped Citrus Bowl still believed they would take something from a game which pitted two sides both playing their first ever competitive match. 

    Hosts Orlando were down to 10 men with four minutes left but they never gave up. So when Kaka, the new bright light of the Sunshine State, stepped up and hit a free-kick which deflected past Josh Saunders the place when absolutely bonkers. It was in many ways the perfect ending to an afternoon which had lived up to the hype and then some.

    Walking around the stadium grounds before the start, you could have been forgiven for thinking an event other than a football match was taking place. It was tailgate central. There were people dressed in Orlando City purple everywhere. Tunes were blaring, supporters were singing. It was wild.

    No matter that the stadium was absolutely packed, the sense that something special started here on Sunday afternoon was inescapable.

    The front page of the Orlando Sentinel urged readers to devour their commemorative multi-page pull-out. Excitement was at fever pitch. And that was just the buildup. It’s a wonder many were still standing at the end of 90 minutes in the Florida sun. Their joy was understandable though.

    This day ended four years of preparation. Months of hard work by Phil Rawlins, the English born, US-based businessman whose idea it was to transplant the franchise he initially took to Texas to Orlando and tap into what he knew would be the most fervent of fan bases.

    Ever since their MLS status was confirmed nine months after Brazilian millionaire chairman Flavio da Silva arrived in February 2013 to help Rawlins make that crucial final push, everyone in the city was building up to this moment.

    Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck are normally the biggest attractions in these parts – but no more. Kaka, the World Cup-winning former world player of the year, is the man everyone wants to see.

    David Villa joined Kaka in making his MLS debut

    The Brazilian who once cost an astonishing 65 million (Dh 260 million) when transferring from AC Milan to Real Madrid is certainly not a bad man to build a team around. Every time the ball landed at his feet, the crowd rose with dreamy anticipation. The 32 year-old certainly outshone NYCFC’s own star turn, David Villa.

    This was not the Spaniard’s afternoon but he showed enough to prove he will be a force in MLS. The synthetic pitch here, certainly didn’t help his cause. Yet there was still enough frenetic action to leave the masses of fans wanting more.

    And for commissioner Don Garber, in attendance to witness his two new franchises do battle, this was emphatic proof to illustrate why he was correct to bring his League to Florida.

    Miami Fusion, who folded in 2002, left MLS burned. Orlando City however, is different. There is a real energy and desire to make things work.

    The NYCFC project, which will be a success albeit in a far more competitive and fierce sporting market, feels far more corporate.

    Try telling the incredibly small pocket of New Yorkers who celebrated Diskerud’s strike that it wasn’t magical though.

    “I spoke with the Orlando owner who said they could have got 80,000 in the stadium,” said a visibly delighted Garber. “The excitement has been unbelievable. We are very pleased with the way Orlando have got behind their team. It is pretty darn special.”

    Indeed it was. Now the task is to keep it going. That won’t be easy, but this was a memorable start.

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