The fans of New York City FC are unmistakably passionate, but how much support can you really have when your team kicked its first ball less than a year ago? It’s the main challenge facing the new kids on the Major League Soccer block, but one they are determined to tackle.
The club, controlled by City Football Group – the Abu Dhabi-based company that also owns Manchester City and Melbourne City football clubs – have spent large sums on attracting star players such as David Villa, Andrea Pirlo and Frank Lampard.
So far the owners have reportedly sunk around $1 billion into the creation of NYC FC.
“We believe we do need big stars but we also need success on the field,” NYC FC’s Director of Operations, Claudio Reyna told CNN’s Amir Daftari.
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In the interview (which can be seen above), Reyna acknowledged the difficulty of attracting world class players to the club, due to their infancy.
“It will be difficult, there are big teams in Europe and the big teams want the best players. Hopefully, good players will come here earlier.”
“The players we do have like Frank Lampard and David Villa know that this is a competitive league and that it must be respected. They’re going to leave their legacy here way beyond the couple of years they play here.”
Tommy McNamara kicking it with #NYCFC supporters at the @PROFOOT_Inc event last night. pic.twitter.com/7XABtYsdAF
— New York City FC (@NYCFC) July 8, 2015
Legacy is on the minds at everyone at NYC FC, from the officials to the owners.
They’re hoping to create long lasting success both on and off the field, so that the unmistakable passion of the growing crowds of fans who gather to watch the team at the historic Yankee Stadium will endure for decades to come.
