MLS is entering its 20th year this March and will be replacing failed experiment Chivas USA with its 19th and 20th teams, Orlando City Soccer Club (OCSC) and the New York City Football Club (NYCFC). The two arrived in very different ways.
New Kids on the Block: Debating OCSC and NYCFC
OCSC has its origins in Austin as the Austin Aztex FC in 2008, which then moved to Orlando in 2010. It was accepted as the expansion bid in 2013 and has been preparing for this inaugural season ever since. In the past four seasons OCSC has finished first in the USL-Pro regular season three times, second once and were the champions last season.
NYCFC comes in through a completely different approach, created through a hybrid (read: confusing to understand) ownership relationship between Manchester City Football Club and the New York Yankees. They had hoped to be in a shiny new stadium by their debut but as the new season looms, the NYCFC will be playing at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx – to the chagrin of baseball and soccer fans everywhere.
Both teams have signed big names, with Kaka, Brek Shea and Donovan Ricketts joining OCSC and David Villa and Frank Lampard on board at NYCFC. So the question now is “Who will have a better first season, multi-national partnership NYCFC with their giant checkbook, or OCSC, a team that is, for all intents and purposes, being ‘promoted’ to the big leagues.”
Joining me on the journey to figure this out is LWOS contributor Martin Bihl who will defend the lovechild of the American and British Evil Empires, while I will be taking the side of the classy and pragmatic Orlando City Lions.
NJ: Martin, please explain how the NYCFC, with the Frank Lampard debacle already staring them in the face, is going to do well at all this season.
MB: I’m not going to deny that Lampard-alooza hasn’t been a distraction – though as that other famous midfielder Oscar Wilde once said, “The only thing worse than being talked about is NOT being talked about”, and NYCFC have already gotten almost as much press in the five boroughs as the Red Bulls got all last season.
But that’s neither here nor there as far as next season is concerned, and frank-ly (ahem) I think that was part of Jason Kreis’ plan. If you look at his picks in the expansion draft, he’s clearly putting together a team that can compete in the MLS from day one – providing whichever Man City player who finally gets around to showing up time to adjust to life here in the States. Grabavoy, Mullins, Wingert, Hernandez are all solid MLS veterans who are used to playing big minutes in the league. Add to that guys like George John and Ryan Meara – both of whom also have strong MLS experience but are coming back from injury – and you’ve got a team that won’t be surprised by the bizarre bounces the ball takes at RFK, or by the drain of playing in Houston on an August afternoon, or by catching a cross-country Red Eye after a night game at StubHub.
All things I daresay your boy Kaka never had to deal with in La Liga, right? And as Kaka goes, so go the Lions, right?
NJ: It’s fascinating your initial discussion of NYCFC omitted their likely best player, David Villa, and instead talked about 3 over 30-year old MLS nomads and a rookie who was benched late in the season.
You’re right, Kaka never played in tough climates. Oh, except for Brazil, where he spent his entire youth and currently plays. A country where he has to play in the middle of the rainforest, on sketchy pitches, and dealt with 12 hour flights, not a red eye from LA. Don’t worry about Kaka, who excelled at AC Milan and Real Madrid, won player of the year, the Ballon d’or, a Serie A and a Champions league title.
OCSC is not just one man. They too bring vets like Aurelien Colin (defender of the year finalist), Tally Hall, Donovan Rickets (yes, I named two goalkeepers), Okugo and Shea. Will Brek Shea be the former MLS MVP runner-up or the bench warmer from Stoke? OCSC is hoping the former.
MB: Look at you! Making friends already! I’ll bet the folks at The Third Rail can’t wait to have you up to the Bronx!
You make some good points about Brazil, though to be clear, no team in their Serie A has more than a 4 hour plane ride, and the estimable Kaka has made only a handful of appearances since his return to Sao Paulo. In spite of his play for the Pentacampeão, he’s really a European player, with an aging body that’s used to short hops within one discreet timezone, and who hasn’t played a full season in over a year. But you’re right. You have nothing to worry about.
And I don’t know if I would call Grabavoy and Wingert “nomads” particularly– but if that’s your pet name for players who’ve ALREADY WON MLS Cups then who am I to argue?
Either way, I’d rather look to the future, which looks quite bright for NYCFC. In addition to Mullins (a glass half empty to you, a glass more than half full for me based on his playoff performances), Kreis will have as many as 5 prospects coming out of Man City’s under 21 team, a bounty that would have any team drooling – even OCSC. The fact that they’ll be on the pitch with – and therefore learning from – the great David Villa should pay terrific dividends during the season.
NJ: I agree with you about looking to the future, because its OCSC’s youth movement will determine the Lions’ success. 7 players are under 25. Defender Rafael Ramos and Midfielder Estrela are members of the U-20 Portuguese team. Defenders Tyler Turner and Tommy Redding are US Youth National players who will either justify Bradenton Academy or prove its futility.
OCSC may struggle out of the gate to acclimate itself, but will catch fire by the end. Won’t NYCFC’s old legs tire by the end of the season? Jason Kreis has never had to deal with superstars – will he be able to deal with two? Or will he just be crushed by the weight of ungodly expectations? Your ball, Bihl.
MB: Ah Yes, New York City and its Great Expectations. Well, you know what they say, “If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere” (Or as they say in Orlando “If you can make it here, you can make it in Kissimmee…”). Admittedly, the Big Apple isn’t for everyone (calling Rafa Marquez), though I remain confident that Kreis will rise to the challenge. Remember, this is the guy who was the youngest coach in MLS at his hiring, took Real Salt Lake to its first post-season playoff appearance ever, and won a cup with them the following year.
Does that mean I think Kreis will lead NYCFC to a cup in their first year in the league? Hardly. But I don’t think they’ll be Chivas East either. And with Houston and SKC in the Western Conference now, I like their chances. I’ve penciled them in to finish 4th – behind New England (whose taste of playing for the championship in 2014 will only leave them hungrier this year), DC and Columbus, and ahead of Philly (who finally get back to the post-season), your Lions, the Red Bulls (who I think picked a terrifically unfortunate year to rebuild), & Chicago, Montreal & Toronto.
That means playoffs in Yankee Stadium in October. Shall I save you a seat?
NJ: Just the thought of playoffs in Yankee Stadium in October is mind-boggling. If the Yankees become relevant again and make the playoffs, how are they going to balance both?
MB: Good point. Also, what if monkeys fly out of my butt? (Or said another way, looking at the Yankees’ roster, I don’t think that’s going to be an issue).
NJ: But I digress. Agreed that the Red Bulls will finish poorly, especially after unfathomably letting go of Petke. However I see NYCFC sitting right above them in 9th. NYCFC will be immersed in too much drama to succeed. Orlando, by comparison, is fortunate to have a fan base already present and won’t have to worry about the Orlando Sentinel lambasting them the same way New York’s Daily News might do to NYCFC. And OCSC will really gel and be an exciting team with flair. After all, they have 11 countries represented among all the players.
Either way, it will be an exciting season for both teams and I can’t wait for the kickoff in Orlando on March 8th – though it won’t be the best barometer without Frank.
MB: Agreed. And Frank and I look forward to seeing you and your little purple friends in “The House That Ruth Built” on July 26th.
NJ: I think they demolished ‘The House That Ruth Built” in 2010, but lets hope the same doesn’t happen to your team this year against the Mighty Lions. Until then!
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