After months of waiting, the people of New York will finally get to see this year’s star attraction when Chelsea FC legend Frank Lampard makes his MLS debut for New York City FC.
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NYCFC confirmed that the English midfielder will take the field on July 12th to face Toronto FC at Yankee Stadium. This ends months of waiting for both the new club and Major League Soccer in general, who have been anticipating the arrival of the Champions League winner ever since he was loaned out to Manchester City.
Now, with the Premier League season over and his holiday taken care of, Lampard is in New York to start training with his new teammates ahead of his debut.
Chelsea’s all time top goalscorer signed for the newly formed club last July, having mutually agreed to part ways with the Blues after an illustrious 13 years. In that time Lampard won three league titles, four FA Cups, two League Cups and a Europa League as well as the aforementioned European Cup.
Furthermore he was the CFC’s player of the season on three separate occasions in addition to other personal accolades that number too many to list here. For a large portion of his career he was widely regarded as one of the best midfielders in the world.
36 years old at the time, he then decided to move over to the United States for one last big pay-check and to help improve the quality and reputation of a burgeoning American football league.
However, while Blues fans thought they had seen the last of him, he returned to the Premier League for one last hurrah at Manchester City, made feasible by the fact that NYCFC and City have mutual owners. His performances were so impressive that his loan was extended to the end of the British season, meaning he has missed the first few months of the MLS campaign.
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Nevertheless, he has now finally arrived and will join the likes of David Villa as they try and lift NYCFC out of the doldrums of the Eastern Conference.
Meanwhile, the MLS is also set to feature Lampard’s rival Steven Gerrard as he joins LA Galaxy this month as well. Having bowed out of English football (still not having won a league title), he is set to rekindle a rivalry with Lampard that was almost certainly the main reason for England not winning a major tournament in the last 20 years. Even though they continually had decent enough squads…
But that’s an argument for another day.
RELATED: Chelsea FC: Steven Gerrard Regrets Not Playing For Jose Mourinho
With the ever increasing profile of
football
soccer in the US, the addition of two of the best midfielders in the history of English football should only aid the sport’s growth. A rebranding for this season coupled with ambitious expansion plans illustrate the potential the MLS see in themselves and with the national team performing as impressively as they have been, perhaps we’ve finally properly infiltrated the US sports market.
Until then, check in with fellow Fansided site MLS Multiplex to get fast news and sharp opinions on the MLS, while check our team directory to see if your club has its own dedicated site.
And of course, keep checking in with The Pride Of London as we’ll keep you updated on Frank Lampard’s movements and all things Chelsea from around the world.
Next: Chelsea FC Transfer Rumour Round-Up, June 29th 2015