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NYCFC Defies Odds, Defies the Doubters, Capture Their First MLS Cup

19 de Mayo de 2022 a las 11:15

Photo courtesy of Brian Murphy, Icon Sportswire, Imago Images
 
Article by Scott Churchson, The Sports Den & The Sports Insiders
Host and Journalist Spanglish World Networks, Spanglish Sports World
 
New York. - 8 months back I covered my first game with the New York City Football Club. For the team that lost a heart breaker in a shootout loss the previous year and due to Covid hadn't seen a home soccer game since the 2019 season, it was a chance of impassioned renewal. And it started with a bang in a 5-0 win over Cincinnati to start the season the right foot. During the season, the team suffered through injury, poor playing conditions (more on that later) as well as it's longest goal drought in its history with 509 minutes straight without a goal. They were a team that excelled at home in the Bronx but struggled elsewhere but despite all the setbacks pulled out a 4th place finish in a tight MLS Eastern Conference.
 
This team, known to it's fan base as the Cityzens, Pigeons or Boys in Blue, took to the road for their final three playoff matches, first upsetting the top ranked New England Revolution in a thrilling shootout win, followed by (and I'll admit) lucky win against Philly where a shocking 11 Union players were out with Covid and finally taking home their first MLS Cup trophy; pulling out a second thrilling shootout win, this time on the road in Portland in the MLS Cup Final with a match that was broadcast in literally 132 countries worldwide.
 
(FOR THOSE HERE FOR THE RANT, HERE WE GO) From the beginning to the end of the season, it went by in a blink of an eye. Over that time, I got to know the fans, see their passion and their pain, and feel what they felt. As a writer I'm expected to remain neutral and professional throughout, but easier said than done when you're this close to everyone involved. One of the biggest issues plaguing the team wasn't the team on the pitch, but rather issues off of it. This is team that is both owned by the New York Yankees and City Football Group, which also owns Manchester City FC, Melbourne City FC among others. However, despite being owned by some of the biggest sports conglomerates in the world, they continually played on what's been rated as one of the worst pitches in the world. The team did have a quasi-solution to this problem, however. In matches where the Yankees were scheduled at home, NYCFC was instead re-routed to Red Bull Arena in New Jersey, where they'd play their “home” matches at their Darby rival's stadium; resulting in an attendance for games to sometimes be under 3000 fans. Fans are begging for a new stadium to be built, even during yesterday's ceremony at City Hall chanting in unison “Where's our stadium?” causing the Yankees suits to uncomfortably stutter in response. It was funny. This as well as the fact that the Yankees have priority on the YES Network, something I'm perfectly okay with. However, should NYCFC be playing that same night, the only way to watch New York City's soccer team is to download the YES App; an app currently rating at a 2.0 & 2.4 (out of 5) depending on which device you're using. Part of the reasoning for the low rating is fan's frustration with the current watch situation, as due to the league's blackout rules it's in fact impossible for fans INSIDE NEW YORK CITY to watch the team they root for. I was in Maine earlier in the year; I was able to watch matches that people in the Bronx could not; go fig. The NYCFC Sub-Reddit is replete with complaints on these issues.
 
This is 100% unacceptable, and there's no excuse for it. The Yankees especially to me are to blame, as they are literally in the same city and see this far more easily than CFG does and literally advertise the team in YES Network commercials. Yet your App has bugs, your team played 8 of it's 17 home games in a rival team's stadium in a different state and the team's true home pitch is considered among the literal worst in the world. And now you're housing the MLS Cup Champions; a team that defied odds, fought uphill battles throughout the playoffs and took home the first championship for the city of New York since 2012.
 
This team deserves greater respect.

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