Aviously

NYCFC have had a good run of late, 5-0-0 at home on the season, and second in the league thru 12 games. But no good season can happen without some controversy or hiccups.

A few weeks ago it was the talk of a new stadium, and this week it’s Patrick Vieira and David Villa that are making headlines:

• Patrick Vieira is now in his third year with the team, and thru 86 games had a 39-21-26 record…pretty good so far. And with that success comes suitors…and France is calling heavily, with a move to Ligue 1 Nice seeming likely in the near future.
  While this would be a big blow for the team if he were to leave now, there are a few people that I can see fit in here:
  • Mikel Arteta – Man City’s assistant coach is favored at Arsenal, but there are rumors he doesn’t want the job, as they won’t give him full roster control…if that’s the case, the fully ready coach could stay in the CFG family and head over to the American side of the pond
  • Tab Ramos – Tab was the first MLS signing in history, and then spent time in the New York area with the MetroStars. He’s spent the last 7 years developing the USMNT Youth, coaching the U-20 team…and his time for a Pro job, especially with MLSs new call-to-arms for young players with the Youth Transfer Fund. Claudio Reyna also has a prior relationship with Tab from his USMNT days
  • Xabi Alonso – It’s been 367 days since he last played, and it’s time for him to get a coaching role. He may be unpolished, but his style would be very similar to Vieira
  • David Villa – It’s a rarity, but player-manager has happened in soccer in the past, but never in the MLS. David can commit to NYC for a little longer, extending his time in the city his family has come to love, and a fan base that is enamored with his performance
• David Villa has been performing at a top-notch level of late, despite being later in his career, and entering what many of the world sees as the “retirement league”. He recently recorded his 400th career goal, for Club and Country, and always seems to play better with a chip on his shoulder. and this weekend he received word that he didn’t make Spain’s World Cup team…
  He always plays better when he has something to prove, and someone to show up. And getting snubbed by the National Team will make him furious, leading to him stepping up and proving their decision wrong. This also means he’ll be around and playing when other teams’ top players are off in Russia…although a lot of them are getting snubbed too. But consider the two most recent examples, where he just steps up when the focus is on him:
  • FC Dallas on April 29th, after scoring his 400th earlier in the game, David got a yellow card that he thought was uncalled for…on the next play, head down, he plowed through the defense and scored a goal
  • May 19th, David Villa Day in NYC – Goes out and scores two

I can’t wait to see where this all ends up…and I’d love to be right about that NYCFC coach hunt…although I’d prefer if Vieria stayed.