The Bronx was buzzing for the home opener Sunday at Yankee Stadium.
But this was not any home opener at the Stadium,, which has played host to numerous memorable baseball moments. This was a historic opener — the first ever home game for Major League Soccer's expansion New York City Football Club.
There was no sign of A-Rod anywhere. Just David Villa. A lot of David Villa, Spain's all-time leading scorer who's the face of NYCFC and carried the club on his shoulders on Sunday the way superstars do.
The anticipated day for NYCFC was a resounding success — for a lot of reasons, beginning with 43,507 of them: the attendance.
Yankee Stadium looked perfect — from all those NYCFC jerseys and scarves painting the stands powder blue to the left-field bleachers packed with the club's vociferous supporter section to the final score: 2-0 NYCFC over the New England Revolution, last year's MLS Cup runners-up.
The condition of the field — a controversy leading up to the match — was a non-factor. The field held up just fine and there were no complaints from either side after the match.
As crucial to the day as the big crowd was the fact the product on the field matched the atmosphere. NYCFC looked sharper and a lot more organized than they did in last Sunday's first ever game for the franchise, a 1-1 draw at expansion Orlando.
The entire day played out like a dream scenario for NYCFC, which is trying to build something here — both on the field with a winning product and off of it with fan support in a difficult sporting landscape with so much from which to choose.
The chain reaction of events played out perfectly for NYCFC:
- First, the fans came.
- Second, an atmosphere every sports fan is drawn to — the kind that makes you feel as if you're a part of a big event — ensued.
- Third, the star player was the star of the day.
- Fourth, the home team won.
NYCFC could not have drawn up a better script for the day. If NYCFC can bottle everything about Sunday — the crowd, the buzz, the quality of the soccer and the result — it has a chance to be a stunning success story.
David Villa celebrates his first-half goal.Photo: AP
"Of course, everyone dreams,'' NYCFC coach Jason Kreis said. "I dreamed about what this opportunity would look like, and this fulfilled all of my dreams.''
Villa, too, had effusive praise for the fans — particularly, he said, to brave the chilly weather.
A truer test for NYCFC will be how Saturday, March 28 looks for their next home match. That's when we'll have a better understanding of how many of those 43,507 were mere curiosity seekers.
The club has sold about 15,000 season tickets, so nearly 30,000 were single-game buyers on Sunday. If NYCFC can corral half of those walk-ups then they will have something special — like they have in Seattle with the Sounders, who draw near NFL crowds for some of their home matches.
If Sunday did anything for NYCFC, it should lure back those who came to see what MLS soccer at Yankee Stadium looked and felt like. Because it looked good and felt better.
The biggest draw of all on the field was Villa, who gave NYCFC a 1-0 lead in the 19th minute, finishing on a sparkling give-and-go pass from Ned Grabavoy. Villa was everywhere, creating scoring chances all over the field. He came close to scoring at least three or four more times.
"We had a quick chat at halftime and I told him he could save a few of those [scoring opportunities] for later in the season,'' Kreis said.
Whether it was scripted or premeditated, fittingly, the NYCFC celebration after Villa's goal took place in between the Yankees dugout and home plate.
Villa later sealed NYCFC's victory with an exquisite crossing pass to Patrick Mullins, who made it 2-0 with a too-easy one-timer past New England keeper Bobby Shuttleworth in the 84th minute.
The fans came, they created the atmosphere and the home team responded with a result. Now, they have more reason to come back, which is what NYCFC wanted at least as much as the win they delivered.
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