Team Focus: Marquee Signings Set to See New York City FC Take Shape

Their first game might be nine months away, but New York City FC are starting to assemble their squad for the 2015 MLS season; their debut campaign as a franchise.

David Villa became the Manchester City and New York Yankees joint-owned club’s first ever player by signing for a team that still doesn’t have a stadium, a first-team squad or even a shirt. But nonetheless, Jason Kreis’s (the head coach who was appointed manager before Christmas) side is starting to shape up.

Next up on the transfer list is Frank Lampard. The midfielder will spend the summer with England at the World Cup but when he comes back he will be without a club, having been released by Chelsea.

He will be nearly 37 by the time NYC FC start to play, but Lampard is expected to be the franchise’s second ever player, according to reports in England and across the Atlantic.

New York is notoriously one of the most difficult sporting markets in the world. The New York Red Bulls have found that out, largely failing to win over fans in a crowded demographic (their location out in New Jersey admittedly doesn’t help draw people out the city).

Much of Villa and Lampard’s appeal is down to their marketability. Both have global reputations and will help shift a pile of shirts, merchandise and most importantly tickets.

However, to reduce their worth to that would be an insult. Yes, Villa and Lampard’s halcyon days might be behind them, but they’re still exceptional players. NYC FC have made a good start.

Villa finished last season as Atletico Madrid’s second top scorer, with 13 goals from 36 games. It’s true that he was outshone by attacking partner Diego Costa, who looks set to secure a big-money move to Chelsea, but Villa’s contribution to Atleti’s sensational season shouldn’t be understated.

He averaged 2.1 shots per game, while also laying on four assists over the course of the campaign. As already alluded to, Villa’s greatest strength is his movement, which is difficult to quantify with statistics, but his productivity in front of goal remains impressive.

This is a player who has scored in Champions League finals and won it all, literally. New York City FC have bought themselves a World Cup, European Championship, Champions League, La Liga and Copa Del Rey winner. He is the Spanish national team’s all-time top scorer, with 56 goals to his name.

What’s more is that this pedigree isn’t a distant memory. Villa’s last game for Atletico was the Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid in Lisbon two weeks ago. And he’s off to the World Cup with Spain this summer.

Villa will likely do well in MLS. In terms of style he can probably be compared best with Robbie Keane, in that both players’ movement and spatial awareness is their biggest strength. Villa’s finishing, nevertheless, puts him well ahead of Keane on the talent graph.

So what do these signings (potential signing in the case of Lampard) tell us about the way New York City FC will play? How will Kreis set them up on the pitch?

At RSL Kreis was an advocate of the midfield diamond. It was a hallmark of his time as coach there. It’s a system that may well suit Lampard, who averaged 40.2 passes per game at Chelsea last season.

His pass success rate of 82.4% is also relatively impressive, given his role as a risk-taking box-to-box midfielder. Lampard also seems to keep his best for the big occasion, registering a better match rating from WhoScored.com in the Champions League (7.09) than the domestic league (7.06) last season.

Lampard will bring a high level of play to the fledgling franchise. In 26 appearances for Chelsea last season, he averaged 2.2 shots per game, the second highest tally for the Londoners. He also averaged 1.3 key passes per game from the centre of midfield.

His age will be a concern though. The signing of Lampard would be a throwback to the pre-David Beckham days in MLS, when ageing players saw the league as somewhere to pick up one final bumper pay-cheque before retiring.

On the other hand, Villa could walk into many elite European teams, even at 32. He is the headline signing for NYC FC. “It’s very important that we have the right person and character to be the right launching pad on the field,” said Director of Football Claudio Reyna about the Spanish striker. “David is the perfect person. He is humble, hard working and very committed to this.”

At Real Salt Lake Kreis was renowned for being the most hands-on coach in the league. RSL was Kreis, and vice-versa. He was involved at every level of the club. However, at NYC FC Kreis has had to take a back seat while Reyna conducts transfer dealings on his behalf. In fact, Kreis has admitted that he hasn’t even met Villa yet.

Kreis revealed back in January that it is “quite certain” that NYC FC will use all three Designated Player spots. If Villa and Lampard are to fill two of them, the third one will likely be used for a defender. Kreis always plays with a clear spine to his team.

Kyle Beckerman was the pivot of Kreis’s team at RSL. He protected the back four while also recycling the ball for attacking moves. This season he has averaged 1.8 tackles and 3.3 interceptions per game, while also maintaining a pass success rate of 80.8 %.

If it’s a Beckerman-style player Kreis is looking for to anchor his midfield, Lampard probably isn’t the guy, averaging just 0.5 interceptions per game in the Premier League last season. He’s just not that kind of player.

But in Villa Kreis has a player that fits his system. Like Alvaro Saborio and Joao Plata, who average 3.5 and 2 shots per game, the Spaniard is a dynamic attacker who will make the most of his chances.

New York City FC are a world away from Real Salt Lake, but there might not be too much difference on the pitch.

Should Lampard join David Villa in New York? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below