New York City FC - the new Major League Soccer (MLS) expansion team co-owned by English Premier League team Manchester City and the New York Yankees - has made their first hire, announcing that Claudio Reyna will be director of operations for the club.
Reyna, who played for Manchester City and the New York Red Bulls, has played in 111 games for the U.S. men's national team and played in four World Cups. He has served as the youth technical director for U.S. soccer since 2010.
"I am incredibly excited to again wear City's 'Sky Blue' as part of the expansion of the MLS and the growth of soccer in the United States, and am honored to have been offered this opportunity," Reyna said in a statement. "With a large fan base through the New York area, prime television rights and distribution, sponsorship commitments, and the Yankees as a US partner, the New York City Football Club has everything in place to succeed."
MLS Commissioner Don Garber hopes that the new franchise develops a natural, organic rivalry with the New York Red Bulls, along the lines of the derby between Manchester City and Manchester United.
"We will work very closely with [Red Bulls general manager Jerome de Bontin] and the rest of his club to have this rivalry be something that adds enormous value to what we're all trying to achieve in this market," said Garber in a conference call. "I'm convinced, having seen what happens in the Pacific Northwest and having witnessed live what's happened in Manchester and other cities around the world, that this can turn into something that will be very valuable and very exciting for all."
Man City CEO Ferran Soriano stated that the club was willing to loan players from their roster to New York City FC if it happens "organically" and "naturally."
"The purpose here is to build a team in New York that will be able to compete for winning in New York and in the U.S. and for that team it will be with players from all over the world," said Soriano. "It will be only natural that some of the players we have in England might play here at some point in time, but this is not the objective, and it will always be the case if these players are going to help us win in New York."
Despite the feel-good vibes for the new MLS club, the question as to where New York City FC will play their home games still hangs in the air. Man City owner, Sheik Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, has offered to pay for a new soccer-specific facility, to be built in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens, willing to spend $90 million to replace lost parkland and soccer fields on top of his $100 million purchase of the club.
But league and investors have been met with resistance from locals in the neighborhood, who note that public recreational use of the park is limited due to land used by the United States Tennis Association, the Metropolitan Transit Authority, the Queens Museum, and the New York Mets.
"This is the most heavily used park in Queens," said Holly Leicht, the executive director of New Yorkers for Parks. "It already has so many private uses. This could be the straw that broke the camel's back as the park tips too much toward the private side, privatization."
The Yankees' crosstown rival, the Mets, have also made it difficult for the stadium project in Queens to proceed, wanting $40 million in compensation for having space near their stadium used for competing services. The Mets are against the notion of giving up access to CitiField's parking lots and want to keep all parking revenue generated by the soccer club; even though the lots are city-owned. They also want to restrict any soccer matches being played during hours within the start or finish of Mets baseball games.
"Clearly, a lot of work has been done in Queens," said New Yankees president Randy Levine. "That's where the focus is. I don't know if there is an alternative. But we have some time now to take a step back and breathe."
Ironically, the Mets ownership had previously expressed an interest in owning an MLS team but were prevented from investing in a soccer club as result of the fallout of the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scandal.
"It seems to make sense with the Yankees involved that the doorstep of Citi Field would be less enticing perhaps than before," Leicht said.
While Yankee Stadium is rumored to be the temporary site being discussed for New York City FC to host home games until a new stadium is built, all options are available as far as the Yankees are concerned.
"This has nothing to do with the Yankees and the Mets," Levine said in a conference call on Tuesday. "And as far as I'm concerned, one of those temporary sites can be Citi Field just as easily as Yankee Stadium."
Though it may appear inconvenient for the Yankees to juggle scheduling for both regular-season soccer games as well as their own MLB schedule, soccer games will generate revenue for the team on the days the Yankees are on the road. The Yankees are also looking to globalize "America's Pastime" as well as their own name brand, contemplating playing baseball games at Manchester City's Etihad Stadium, looking to get as much as the can out of their $25 million investment in "The Beautiful Game."
"The idea has come up through Major League Baseball about us maybe coming over to play," Levine said. "We think Manchester City are extraordinary partners for the Yankees. There are some great opportunities and we only team up with people who we think are first rate. They fit into our overall plan."
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