Finally, after much speculation and conjecture, the news of a second MLS club coming to New York City was confirmed this week amidst much fanfare. With Manchester City and the New York Yankees providing the financial backing for the club, the initial ingredient for the club's health and success, money, will hardly be in short supply.
However, even with this financial clout on offer, their success, both on and off the field, is hardly something to be assumed. Though the club will not take the field until 2015, a myriad of questions exist, though we may not readily know the answers to these inquiries for quite some time.
How will the owners cope with the salary cap and roster restrictions?
Needless to say in light of the rampant spending we've seen over recent years from Manchester City as they ascended the ladder to Premier League and FA Cup glory, money has been no object at all. Despite their riches, such wealth is only so much of an advantage in MLS thanks to the salary cap and roster restrictions. Sure, they can spend as much as they want on their three designated players, but those players will scarcely comprise an entire roster. For every multi-million dollar player they bring in, they will also need to find some diamonds in the rough to round out the squad.
With this question in mind, the appointment of Claudio Reyna as Director of Football is massive. While he only played a couple of seasons in MLS in the twilight of his career, he at least offers some sincere guidance in the MLS financial world that differs so greatly from what big club owners would otherwise be accustomed to.
Will the club operate as a truly seperate entity or as a feeder club?
With some early indications already suggesting that Manchester City will loan players to NYCFC, the question of just how the Manchester City connection will impact the roster moves of NYCFC has been understandably posed by many. If the team ends up being a revolving door of talented youngsters from City, one has to wonder just how serious the owners are about making this club a winner as opposed a mere testing ground for unproven talent.
Indeed, a few of City's youngsters could surely offer a lot to many MLS clubs, but a squad full of them would draw derision, and rightfully so, from all corners of the league. One needs to only look to how many in England have viewed Watford (owned by Udinese owner Gino Pozzo) this season for having a squad full of Udinese loanees.
Will the club establish its own identity?
This question certainly ties in to the previous one, but is still worthy of being addressed in and of itself. One would just about expect the club to be adorned in sky blue in some fashion, but will the Manchester City aesthetics end there? As we've already seen with the hiring of Claudio Reyna, the additions of other prominent American playing significant roles at the club could go a long way in showing that this is not just Man City Jr., as could the investment in some solid American talent on the field.
How does the club reach out to fans of other Premier League clubs in New York?
If there is one inherent disadvantage that NYCFC has, it is that they are, and understandably so, seen as being an extension of Manchester City. It will be interesting to see how the dissuades some fans in New York who are fans of the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and other Premier League teams. While some fans may not be so heavily affected by this, it is nearly impossible to imagine that New York Manchester United fans, of whom there are many, would so willingly forget allegiances and flock to the new club. Reaching out to these fans may end up being a massive PR challenge.
What do the Red Bulls do now?
Regardless of their sporadic success in MLS, the Red Bulls (previously MetroStars) have been seen as one of the crown jewels of MLS due to their connection to the largest and most visible media market in the country. This lofty position is certainly being challenged now, and perhaps nothing else demonstrates this more than the onslaught of media coverage revolving around the NYCFC announcement. Make no mistake about it--the Red Bulls are in for a fantastic fight to stay in the New York soccer spotlight, and accordingly we could end up with an intriguing financial arms race for years to come.
Does bringing City's owner into the league represent a conflict of interest for MLS?
In recent years MLS has done an absolutely remarkable job of reaching out to the LGBT community, promoting its Don't Cross the Line campaign, and accordingly suspending the likes of Colin Clark and Alan Gordon for using anti-homosexual slurs on the field. Indeed, MLS has unquestionably championed such causes better than any other domestic sports league, and by some margin.
Yet, in becoming bedfellows with Manchester City owner Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, MLS is now welcoming in an owner who has political connections a UAE regime that views homosexuality as a crime that is punishable by death. It is nothing short of troubling that this aspect has seemingly been lost on so many people reporting the news of NYCFC, and it is even more concerning that a league so steeped in social causes would apparently turn a blind eye to this. Maybe the bright lights of the money on the table were just too bright to see anything else beyond that.
Are other moves in store to expand the MLS footprint?
While the addition of a second New York has been inevitable for some time, the move, for all of the monetary gains it might represent for the league, does absolutely nothing to expand the league's footprint. The league has had no presence in the Southeast since the shuttering of Miami and Tampa Bay, though the USL's Orlando City seems to be ready to take the step up to the top flight. If rumors are to be believed (though better taken with a grain of salt), David Beckham could also be bringing an MLS club to the Miami area. Regardless of the chatter about these potential Florida moves, absolutely nothing has been confirmed.
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