NYC FC played the Red Bulls in front of 48,000 fans at Yankee Stadium on Sunday and "continued to build on the momentum generated through this maiden season -- in terms of attendance and market relevance," according to Leander Schaerlaeckens of YAHOO SPORTS. The club has "bought expensive, aging stars" in F David Villa and MF Frank Lampard, with Italian MF Andrea Pirlo "reportedly next." Those signings could see NYC FC "rack up a payroll" of about $20M, the highest in MLS history. But none of that "seems to matter to the customer." In a small -- and "extremely informal and unscientific" poll before the Red Bulls game, fans noted their primary reason for frequenting NYC FC games "was geography." NYC FC "appeals simply because it's easy to get to, has a strong brand, and was well and aggressively marketed at its inception." The formula "is straightforward and hardly new," as MLS' consistent leaders in attendance and market traction "tend to play either downtown or in very well-planned and fan-friendly venues in its outskirts." As for the NYC FC-Red Bulls rivalry, which has "gained immediate traction -- Sunday's attendance was almost double NYCFC's very respectable season average of just under 27,000 -- it seems that its easy recognition as a big game outweighs its blatant lack of history" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 6/28).
PITCH PERFECT? In N.Y., Justin Tasch noted the stigma of NYC FC playing in a ballpark "still lingers from some in the soccer community." Red Bulls F Bradley Wright-Phillips said of Sunday's atmosphere, "It was good. I prefer it at Red Bull Arena, but it was OK." Tasch noted the biggest impact on the games themselves "are the patches of grass that cover most of the infield dirt." Red Bulls MF Dax McCarty: "It's like different patches all over the place. It's hard to get your footing. It's bumpy. I think you could tell teams didn't really want to attack down that side." Tasch noted there is no update on NYC FC's "quest to find a spot to build a soccer-specific venue, meaning it could be several more years of playing on the baseball diamond in the Bronx" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 6/29).
