Brad Stuver, a 26-year-old shot stopper from Twinsburg, Ohio, officially joined NYCFC last week.
He won't be suiting up for the Club until 2018, but for the former Columbus Crew SC goalkeeper, New York City means family.
“New York City is one of the best cities in the world," said Stuver.
"We actually have family that lives in Brooklyn, so we travel there once or twice a year to visit and we’re really looking forward to learning more about the city.”
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He'll no doubt get the chance to do plenty of urban exploring once he settles in with his new Club, but there is already one place he knows by heart.
“My first experience at Yankee Stadium was my second MLS professional game," he remembers, "and unfortunately we came out a 4-1 loser in that game, but you can tell that the fans are dedicated to the team."
It may not have been the ideal experience for an away goalkeeper, but Stuver's Yankee Stadium experience stuck with him. Fortunately, he'll have his chance to experience the atmosphere on the side of the home team in 2018.
"You can tell that there’s hype and that the city is behind the team. It had a lasting impression on me,” he admitted.
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However, there's plenty of work to be done between now and the beginning of the season.
With Stuver rounding out a trio of new signings for NYCFC last week, the atmosphere in preseason will be extra competitive. There are spots up for grabs, but the new goalkeeper knows that NYCFC has some serious talent between the posts.
“I’ve talked to [goalkeeper coach] Rob Vartaughian, and he told me how he operates things," explained Stuver. "I’m really looking forward to getting to know Sean Johnson better than I do now. He’s a great goalkeeper with a lot of MLS experience and national team call-ups. I’m looking forward to competing with him and getting to know Andre Rawls as well.
"I want to be the best that I can be. Every player is going to tell you the same thing: they want to be on the field come game day.”
Hopefully that hard work pays off for Stuver and his teammates, because the newcomer has big goals for the Club—and for his new supporters in New York City.
“I’m still trying to soak in the moment right now," said Stuver. "To all those New York fans: I’m looking forward to getting to know you, showing what I’m capable of, and helping bring a championship to a team who has been really going after it the last couple of years.
"I think the fans really deserve it and I want to help bring a championship to the City.”
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