When Ian Joy landed the gig as an analyst for New York City FC broadcasts on FS1 and YES Network, it was a dream come true. Since the inaugural season, the voice of the former professional footballer has continued to tell the story of NYCFC’s history as each game day rolled through the Bronx.
Now he’s here to share his story…
It was a special moment when I got offered this job. It was the same morning that my second daughter was born, Alessandra. I remember it was February 14. Obviously a special day all around the world. But it was a special moment that was meant to be. I had actually worked very hard to try and get my foot in the door, and when I was offered the job it was something very special to me from a personal point of view.
It was always a dream of mine from a young boy to work in New York City, and to do it in the media, television, working around a franchise that was brand new. This club was at the very beginning. They were just starting to build, and that was something that was so special for me. It was something that I was a part of from the very beginning and I knew it was going to be special. Obviously, there have been some tough times along the road, but the fact is that the club has given me an opportunity in New York City to have a voice. It’s given me a real footprint in a city that I always wanted to be in. It was a desire of mine to be here for a number of years, and even live here potentially, which I might still do. Being a part of this club has really meant everything to me, and the way I got offered the job meant a little bit more.
This derby is a big one because the battle in the Eastern Conference is starting to really heat up. I think that right now, the Derby itself has meant a lot to this city. You want to have some aggression in a derby, you want to have quality in a derby, and we recognize that the derby has been pretty good for all of us. We’ve seen some great games so far, but there are so many more great games to come. I look forward to every time the derby comes around just for the simple fact that it’s a moment to really gloat to your friends and to the rest of the league that we mean business and it’s been great to be a part of that. The last derby, I called the game for Fox which was a pleasure for me and obviously it was a classy finish to the game but every game we want to see the best quality on the field.
We’ve only been around for a few years. It’s incredible to see the development we’ve had on the field because the product has gotten better year after year. We’ve obviously gone through some coaches as well, starting with Jason [Kreis], and onto Patrick [Vieira], now Dome [Torrent]. Each time, I’ve seen an improvement in the team and the quality level. I’d like to see that continue. It’s been an awesome journey so far, watching it from where it was when we started. Going through a horrible run of losing games in the first season where everybody lost their minds thinking ‘Where is this going?’ to watching the team go undefeated at home this year. This season has been terrific so far, especially at home in front of these supporters. I think the spirit has been excellent to see growing the way it’s done over the years, and this seems to be getting better and better...
