Fresh off signing a new deal with NYCFC in the offseason, Tommy McNamara is ready to step up again in 2017.
The 25-year old wore the captain’s armband for the second half of the 9-0 win over Jacksonville University on Thursday night and he was satisfied with the performance in the team’s first preseason outing.
A number of the side’s veterans left the club in the offseason and now McNamara knows he must assume more responsibility as part of his own development within the collective.
Tommy told NYCFC.com: “I’ve been with the club since the beginning and I’m a little bit more experienced now, especially with the group of players that are now in the team so it’s time for me to step up into more of a leadership role.
“It’s part of my growth and evolution as a player – I know I have the leadership qualities in me and when opportunities like this when David and Andrea aren’t on the field it’s good to step up and take the armband, to take a leadership role in the team.
“We all love to play the game so it feels good to put a good eight days of work in and get rewarded with 45 minutes each at the end of it.
“The new boys looked pretty comfortable for the first outing – there was always going to be a little bit of rust but I thought they acquitted themselves well.
"I thought they showed that they understood the system and what we wanted to do so it’s a credit to them for learning so quickly and to the coaching staff for helping them.”
The team will remain in Jacksonville to train for the weekend before flying down to South America for the second leg of preseason.
Ecuadorian giants Emelec will host NYCFC for a prestigious friendly on February 8 at the newly redeveloped Estadio Banco del Pacifico.
For Tommy, it will be his first time playing on the continent and it’s sure to be an experience to remember.
“This was a great first runout and I appreciate Jacksonville University for coming to play us – now going to Ecuador will be a fun experience,” he reflected.
“They will be a lot of to learn from it going down to South America to play, it will be the first time for myself and I’m sure it will be the first time for a lot of the guys within the club, so I’m sure there will be a lot to take from the game.
“I’m sure it’s going to be a highly competitive game and a really great atmosphere – it’s a good second game of preseason.”
Finally, McNamara had some words for his former teammate Frank Lampard who announced his retirement earlier in the day.
Tommy added: “I reached out to send Frank a message but I’m sure he’s got a billion – I just wished him congrats on an incredible career and told him it was a pleasure to have had the opportunity to play with him.
“It’s something I’ll take with me moving forward - I wish him all of the best for the future and I hope that our paths cross again soon.”
