A new year. A new season. A new DP. The same target…
Maxi Moralez is eying a winning start to life at his new club when NYCFC travels to Orlando for the MLS season opener.
The team arrives in Florida on Wednesday to begin preparations for Sunday’s showdown and the Argentine playmaker is eager to start building momentum from the first kick.
In a match which will open Orlando City’s new 25,000 capacity stadium, NYCFC take on former manager Jason Kreis’s side at 5pm ET.
“The Orlando game is important, especially since we’ll be opening the new stadium,” Moralez declared.
“We want to keep winning so we’re going in with the mentality to start the season off on the right foot, for the fans that are there for us, and for the goals that we have. We want to win titles.
“I’m very excited and looking forward for the season to start and for the new adventure. It comes with a lot of responsibilities but I want to enjoy myself on the field and try to win. It’s important to get those three points at every match.”
Moralez adds to the growing Argentinian contingent in the league following his move from Club Leon in Mexico this month.
He feels as though there is something in the Argentine mindset and approach to soccer which lends itself perfectly to success in the U.S.
Maxi said: “I called Piatti and he gave me a good perspective of the league, he told me how I would feel about coming here and playing here. He told me more about the country as well.
“Argentinians in general always try to give their best, their characteristics are that way so that might be why there are a lot of Argentinian players in the MLS
“In Argentina, a lot of players are No. 10, that’s why teams around the world always look for Argentinians because it’s customary for them to play in that position.
“Argentinians also always want to win and are very committed to the game. Messi has definitely helped to introduce Argentinian players to the world of soccer.”
Moralez was speaking at a community event in East Harlem where he met the local media for the first time, as well as students of P.S 83/ P.S 182 (BBMS).
The 30-year old took part in a Q&A and a soccer session in the gymnasium of the school and he is certainly aware of how important it is for the team’s soccer stars to engage in their community.
He added: “It’s important to be here with the kids, each club has their community aspect and it’s very important for the club and for me to give the kids good memories and experiences. The club supports a lot of community programs and it’s a big key.
“It’s great that we can come and give them a hand and tell them our stories because we were kids once and we were in their shoes, so doing something like this with the club is very important. More importantly, we want to try to get a smile out of them and hopefully they go down the road of sports, which is such a nice and healthy journey.
“It’s very important, for the club and for me, we want to give the kids a good example. When they see someone to look up to, it’s important for us to give them our experience and our stories and a lot of clubs like ours are here to support them for a healthy life.”
You can read more about Maxi’s introduction to New York City here.
