NEW YORK | Chris Wingert got a small preview of what was to come while on the subway on Sunday afternoon.
When he arrived at Yankee Stadium as hordes of supporters donning blue and white gathered near the gates, the New York City FC defender truly sensed what he and his teammates could expect as the Club played their first-ever home match at the iconic venue and just second-ever match in franchise history.
“It was everything I hoped it would be,” said Wingert, who grew up in Babylon, N.Y. “I rode in on the subway and I was with a ton of fans. It was pretty cool. Then there was all of the supporters when I was walking up to the stadium. As soon as I got there I walked out to the pitch to check the conditions and to take it all in real briefly before focusing in on the match.
“Afterwards for us to enjoy it with the fans and for me to get up in the stands with all of my buddies, it was a real special day.”
The Historic Home Opener couldn’t have been scripted any better than it played out.
New York City FC’s first-ever signing and captain David Villa scored the match’s first goal in the 19th minute. He was an integral part of the second goal with his impressive run setting up a tap-in for an on-rushing Patrick Mullins in the 84th to seal three points in a 2-0 victory for the home team over 2014 MLS Eastern Conference Champion New England in front of 43,507 supporters.
“It’s really special for us, not just because the fans showed up, but for how they participated and cheered,” said Mullins, who was drafted 11th overall by the Revolution in 2014. “The atmosphere felt right Sunday. It felt like there was somebody behind us on the pitch pushing us forward. That was the great support we had from the fans all night.”
The atmosphere and moment certainly weren’t lost on anyone associated with Major League Soccer’s newest expansion club.
Head coach Jason Kreis, who was an integral part in building the Club from scratch, couldn’t have been happier. He’s waited a long time for New York City FC to finally take the field. Kreis, who led Real Salt Lake to the 2013 MLS Cup finals, went over a year in between coaching MLS matches. He finally ended the wait as New York City FC played their inaugural match against Orlando City SC on March 8, 2015.
“Everybody dreams and thinks about what this type of opportunity could look like, and what this match could look like, and I would say that it fulfilled my dreams,” Kreis said. “We couldn’t ask for a better result against a very good team, and we couldn’t ask for better support from our crowd.”
