WSJ.com: Winning tradition begins in the Bronx
What a night!
New York City FC’s thrilling 2-0 win over the New England Revolution is featured extensively in the sports pages in the printed and pixelated media you’re waking up to this morning.
Let’s dive in and take a look at what’s being said…
Alex Raskin of the Wall Street Journal speaks of an “unqualified success” for NYCFC in the Historic Home Opener.
“David Villa did his part, New York City FC’s emerging army of fans did theirs, and the MLS expansion club enjoyed an unqualified success in its first ever home opener, on Sunday at Yankee Stadium,” Raskin reports.
“The 33-year-old Spanish star proved his worth 19 minutes into the game, scoring on a give-and-go with teammate Ned Grabavoy, and assisted on a goal by substitute Patrick Mullins in the 84th minute as NYCFC (1-0-1) beat the visiting New England Revolution, 2-0.
“But the bigger victory happened in the stands, where most of the 43,507 fans punctuated the first win in franchise history with a standing ovation, like a concert audience calling for an encore.
“Not only did they enjoy themselves for all 90 minutes of action, but when it was all over, they still wanted more.”
Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post concurs with the above and points to four key factors in Sunday being a perfect home debut.
States Cannizzaro: “The chain reaction of events played out perfectly for NYCFC:
“ First, the fans came. Second, an atmosphere every sports fan is drawn to — the kind that makes you feel as if you’re a part of a big event — ensued. Third, the star player was the star of the day. Fourth, the home team won.
“NYCFC could not have drawn up a better script for the day.
“If NYCFC can bottle everything about Sunday — the crowd, the buzz, the quality of the soccer and the result — it has a chance to be a stunning success story.”
Villa understandably takes the majority of the headlines for his performance but Graham Parker of ESPN shines some of the light on a lesser-celebrated member of the team.
Parker writes: “Grabavoy played his part in both goals, reprising the kind of support role he'd played at RSL and prompting Kreis to claim after the match that, ‘Ned Grabavoy is an extremely important player for this team and was an extremely important player for Real Salt Lake. Very much underappreciated by fans, but incredibly appreciated by coaching staff.’”
Finally, there’s a longer piece by Brian Straus on the Sports Illustrated website that is well worth five or 10 minutes of your time (depends how quick you can read!)
The title is “NYCFC's Yankee Stadium debut helps satiate city's desire for soccer” and features quotes from two of our New York contingent, Chris Wingert and Jason Hernandez.
"There's nothing like winning in New York," Wingert is quoted as saying in the article.
Hear, hear.
