As part of a new series entitled 'The Catch Up' NYCFC has partnered with Webex by Cisco to tell the stories of former NYCFC players both during and after their time in the Bronx. On the first episode we caught up with midfielder Mikey Lopez to learn more about the lasting impact NYCFC had on his career.
Perhaps the most notable thing about Mikey Lopez’s career with New York City Football Club was how close it came to never happening.
“I was actually on a flight to Seattle to go on trial with them for preseason,” Lopez said speaking to the Catch-up in conjunction with Webex by Cisco. “I had a connection from Dallas to Seattle and as soon as I land I get a bunch of text messages and missed calls from my agent saying, ‘We got a contract from New York City. You're gonna have to fly out’. I think they were in Fort Myers at the time.”
Lopez joined NYCFC in January 2016 following a spell with fellow MLS side Sporting Kansas City, and admitted that moving to New York City felt like ‘living in a movie'. Best known by supporters for his combative style on the field and laid-back demeanor off it, the midfielder played thirty times for NYCFC across two seasons where he would work alongside a star-studded cast including Frank Lampard, Andrea Pirlo, and Head Coach Patrick Vieira.
“Patrick always talked about being humble and having that humility and just working hard for everybody,” he said. “I was able to see that from these all three of those players as well like on the field.
“Even though they had achieved such big heights in the game, they were still working as hard as everyone else and doing the absolute most for the team. I think that just really stuck with me that it doesn't matter who you are, what you do in this game, you aren't big enough to do the little things for the team.”
The 29-year-old would depart the Five Boroughs in 2018 to join San Antonio FC. Now representing Birmingham Legion in the USL Championship, when reflecting on his time in New York as well as his life since – as a newly married man and college graduate – Lopez could only summon positive memories.
“I think that that those two years really revived my career and my love for the game,” he said. “I hit a pretty low point in my playing career the previous years before I got to New York, and I think going there just revitalized me. I think that the, obviously the coaching staff and the players were a big part of it, but the, the fans as well, I think their love and their support throughout my time there was something very special to me. It's something that I keep very close to my heart and, and that's why NYCFC is always going to have a really, really big place in my heart.”
