Patrick Vieira is counting down the hours to NYCFC’s homecoming this weekend.
126 days will have passed since Vieira’s men last took to the field when they walk out to face DC United on Sunday afternoon.
For the Head Coach, the fans have a huge part to play if the home team are going to get their first three points on the board for 2017.
Vieira told NYCFC.com: “I’m really looking forward to seeing our fans again – we want to start really well at home and the support will be massively important for us. It will be tough and they will have a huge part to play.
“When you look at DC, they didn’t really move a lot in the offseason – they based their team on the stability. They know each other really well and it will be a really tough game for us because they have individual quality. They’ve got pace and they’ve got power and that’s why I’m really looking forward to the game because it will be a tough one.”
Patrick was speaking at the club’s media day in Midtown where he was also quizzed on what a successful 2017 looks like to him.
“It’s always the question that you have to be careful answering!” Vieira laughed.
“I’m not scared at all to say that it’s important to win something. We want to win something because of who we are as a football club and the city we’re representing and because of the pressure behind our football club – it’s normal.
“It will be difficult for us but I think we are on the right track because of the players we have at the football club. We have the stability to try to make things go the right way.
“I have to find a way to get the maximum out of every single player – if I manage to make the team really good football and find the way for them to play at their best and the tactical way for players to express their talent, then we’ll give ourselves a chance to be successful.”
Maxi Moralez showed some nice touches in the opening night defeat to Orlando and Patrick believes that the Argentine will only get better as he acclimatizes to the league.
“He will be even better – this week, he looked really sharp in training,” Patrick revealed.
“He needs a few games to know the league but Maxi will be a very important player for us.
“You’ll see more in the next few games. The way he played the first game I was really pleased and in training this week he looked fantastic. I’m sure that with more games, the better he will look for us.”
Finally, Patrick was asked if David Villa will be extending his contract beyond the end of the current year.
For the Head Coach, the equation is simple.
He added: “David wants to sign. We want to keep him. It’s easy. We don’t want him to go anywhere, his family is really happy – it’s an easy situation. All the parts want to go together so it’s just a matter of time. Leave the time to the time.”
