Andrea Pirlo and David Villa faced the media at a press conference in New York City on Thursday afternoon ahead of Sunday’s Home Opener versus DC United.
The captain and reigning MLS MVP spoke on a number of subjects, including his first impressions on the team’s newest Designated Player, Maxi Moralez.
El Guaje had high praise for his new teammate, comparing him to the man sat beside him at the media conference.
Villa said: “I think he’s a very good player who has understood the system so fast.
“When he has the ball, he makes something happen, so I need to be ready. It’s like Andrea, it looks like they don’t see you but they see you.
“He’s great for us – he’ll be a great player for us – he and the other guys who have come in have improved this team. Players came in 10-15 days ago, so it will take a little bit of time but we train strong.”
David also expressed his excitement for the first home game of 2017.
DC opened up with a draw against Sporting KC last weekend and Villa knows that it won’t be easy to get the three points on the board.
He told reporters: “It’s important for our supporters – they’ve been waiting a long time to go back to the stadium.
“We want to give a present to them because, while it’s just the start of the season, they’ve been waiting a long time for this, like us. We want to deliver the first three points of the season.
“DC reinforced their team well this year. They finished last year so strong and although we have a good record against them, t’s always different – we respect them and we expect it will be a very difficult game and we’ll need to give 100% to beat a great team like DC.”
Andrea, in what was his first-ever press conference in English, fielded a question on his new teammate Yangel Herrera and he admitted he was impressed with what he’s seen from the Venezuelan midfielder so far.
He also revealed his pleasure at the prospect of returning to Yankee Stadium for the first time this year.
Pirlo said: “We are happy to play in our stadium in front of our fans – it’s important to play good. We work for that and we are happy to play Sunday against DC in Yankee Stadium.
“Yangel is a good young player – he arrived ten days ago – he’s new and he needs to improve, to learn the tactical work of a new coach. We want to win for New York City together.”
