It’s Mickey Mouse v Babe Ruth as the newbies battle
by Anna Ferkingstad, New York
Season openers are hard to predict. It’s a new year, a new team. In a culture so reliant on data to access news or sporting events, the opening weekend of MLS doesn’t allow us to just ‘look at last weeks games’ in the same way mid season games do. Throw the fact that both clubs are brand new to the league and everything goes out the window.
Looking towards this Sunday’s matchup between Orlando FC and NYC FC it is less about the result and more about the attention. Tickets have been selling fast and at high prices. Orlando FC fans are likely capitalizing on their home advantage, expect a sea of purple jerseys in the crowd. It is unlikely that the game will be one sided.
The hosts have done a marvelous marketing job, sending purple stuff out to journalists for over a year. They just concluded a sponsorship deal with Disney World which instantly makes them one of the league’s big financial hitters. They have 60,000 tickets sold for the home opener. Their marketing of the color purple is reminiscent of the way Sounders FC splashed their city with rave green as a marketing technique.
Their visitors are without their star player Frank Lampard who chose to play the rest of the season at Manchester City, have no stadium and will open at the New York Yankees baseball park. Their PR seems to consist of sending out email blasts and ignoring emails coming in. Trying to create their own Supporters Group merely added to their unpopularity both with their own fans, and others.
Both sides will be delighted that talk will be about the players who are there and the games from now on. The waiting is over. And everyone is looking forward with great anticipation to seeing them play.
A large loss in any form would be disappointing not only for fans but for each team’s personnel, who have worked so hard this off season for this moment. The first game for a new club is about falling into form, finding your formation and showing the league that you may be new but you are here to fight.
The likely outcome of this media frenzy? A close and dirty game. These two teams will want to come out showy, displaying the big names and talent they have on the roster.
It’s the inaugural game of their inaugural season – expect a tension and atmosphere in the crowd that will be nothing less than charged.
David Villa models the new NYCFC shirt
Success will largely rely on individual player performances because neither side has been together long enough for chemistry and cohesion in the starting line. When these two teams played each other in preseason, the final scoreline was a 1-1 draw.
As far as personnel goes, NYC FC has the advantage here in its players’ versatility and league experience. Mix Diskerud and and Ned Grabavoy in the midfield combined with David Villa on the attack brings talent from Jason Kreis’ former team (Real Salt Lake) and the Spanish National Team.
In total, NYC FC’s roster has played a combined 1532 league games in the MLS while Orlando’s roster has only played 953.
With so much media attention riding on this match, however, Orlando FC’s home advantage cannot be overlooked. They are playing a historical match on their own ground and with their own people. Measured in a level of press attention and league assumptions, head coach Adrian Heath and Orlando FC are the underdogs. Orlando has had a smoother off season than NYC FC with less drama and less of an emphasis on its big names signings.
Taking place at 5pm ET Sunday, this clash of the titans will remembered regardless of its outcome. With such ripe fan followings and large financial backings these two sides have a lot of pressure on them. Will it be a close game or will one club truly start their season with a bang?
