New York City FC have a new home. That new home, however, has a pinstriped roommate and an infield consuming the 18-yard box. As reported by the New York Times, MLS's 20th club secured a three-year deal to play at Yankee Stadium—a deal that pushes the league closer to the criticisms that once plagued its infancy.
With all plans to build a soccer-specific stadium in Flushing, Queens derailed, finding a temporary home became increasingly paramount for NYCFC.
After all, the club is expected to play its first-ever match in 11 months time.
Other alternatives to Yankee Stadium included bunking with the New York Red Bulls in Harrison, New Jersey, but it doesn't take a geographical expert to realize New Jersey isn't New York. When your slogan is "Five Boroughs. One City," playing in an adjacent state contradicts the millions of dollars spent on a marketing campaign. Especially one with the sole purpose of pursuing the inner-city soccer fan abandoned by the Red Bulls' New Jersey grounds.
Five Boroughs. One City. #NYCFC pic.twitter.com/SYTTpLZf4K
— New York City FC (@NYCFC) February 27, 2014
Given the partnership with the New York Yankees, a temporary home at Yankee Stadium is sensible, but what about the logistics of this now shared venue?
Both the Yankees and NYCFC play a schedule that runs from March to October. Ensuring zero overlap is now an added concern for schedule makers. Transforming a baseball diamond to a soccer pitch is the other; however, that is of less concern according to Yankees' executive director of non-baseball events Mark Holtzman (h/t to the New York Times). "Technology has gotten to the point where I think we can turn it [the field] around pretty quickly," Holtzman said.
"Baseball is clearly the No. 1 priority," he added. "We wouldn't do anything to put anyone at any risk; there's a major investment here in the players. At the end of the day, we look at these opportunities very carefully, and we wouldn't get into these opportunities unless we were confident in the end result."
Is MLS confident in the end result this partnership with the New York Yankees will produce?
Nearly 40,000 people packed Yankee Stadium last summer to watch Manchester City defeat AC Milan in the 2013 International Champions Cup—a figure NYCFC will struggle to sniff on a Wednesday night against the likes of Chivas USA. The attendance of a one-off event with two European powers will not translate over to the grind of a 34-game season.
NYCFC will deal with the harsh realities of a half-empty stadium and a narrow pitch tattooed by a baseball diamond. Is this the identity a new club in the biggest U.S. market deserves? Tell us @SportsWN
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