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Andrea Pirlo plays huge role in NYCFC’s win over Orlando City

By Israel Gonzalez

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They call him “Maestro.”

Going into the showdown (and rematch) with fellow MLS newcomer, Orlando City, the focal point of fans and soccer pundits everywhere was on the debut of Italian football legend, Andrea Pirlo.

From the opening kickoff until the 57th minute, the noise level at Yankee Stadium was palpable. With a mixture of NYCFC chants, to people clamoring for a Pirlo appearance, this past Sunday felt like the historical home opener for the club.

In the 57th minute, Yankee Stadium witnessed history being made, as Andrea Pirlo (winner of a World Cup with Italy in 2006, UEFA Champion’s League winner with A.C. Milan in 2003 and 2007, Serie A winner with Juventus in 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015) entered the game.

I’m not sure what the record for noise level at Yankee Stadium is, but with the amount of ruckus coming from the stadium, you would have thought that the New York Yankees had just won the World Series.

The crowd chanted “Pirlo,” “Pirlo,” Pirlo.”

Who says that soccer isn’t catching on in the United States?

While Pirlo certainly soaked in all of the praise, his first bit of action in MLS got off to a rocky start. Four minutes after entering the game, with NYCFC holding a 2-1 lead, Orlando City tied the game at two via a brilliant goal by Cyle Larin.

Pirlo and company would answer quickly.

In the 67th minute, Pirlo put a spin move on an Orlando City player and found Kwadwo Poku, who then found David Villa near the box. Villa, as he so often has done this year, made the defender look foolish and proceeded to slip the ball past the goalie.

Pirlo wasn’t done making his presence felt, though.

In the 71st minute, Pirlo again put a spin move on an Orlando City player and again found Poku. Poku would muscle his way towards the box, before finding Thomas McNamara, who then scored easily.

Orlando City would add a third goal, which NYCFC would counter with a fifth goal. That 5-3 score would hold up in the end.

While you won’t find anything special for Pirlo in the box score (he would get his first yellow card), Pirlo undoubtedly changed the tempo of the game. He affected the match in ways only he can.

Pirlo impacted the game in subtle ways. For instance, check out Pirlo letting Josh Saunders (NYCFC Goalie) know which way Kaká was going with his free kick.

NYCFC’s offense has been anemic at times. However, they have now scored 4+ goals in two of their last three games. To put things into perspective, they are doing this without Frank Lampard, who will certainly play a huge role in NYCFC’s march toward the playoffs.

It’s a great time to be a NYCFC fan.

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