New York City FC: Patrick Vieira has club so far ahead, this loss hurts
New York City FC and Patrick Vieira have announced that the now former coach is heading back home to France to coach the club OGC Nice. However, we must acknowledge how far ahead Vieira had NYCFC.
Patrick Vieira‘s move to Ligue 1’s OGC Nice is earned and very well deserved. However, it is shame to see for MLS and City faithful alike.
Vieira’s experience all over the world took an NYCFC expansion club that struggled in its first season to MLS elite in just over two years. He put the Citizens so far ahead of where they could be right now.
NYCFC is currently making a run towards the top of the table and they are in the heart of their regular season.
However, Vieira is going to begin his duties in France right away. The good news is that Vieira left the club in a good spot.
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The club has an identity and this is probably the deepest they have been all season. Their goaltending is good and they are resilient every single match.
His first move of business in New York since arriving in 2016 was to build a younger team and set up to be better in the future. That is exactly what he has done.
Although the rebuild is not fully complete, Vieira turned NYCFC around instantly. He made the playoffs both full seasons as coach and NYCFC will go again this year because of how far ahead they are already.
There were rumors of Vieira taking the highly coveted and rare managerial job at Arsenal earlier in the season. However, it did happen for him.
But, it still kind of showed the Vieira was bound for Europe and eventually a return home to his native country of France.
This move does hurt NYCFC because the project to build a contender is still in the early stages. They are a gritty squad but some stars are still emerging and the club can use another big name.
Now, there will be sweeping changes happening over time which derails a club. This is not like losing another coach, Vieira is an elite one. He knows what he was doing and was just a few years away from taking over the league.
The loss is big for the MLS in general. Is still shows that the soccer pitches are greener on the other side in Europe. Star Jack Harrison left NYCFC for Europe earlier this season too.
The MLS still has work to do to try to avoid these moves from happening in future. But, there is nothing they can really do right now.
As for New York City FC, they need to move it and not take it personally. This writing has been on the wall that Vieira was going to leave for a while now. They are already preparing for the next step in the process.
His replacement is likely, to come from within the Manchester City family. NYCFC is owned by City Football Group and it makes sense to hire within the family to keep things in order.
Vieira, even though he is leaving, leaves NYCFC so far ahead of the learning curve. He has them right up there as an elite team in the East. Something that the players should carry over on their own.
He does not exit without a few words and memories:
— Patrick Vieira (@OfficialVieira) June 11, 2018
That is a classy sendoff from a world-class soccer manager.
New York City FC has time before returning to the pitch for some MLS action against Toronto FC in a few weeks. This is the time to acclimate to the changes so it is perfect timing.
Sometimes you don’t what you have until its gone. However, all of NYCFC and the worldwide city family knew what they had in Vieira.
NYCFC is far ahead of the learning curve and is building a contender for years to come. They are still one of the youngest clubs in the MLS. They have this man to thank for that.