It’s soccer season

by Lloyd Carroll Chronicle Contributor

Between college basketball’s March Madness, the NBA and NHL heading into their respective home stretches of the regular season and spring training baseball, it is easy to overlook the fact Major League Soccer’s 2023 season is now underway. To help promote the arrival of the new season, Major League Soccer’s New York City Football Club invited members of the media to meet with its CEO, Brad Sims.

While the best athletes in the world come to the United States to play for most professional sports, that is not the case with soccer as the best players tend to play in European leagues. Big names such as David Beckham, David Villa and Andrea Pirlo played in the United States as a last hurrah before they called it a career.

Sims acknowledged that perception of MLS has been accurate, but said things are changing. He pointed to 20-year-old Brazilian star Talles Magno’s decision to play for NYCFC in 2023 as an indicator of MLS slowly closing the talent gap with European leagues. He hopes parity will arrive a decade from now. He also believes a new standalone soccer stadium will attract the best players in the world.

Mayor Adams and civic officials are backing NYCFC getting a new stadium across 126th Street from Citi Field. Sims is hopeful for a groundbreaking during the summer of 2024.

“We are working closely with Community Planning Board 7. We are excited not just about a new soccer arena but also the development of a new neighborhood which will include affordable housing and schools,” Sims said.

Sims and MLS Commissioner Don Garber, who grew up in Bayside, are determined not to make the same mistakes Amazon did when it selected Long Island City to be its second headquarters. Amazon officials acted imperiously, infuriating many local politicos, with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez being the most notable. Amazon eventually opted for northern Virginia.

Playing in “The World’s Borough” excites Sims. He is well aware of the soccer matches taking place in Flushing Meadows Corona Park every weekend. He anticipates new customers coming from Nassau and Suffolk. The parking lots at Citi Field, which they will have access to, are easier for motorists than the garages surrounding their current Yankee Stadium home.

I asked Sims if he was concerned Mets owner Steve Cohen, who has plans of his own for the parking lots, would try to thwart them. “He has been very supportive. We have had several matches at Citi Field, and we will have more again this year,” Sims said.

NYCFC will play Nashville SC and FC Dallas at Citi Field on April 15 and 22, respectively. Q See the extended version of Sports Beat every week at qchron.com

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