By DAN KARELL
The announcement to create New York City Football Club as the next Major League Soccer expansion franchise elicited positive responses from across the city and country.
However, the Borough Boys, a supporters club whose mission is to “assist in bringing a top flight soccer club to New York City,” and to, “dedicate themselves to supporting the club and representing the fans in club and league affairs,” has announced their opposition to NYCFC.
The group released a statement on Friday, saying that while they are happy there will be a club within the five boroughs, they disagree with the Manchester City ownership group’s goals for investing in MLS.
“While we always desired an MLS franchise, what we never desired was being forced to accept a foreign club’s world wide branding ambitions, using New York City as a vehicle to promote a separate soccer club abroad,” wrote the Borough Boys in the statement. “The news that Manchester City will be establishing a new MLS expansion franchise, using “synergies”, cross promotion and color schemes of the parent club can only be described as disheartening.”
In turn, the supporters club has decided to back the New York Cosmos in NASL this season and beyond.
“Over the past three years, we have been working closely with the New York Cosmos, in part because we felt they were the best choice for MLS expansion and in part because they demonstrated a commitment to being an authentic New York club, a club that was born of New York, made its history in New York, and a club who’s very iconic status in this great city attracted countless members to the Borough Boys.”
What do you make of this statement? Do you see NYCFC struggling to recruit fans?
Share your thoughts below.