By TATE STEINLAGE
New York City FC made headlines Monday, officially announcing forward David Villa as the club’s first player. The move spurred dozens of comments, but perhaps none more interesting than what fellow Spanish international Juan Mata had to say.
Addressing the media in Washington, D.C. for Spain’s World Cup preparations, Mata applauded Villa’s move to New York and Major League Soccer, adding that it may “open the door” for other Spaniards.
“I’m very happy for him,” Mata told the local media. “This is a great new step for him and his career. New York City is a great city, and hopefully he’s opening the door for more players like him. Maybe he is the first of many to do so.”
Though Villa didn’t specifically mention his home country Monday during the NYCFC press conference, the 32-year-old was clear when he said he wants to see the league’s upward swing continue.
“I want to try and help MLS continue to grow, through playing, working hard, scoring goals and at the same time try to make New York City FC become the best team in the league.”
Here are some other stories from around MLS:
SHERROD TO MISS REST OF 2014 SEASON AFTER ACL SURGERY
Mark Sherrod’s rookie season with the Houston Dynamo came to an abrupt end after tearing his ACL in the 12th minute of a match against D.C. United on May 21 when he collided with former Dynamo defender Bobby Boswell.
Tuesday, Sherrod underwent successful reconstructive surgery to fix the torn ACL in his left knee. Team physician Dr. Timothy Sitter performed the surgery, which will force Sherrod to miss the remainder of the 2014 season.
Sherrod, 23, appeared in nine games for the Dynamo in 2014 after being selected in the second round by Houston. The Tennessee native had tallied two goals and one assist in those nine appearances.
SPORTING KC RECALL DUKE FROM OKLAHOMA CITY ENERGY FC
A day after announcing the transfer of midfielder Oriol Rosell to Sporting CP in Lisbon, Portugal, Sporting Kansas City has recalled midfielder Christian Duke from USL PRO affiliate Oklahoma City Energy FC.
A product of the Sporting KC youth system, Duke was loaned to Oklahoma City on March 17. The 22-year-old has made zero appearances for his MLS side, but joins the team on a high note after tallying a game-winning assist for Energy FC Saturday.
Sporting KC also announced Wednesday that midfielder Mikey Lopez has been loaned to Energy FC from Orlando City SC, the second of Sporting KC’s two USL PRO affiliates.
Like Duke, Lopez was loaned to Orlando City on March 17, where he tallied an assist in eight matches for the Lions.
The move means that Sporting KC now has zero loanees in Orlando City. Early terms between Sporting KC and its two affiliates stated that the MLS side had to have two players loaned to both Oklahoma and Orlando.
CANADIAN CHAMPIONSHIP TO BE STREAMED ON MLS WEBSITE
The final spot in the 2014-15 CONCACAF Champions League will be decided Wednesday night when Toronto FC and the Montreal Impact go head-t0-head in the second leg of the Canadian Championship.
In addition to SportsNet One’s television rights in Canada, MLS announced Wednesday that the match will be live-streamed for those in the US on its website for free, though users will have to sign up for a free MLS Network account to access the stream.
The match (1-1 aggregate) kicks off at 7:30 ET.
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Is Mata onto something with his statements about Villa’s move to MLS? How much will the Dynamo miss Sherrod this season? Will you tune in for tonight’s Canadian Championship?
Share your thoughts below.