BY MICHAEL PENG
NEW YORK — While New York City FC prepares for the upcoming visit of Frank Lampard, one of its two currently signed Designated Players, the club also discussed the possibility of using its final DP spot to bring in Xavi Hernandez Wednesday at Yankee Stadium.
DP forward and team captain David Villa, for one, has said that he “hopes” to get a chance to reunite with his former Barcelona and Spain national team teammate again.
“Xavi would be a good fit in any league in any team, he’s a world-class player, and anybody from MLS or from this team who likes soccer would receive him with open arms,” Villa said through an interpreter. “So I just hope that he would come and we would ask him to be a part of the team.
“But you know you can have many wishes and many hopes in life and know those dreams are not gonna come true, so it’s something that is not in my hands. I can just say that I hope he would come here and that would be a pleasure to have him,” Villa said. “He’s a great friend, he’s a great player and a great teammate.”
Head coach Jason Kreis, however, doubted the compatibility between the club and one of the most decorated player in Spain history, and said he is “on the fence” about the potential move.
“This is always difficult because when you think about a player like Xavi Hernandez, for me, one of the (best) players in the world ever, you say to yourself on one side that there’s no doubt that a player like that will be great at New York City,” Kreis said. “But when you look at it from another view and say you only got three of these (DP spots), and you already got another one that plays in the midfield (Lampard) and you got a third one in David Villa, whose all relative age are getting up there, you start to think, maybe not.
“I’m a huge fan of Xavi Hernandez. I think he would be a huge player in this league, no doubt about it,” Kreis said. “But positionally, I don’t think that it makes the best sense and the most sense.”
Kreis, though, did add that he is “open to anything.”
The 35-year-old Xavi was close to joining NYCFC last year before ultimately deciding to stay with Barcelona and recent comments by NYCFCÂ sporting director Claudio Reyna reignited the conversation.
Xavi’s contract with the La Liga side is set to expire in June of 2016 but he is expected to be on the move around January that year during the winter transfer window.
The title of the article should be, “red bull New York are After Xavi and dani Alves,” or “red bull will be the new chivas USA in the coming years if owner doesn’t open wallet,” or “red bull is being sold for $500 million dollars.”
What’s taken so long, red bull New York is a mess. Don’t get dps, just sell the team.
Austin TX MLS
The Red Bulls are in 1st place on a PPG. Second on overall points.
Why are we talking about NYRB when this article is about NYCFC? Also, they haven’t been called Red Bull NY for a couple of years now.
Either Kreis isn’t as smart as I thought, or he’s blowing smoke. Even if Xavi is older and they already have a DP in midfield, you don’t turn down a player like Xavi if you can get him for an affordable price. Even if he has only one good year left, what a year it could be. It would get an expansion team off to a good start, probably the playoffs, excite the fans in the city, get interest from abroad, and make it more likely that you get a top DP in the future.I don’t see a downside.
Kreis is being his usual self. He never wants to oversell anything but of course he’d be super excited to have Xavi H, Lampard, Villa, Mix etc. He’d find a place for all these players in the starting XI.
No, he is being honest. They already have a deep playmaker in Lampard who is 36, Xavi is 35. So right off the bat you are going to put close to 25% of your salary cap on 2 players who play about the same position and are on the wrong side of 35? That is not a recipe for success. I like Kreis’ honesty, his words are refreshing and true. I hope he is the next National Team Coach.
Exactly.
That team has needs/holes. Xavi wouldn’t fill those holes.
That is exactly his point, however, if given choice between Lampard or Xavi, he should keep in mind that Xavi is a much better player.
Oh. Ok. Thanks.
What the hey. For snits and giggles, I’d like to start a conversation about Bale to Galaxy.
Oh. Ok. Thanks.
Conversation ended.