NEW YORK — If New York City FC could be considered a TV series, then its fans perhaps left a little teaser on Sunday night.
Unfurling a small banner that read, “The best is yet to come,” the club’s supporters cheered on their team despite its 3-1 loss to New England Revolution to conclude its inaugural season — a season considered disappointing on most measures for a team with high expectations.
NYCFC did not make the playoffs despite the names on its roster, nor did it close the season out on a high note with Sunday’s loss being its third in a row. Yet, the message from the team afterward remains positive with a central theme: the fans.
“We are obviously disappointed that we couldn’t bring you success this year on the pitch,” Frank Lampard addressed the crowd after the match, “and I can promise that it’s not being for not trying, everyone has given everything this year. What I can say is that the one big success of this season has been you, the fans. I think to that, to the club and the city, that is amazing. We depend on you, and every week, you come back to support us.”
What was left of the 34,150 in the stands on Sunday roared back in response.
“And all I can promise you from the players is that for all of us who have been here this year, all of us that will be here next year, we will work so hard to bring you, fans, and this city the team that it deserves,” Lampard continued. “I promise next year, we will be back better and strong and we will bring success to the city.”
NYCFC’s product on the pitch may have left much to be desired of, but as one of the newest functioning members of MLS, the expansion club has been a smashing hit.
The club averaged more than 29,000 fans per home game, and just last week, it announced the Founding Members — those who have purchased season tickets — have surpassed 20,000 in count.
“I think the first and foremost, the brightest, the positive thing about this club right now is our fans,” head coach Jason Kreis said. “The support that we have gotten all year long has been absolutely fantastic and I think puts the team automatically in a good place to succeed. If you have a loud fanbase that’s there, a supportive fanbase that’s there for you every game, it provides you a great atmospheres to have an advantage at home.”
For the players, the support they receive also adds a chip to their shoulders moving forward.
“The fans were an absolute success and we can’t thank them enough for that,” Chris Wingert said. “It was a real honor and pleasure to plya for this club and play with these guys and in front of everybody all season long. It’s up to us to make sure that we do everything to continue to get better on the soccer ends and then we can reward everybody with some more wins and playoffs next year.”
The outlook on the team for the next season and beyond is overwhelmingly positive from those involved with the club, and apart from the support this team receives, its roster’s cohesion is expected to improve as well.
“There are other things that I think we have, we obviously have three fantastic Designated Players on this team, we have some very exciting young talent that will develop into great MLS stars and I think we have identified a core group of players to stay here next year and built off of,” Kreis said. “Because my opinion is winning takes continuity.”
In other words, the march toward success for NYCFC is to be continued.