CCL - February 23 - Santos de Guapiles (Home*)
- Thread starter LionNYC
- Start date
Just going to drop this screenshot here. From the NYCFC schedule page. Hopefully, it is accurate.
Yankee Stadium was available for our Champions League run in 2020 and Concacaf opted to play it at RBA. Now, maybe because Concacaf saw the Leagues Cup match at Yankee Stadium they'll be okay with CCL at Yankee Stadium, but who knows?
Confirmation from Concacaf in January.
Confirmation from Concacaf in January.
If I am remembering correctly the issue with CONCACAF and Yankee Stadium in 2020 was advertising signs that couldn't/wouldn't be covered up.
Maybe in 2021/2022 knowing exactly what CONCACAF is insisting on and with more time to plan that problem can be solved?
i think it was one of the issues but i dont see how Yankees are ok with covering it up, i mean they dont cover it during MLS or bowl games no way they do it for CCL unless Concacaf changed their mind and is ok with it.
What was the email? I didn't get it so i assume it was for members?
Hello City Members!
First, I want to wish you and your loved ones a happy and healthy New Year. I hope that you enjoyed the holidays and were able to stay safe. It has become an annual tradition for me to reflect on the past season and share my thoughts with our most loyal fans, our City Members. And I’ll tell you what, I could really get used to writing this email this late every year!
The first, and most obvious reflection from the 2021 season was… WE DID IT! What a wildly memorable playoff run that culminated in achieving our ultimate goal – delivering an MLS Cup championship trophy to New York City and to our incredible fans! Together, we are all UndeNYable champions – and we could not have done it without you.
We absolutely must continue to celebrate this historic occasion together. As the first New York sports team to win a championship title in 10+ years, this is a giant milestone for all New Yorkers. We are so proud to have done this #ForTheCity and bring the Cup home to New York. It has been incredible to celebrate with you all over the past several weeks – from City Hall to Times Square on New Year’s Eve and all across NYC. You have showed that NEW YORK IS BLUE from the very beginning – we couldn’t thank you more for your continued support.
This was a New York win. Like New Yorkers, our team showed resilience, perseverance, mental toughness and grit to fight to the end, winning 3 of our 4 playoff matches in hostile environments away from home and in dramatic fashion. And even though the team was miles away, you showed up... first in New England, then Philly and finally, in Portland. It was clear throughout this playoff run that we have the best fans in MLS!
It is important to not only celebrate our big victories together, but also stand side-by-side when times get tough. I think we’d all agree that throughout the season, David Lee, Ronny Deila, and our squad set this tone and example – and made us (and our City) extremely proud. The guys showed us how to persevere, to never give up, and to win. This is what we needed after two very challenging years of uncertainty brought by the pandemic.
Some of you may remember that I’m a big fan of lists, so now I’d like to take a moment to share my personal Top 10 Most Memorable Moments of 2021 – in no particular order. I hope these accomplishments make you as proud as I am of this Club and what we have all accomplished together.
1. Winning MLS Cup in PKs – I know we all held our breath as our team (twice!) won playoff games in PKs. I cannot think of a better example of poise and belief. Our inspirational Team Captain, and MLS Cup MVP, Sean Johnson, deserves a big shoutout here. Under his leadership, our team stayed calm and collected in extra time, and Sean came up HUGE with two massive saves to give us the momentum. I also have to give a major hat tip to Alex Callens who was as cool as can be converting the game winners against both New England and Portland. And speaking of leadership, who can forget Ronny’s “unique” post-game celebration?
2. MLS Cup Watch Party at Hammerstein Ballroom – Back here in NYC, 3,000+ of you created one of the most amazing soccer atmospheres the City has ever seen. After the final whistle, our players, coaches and staff watched videos from this event in awe. We could feel your support from all the way across the country. I wish I could’ve been in two places at once!
3. Bringing the Cup Home to Our Fans – The weight of this moment really sunk in when we got to celebrate with our fans at City Hall. We all made history. And seeing you in the crowd cheering on our players as we lifted the trophy on home soil was truly epic.
4. Local & National Recognition – After bringing home the Cup, with the help of many of our partners throughout the City and State, we were literally able to show that NY IS BLUE. Over 20 iconic structures across New York – the Empire State Building, One World Trade Center, Grand Central Terminal, Niagara Falls, One Bryant Park, Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, and many more – were lit blue to celebrate our Championship. Our City Hall celebration was televised live across broadcast affiliates. We were invited to bring the Cup and ring the Closing Bell at the NY Stock Exchange. We brought the Cup to Barclays Center and were honored by the Nets. Ronny was the honorary captain and on-field for the coin toss at the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium, as well as in the booth with the ESPN announcers in the 3rd quarter. Ronny and Maxime had the Cup in Times Square for New Year’s Eve and were the guests of honor for the 11pm Hourly Countdown on live TV. And all of this is just the beginning…
5. Fans Back In-Stadium for Opening Day – We missed so badly having our fans at our games in 2020. We eagerly anticipated the opportunity to finally have fans back in 2021. Even though we started the season with limited capacities and socially distanced seating “pods,” the atmosphere that our fans still were able to bring to Yankee Stadium was truly memorable and inspirational for our guys on the pitch.
6. Home Playoff Win vs. Atlanta – The electric atmosphere at Yankee Stadium, where we packed the house with over 25,000 fans for our first-round playoff win against Atlanta, was one of the best sports atmospheres I have been a part of. You all rocked the house, and started our playoff run on the right foot.
7. Taty’s Golden Boot – Seeing Taty take home our Club’s first-ever Golden Boot was absolutely extraordinary. Taty has grown immensely as both a player and a person since joining the Club, and it has been a pleasure watching him become the composed and deadly striker we knew he would become. His trophy celebration at the Etihad City Football Academy, alongside a surprise appearance from his mother, felt like a real family celebration.
8. Flourishing Homegrown Talent – The 2021 season marked many achievements for our Academy and Homegrown players. James became the Club’s first Homegrown player to be named an MLS All-Star, while earning his first call up to the USMNT and playing a key role in the team’s Gold Cup-winning run this summer. And now, we are excited to see James develop in Europe. Although it’s tough to lose a player of his caliber, one that has been integral to our success over the past few years, it’s been his dream to play in Europe and we would do anything to support his career goals and ambitions. We’re proud that James will be joining an impressive group of NYCFC Academy products who are making an impact in Europe! Another great example, Tayvon - a Bronx-native - stepped up big time when Anton went down with his injury. At just 19 years old, Tayvon started every playoff game and became the 2nd youngest player to make an MLS Cup start bringing swagger on the field that you love to see. We’re also excited to start our first season in MLS NextPro this spring, improving the player pathway even more for our Academy talent. Developing the next generation of players is something we deeply believe in and is part of the ethos of our Club – and I am beyond happy to see this hard work come to fruition.
9. 50 Pitches Down, 26 More to Go – 2021 was our most significant year to date for our community work. After launching New York City Soccer Initiative (NYCSI) five years ago to build 50 mini-pitches through all five boroughs, we opened 13 more pitches this year to reach our goal! Creating these safe spaces for kids to play the sport we love has been amazing – and City in the Community (CITC) continues to deliver free programming for more than 10,000 New York City youth each year on these pitches in underserved communities. This is nothing short of a groundbreaking initiative, but we aren’t stopping here. While celebrating the completion of our 50th pitch in Chinatown in November, we announced a new commitment to construct and program another 26 mini-pitches across the City in the lead up to the 2026 World Cup along with our partners.
10. Commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion – We all know that 2020 was a hugely impactful moment for our country, NYC and our Club. Throughout the 2021 season, the Club continued to prioritize this vital work and take action to create much-needed change. As a second phase of our partnership with the Jackie Robinson Foundation (JRF), we adopted a deserving JRF Scholar from the five boroughs and are funding a 4-year college scholarship. We also partnered with another incredible local organization, BronxWorks, to focus on investing in and creating educational opportunities for Bronx minority youth and we have continued our important work with NY Common Pantry. Just last month, we announced a new Coach Mentorship Program which will provide opportunities and increase representation for New York-based soccer coaches. Together with the Black Players for Change (BPC) and Black Women’s Player Collective (BWPC), we unveiled a mini-pitch in Harlem on Juneteenth at the Charles Young Playground in Harlem on Juneteenth and hosted our first Juneteenth Match.
While we are still savoring our historic 2021 MLS Cup victory, everyone at the Club is already laser-focused on making 2022 the best season yet for this Club and our fans. We are already planning a number of exciting new initiatives that we’re excited to roll out to all of you in the near future. There is so much to look forward to and be excited about in 2022 – especially with the season starting earlier.
As I mentioned in my remarks at City Hall, there are a lot of things that we want to accomplish together at NYCFC, but our top two ambitions that stand above all others are: (1) Win Trophies and (2) Build a Stadium – our players and fans deserve both! I promise that we won’t stop pursuing more trophies and that we will build a soccer-specific stadium for you in the five boroughs! We are enthusiastic about the potential of a few locations and remain as committed as ever to working with our fans, the local community groups, and elected officials to deliver the privately funded, soccer-specific stadium that you all deserve. We know how important this is and how transformative it will be for the Club; we also believe it will have a tremendously positive impact on the community.
I’m sure you are as excited as I am to see our Boys in Blue – the ones with a star above our badge – take the field in 2022. It’s coming fast. Pre-season training starts in less than two weeks and our first CONCACAF Champions League match is in Costa Rica on February 15th. Circle your calendar for our Home Opener on Saturday, March 12th vs. Montreal at 1pm at Yankee Stadium – as well as the Campeones Cup against LigaMX Champion Atlas at Yankees Stadium on September 14th. This is a one-game winner-take-all to win a(nother) trophy and be Champion of all of North America.
Our appreciation for your continued support and the passion you show for this Club cannot be understated. You are the heartbeat of this Club. THANK YOU!
Come On New York!
Cheers,
Brad
I understand as an never attending RBA home matches fan and the season opener in LA so it reduces travel and the NYC/LA bicoastal personality but like wow
yep I understand it from a pure logistics perspective and not to play in RBA but just…wow is right
Maybe they will provide free busses
