NYCFC vs. NY Yankees: Turf War In The Bronx?

In May of 2013, it was announced that Manchester City and the MLS would be pairing up to form New York City Football Club. In theory, it sounded revolutionary. NYCFC would don the Ethiad and baby blue of its parent club while playing at Yankee Stadium. The team also planned to find a suitable location for a future stadium. NYCFC was two years away from its first game yet had already envisioned bright future.

After being unable to find a location for a new stadium, the club has since narrowed its search to Queens and the Bronx. In both boroughs, NYCFC would be able to develop a strong youth academy and fan following especially in light of the large ethnic populations and their passion for soccer. Despite the parent club’s deep pockets, the future of a stadium’s location is uncertain. The earliest a new stadium could be completed would be 2019. While the club does not currently have its own practice facility, it is able to train in Manchester during the off-season. Doing so year-round would require constant travel and result in player fatigue.

It was announced on March 12th that there would be logistical complications in converting Yankee Stadium’s baseball diamond to an MLS field. Installing and removing both the pitcher’s mound and in-field dirt before each game is challenging, but creating a playable soccer field will be even harder. If NYCFC has to play 20 games per season for four more years, this will upset both the Yankees and the new team.

“It’s going to suck, but you have to deal with it,” Yankees’ Mark Texeria explained to the NY Daily News. “It’s going to tear up the infield, but there’s nothing we can do about it, so we’ll deal with it.”

While the future of soccer in New York City is bright, creating a permanent home for NYCFC is the greatest concern.