Frank Lampard's MLS adventure assessed
Monday 14 November 2016 22:45, UK
Frank Lampard will leave New York City after two seasons at the club, but will his foreign adventure in MLS be viewed as a success or failure?
The former Chelsea star leaves having scored 15 goals in 31 appearances since arriving in July last year, and holds the record for becoming the first player to score a hat-trick for New York City, coming against Colorado on July 30.
But his time at NYCFC was far from smooth, with some club supporters criticising the 38-year-old over his commitment to the team, and only six months ago Lampard was labelled by some sections of the media as 'the worst signing in MLS history'.
Here, we take a closer look at Lampard's time in MLS.
Winning over the fans
Lampard's rocky relationship with the New York City fanbase began before he had even stepped foot in the country.
After leaving Chelsea, Lampard agreed to a "head of terms commitment" with NYCFC, meaning he was expected to join the club on January 1, 2015 and in the meantime play on loan at sister club Manchester City.
After impressing former City boss Manuel Pellegrini and developments which revealed he was in fact permanently contracted to Manchester City, the decision was made to extend his time in England until the end of the 2014/15 Premier League season, two months after New York City's inaugural MLS season began in March.
Lampard arrived at New York City in July, but turned up injured, meaning he had to wait to make his debut on August 1 in a 3-2 defeat by Montreal Impact.
In his first season, Lampard scored three goals in 10 MLS appearances and was surprisingly nominated by league Commissioner Don Garber to be in the MLS All-Star team.
The New York City fans struggled to take to their ageing star, who was earning around $6m-a-year, and the feeling of resentment carried over into the 2016 campaign as Lampard's injury problems continued.
This time around, his first appearance came off the bench with his team already 7-0 down against fierce rivals New York Red Bulls back in May. His presence on the field was met by loud jeers from his own supporters.
However, that moment proved to be the pivotal turning point in Lampard's MLS career, going on to score 12 goals and help New York City reach the MLS play-offs.
Lampard's performances, particularly over the summer months, were met with great praise, helping him win over the majority of the fans.
Relationship with Patrick Vieira
Despite Lampard's injury problems and external criticism, Patrick Vieira, who managed him across the entire 2016 season, never questioned his attitude or commitment to the cause.
Now that Lampard has left NYCFC, the former Arsenal midfielder speaks highly of the time working with him.
"I can tell you after a year of working with him, he brings so much more to a team than just goals," he told NYCFC's official website.
"What Frank has brought to the locker room is something just as important - his experience, his elite mentality and his mentorship for the younger members of our squad have helped us greatly this year.
"It is clear that Frank has embraced playing in this league and for this club. I am grateful for his service in my first year here and I wish him the very best in whatever he chooses to do next."
Back in the summer, Lampard had already paid compliments to Vieira in an interview with Soccer AM's Tubes in the summer, saying he has a bright future in management.
"He's really good. I was a bit skeptical about it because I remember those days playing against Vieira. We did used to have ding-dongs," Lampard said.
"As a manager I've got complete respect for him. He's got his way of playing.
"He's very dedicated to playing out from the back and not many teams do that, from goalkeeper right up to the front. Now all of a sudden we are getting the benefits of it.
"I see him having a huge future."
The 300 goals error
The New York City Mayor's office hailed September 1 as "Frank Lampard Day" as the club presented Lampard with a commemorative shirt and ring, all on celebration of the former England midfielder scoring 300 career goals. One small problem: he hadn't.
Detailed research from the Sky Sports stats department uncovered that Lampard was in fact on 299 career goals ahead of New York City FC's match with DC United, when the celebrations took place.
Lampard went on to score a brace in that game, including his actual 300th career goal. He had prematurely even posted on his Instagram page: "Very proud to reach 300."
