On one hand we have Manchester City, proud football team from the north of England, full of star names like David Silva, Yaya Toure and England goalkeeper Joe Hart, to name but a few. Club favourites include Colin Bell, Mike Doyle, Niall Quinn, and after 'that goal', Sergio Agueroooooooo!
On the other, we have the New York Yankees, the most successful team in Major League Baseball with a team of stars like Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano. Discussing famous players is like reading from the Cooperstown hall of fame; Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Lou Gherig, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford.. The list goes on.
But what's the connection between the two you may ask?
The two sporting giants are set to team up to bring an MLS franchise to New York City. The franchise has been debated for some time, with the stadium planned for construction in Flushing Meadows, Queens. This is much to the annoyance of the New York Mets, the cities other MLB franchise, who play their games at Citi Field, near to the planned site of the new stadium.
The deal is thought to be worth upwards of $100,000,000 dollars (about £66m) and the franchise will commence playing in 2015, but it looks like they won't have a stadium for opening day. It is thought that the team will have a temporary home until the issue is resolved.
The New York metropolitan area is already a legendary sporting hub. The Jets and the Giants carry the New York name in the NFL, while the Rangers and the Islanders carry the city's name on the ice. The New York Knicks, who British readers will be familiar with after their game at the O2 Arena, join the Brooklyn Nets in the NBA. The Yankees, situated in the Bronx, and the Mets from Queens hold 29 World Series titles between them (27 of which belong to the Bronx Bombers). The New York Red Bulls, although based in New Jersey, carry the name of the city. In the past the city has been home to the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers, relocated to California in the westward expansion of the 1960s to San Francisco and Los Angeles respectively.
New York City Football Club will be the 20th franchise in the MLS and New York's 11th team in the big five sports of baseball, basketball, football, hockey and soccer, if we are to count the recently reformed New York Cosmos in the second tier of American soccer.
Keep an eye out for the club's official kit, colours and badge, which will be announced soon, and no doubt brought to you here.
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