And here we are. A sold-out crowd at will ring in the opening of Orlando City Stadium this afternoon. The visitors helping to make it happen look a lot like the same ones that welcomed the Lions to MLS this time two years ago. But really, New York City FC is an utterly different team.
This time, Jason Kreis is on the opposite sideline. This time, David Villa and Tommy McNamara are the only NYCFC players remaining from that opening day roster in 2015. But one thing does remain the same: there’s nothing quite like the start of a new year.