Andrea Pirlo waved his hands above his head as he shuffled out for pregame warm-ups at Yankee Stadium on Sunday afternoon. The Jay Z song “Takeover” was growling over the speakers, but the cheers and applause from the fans bubbled up over the music.
Three weeks ago, Pirlo, a star midfielder with Juventus the past four seasons, signed a two-and-a-half-year contract to play for New York City F.C., becoming the latest international star to join Major League Soccer. After a short vacation in Ibiza, Spain, Pirlo, 36, arrived in New York last week, participated in four practices and, on Sunday, played 33 minutes in his new club’s frenzied 5-3 victory over Orlando City S.