HARRISON, N.J. — A banner rose just before kickoff at Red Bull Arena on Sunday, towering above a cloud of red smoke in the stands. On it were gigantic, cartoonish depictions of Frank Lampard and Andrea Pirlo of New York City F.C. — veteran international superstars who recently joined the expansion team — hunched over and leaning on walking canes.
The text above the caricatures read, “City Retirement Home.”
The taunt, for a night, appeared to hold a kernel of truth. Whether because of age or inactivity or inexperience, N.Y.C.F.C. looked sluggish and disjointed in a 2-0 loss to the Red Bulls.