Frank Lampard leaving Chelsea was an awkward moment. The legend embraced the Chelsea blue and seemingly would retire with the club. When he left London, it was for New York City and to become the cornerstone of the flashy new NYCFC franchise seemingly to leave behind his Premier League career. Except NYCFC doesn’t exist, at least not for another year, so Lampard stayed in the league to play for the “sister” club, Manchester City. Everyone assumed the awkward photos of the midfielder in a different hue of blue would be a short novelty, quickly forgotten once the 2015 MLS season began.
Except now those plans might be interrupted, as Lampard has revealed in an interview with Sky Sports that he may extend his stay with City. His four goals has hinted at a revival possibly and he’s allowed that if he continues to play at such a high level, he may remain in England.
The money quote is this one:
“The only thing that can decide my future is how well I am playing. They will be kicking me out in January if I don’t play very well!”
MLS has been here before: English superstar coming to the league but constantly traveling back to Europe to show he can continue to play at the highest level. The difference between David Beckham and Lampard is that Beckham had to keep coming back – financially, he had a future ownership stake in the league as well as a brand in LA to maintain. Lampard has no such commitment – yes he’s the name of the franchise but he is not the only big name they’ve signed. He would lose a large payday possibly if he rethought playing in New York, but he has certainly made his money.
The real loser would be the league. New York #2 is one of the major milestones of “MLS Next”, the league’s new brand proclaiming that they are an emerging international league. They are a team (with Orlando) that will have national and international stars to rival the 1970s Cosmos, and as a result bring the rest of the league with them. Losing Lampard would not derail this new brand, but take another look at that quote. It reinforces the league’s image worldwide: MLS is a retirement league. Despite Robbie Keane playing well and still featuring for Ireland, most established stars for the largest leagues come to MLS for a paycheck and easy retirement. That’s the perception and despite the league’s dismissal of it, it is still very true.
MLS is growing and attracting a higher level of play. However, as Lampard shows, it is still considered a second tier league to the big names, ironic considering his signing was a possible rebuttal of it.
