Chelsea legend Frank Lampard’s long-awaited Major League Soccer (MLS) debut did not go according to plan on Saturday as the Montreal Impact handed his New York City FC a 3-2 defeat.
More than a year after it was announced he had signed to play this season with the fledgling NYCFC, Lampard at last took the field for them, coming on in the 69th minute of a match at Yankee Stadium.
But Lampard’s presence, completing a star NYCFC trio along with Italian midfielder Andrea Pirlo and Spanish striker David Villa, was not enough for New York City to win.
Ignacio Piatti scored twice for Montreal, once from the penalty spot in the 84th minute, as the Impact won their first match since announcing the signing of Lampard’s former Chelsea teammate Didier Drogba.
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Dominic Oduro also scored for Montreal, while Villa converted a penalty and helped create Thomas McNamara’s 85th-minute goal for the hosts.
The match also marked Pirlo’s first MLS start. The Italian had made his debut in the North American league as a substitute in New York’s home win over Orlando last weekend.
NYCFC announced Lampard’s signing in July 2014, when the club was still building toward the start of their first MLS campaign.
Lampard’s arrival in the US was controversially delayed after his loan to Manchester City was extended through the end of the 2014/15 Premier League season.
He joined his new outfit in July, but his debut was repeatedly delayed because of a nagging calf injury.
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