At the groundbreaking ceremony for a new Yankee Stadium, officials and executives hoisted silver-plated shovels and moved small pieces of soil, predicting that those grounds would play host to many championship celebrations over the decades to come.
The Yankees enjoyed those honors with their 2009 World Series victory, and now the New York City Football Club have reached the apex of their game. NYCFC bested the Portland Timbers in a penalty-kick shootout on Saturday, securing its first Major League Soccer Cup victory.
In a statement, Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner congratulated the club, which has played most of its home games at Yankee Stadium since 2015. Saturday’s championship game was played at Portland’s Providence Park.
“The New York Yankees applaud the entire NYCFC organization for bringing the MLS Cup home to the great city of New York,” Steinbrenner said.
“Since NYCFC’s founding, we have been extremely proud partners with City Football Group, which truly sets the standard in world football. We especially offer our heartfelt congratulations to City Football Group’s dedicated leadership team, including chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, CEO Ferran Soriano and board member Marty Edelman, who is also vice chairman of NYCFC, as well as all of the NYCFC staff members who contributed to this incredible group effort. As an NYCFC Board Member, I want to recognize my colleagues on the board for the roles they played in this tremendous accomplishment.
“We also want to acknowledge the outstanding work of NYCFC CEO Brad Sims, sporting director David Lee, head coach Ronny Deila and the entire roster of NYCFC players, who displayed incredible grit and determination during their compelling playoff run, which culminated with three thrilling and hard-fought victories on the road. We are equally excited for NYCFC’s fans, who have provided unwavering support since the club’s inception and rightfully share in this success.”
NYCFC’s victory marked New York’s first professional sports title since 2012, when the NFL’s Giants bested the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI. NYCFC was scheduled to be honored on Tuesday at New York’s City Hall, where members of the team were to receive keys to the city.
“That team just showed so much determination, so much fight,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “These champions really epitomized the best of New York City.”