Dear John Terry;
I’ll cut to the chase.
We want you at NYCFC.
Now when I say “we”, I do not necessarily mean the NYCFC front office (though they’re lovely people, really), nor do I mean our Mancunian Overlords at CFG (also really nice. I guess. Though I’ve never actually seen any of them. But, you know, they can’t be any worse than Roman Abramovich, right?)
I speak for the fans. And we want you.
Well, some of us want you. Some of us have been writing about wanting you on our backline since last year. But some fans – and I know you’ll find this hard to believe – think that at 35, you’ve lost a step. They say “John Terry’s best days are behind him”. They say, “we don’t want any more retirement players here.” They say “we want to build for the future.”
Blah blah blah. Right-thinking NYCFC fans want you. And here’s why.
First, because our backline was a bit of a mess last year. A combination of injuries and guys who’d never played together, compounded by more injuries and then more guys who’d never played together. I’ll put it this way. Last year, our goalie led the league in shots faced, saves AND goals against. The guy deserves a god-damned medal, John.
Come to NYCFC and not only would you immediately snap our line into form, providing some highly needed authority, stability and direction, but you’d actually be able to teach our younger lads the things you know, providing an influence for years to come.
Are you gonna get that in some brain-fryingly hot Middle Eastern Kingdom? Not bloody likely.
And to be clear NYCFC isn’t an anomaly where defense is concerned. With the possible exceptions of the Red Bulls and the Galaxy, backlines have been, at best, an after thought across the league. A player of your stature – giving on-the-field, in-the game advice will have an impact across the league and even to the national team.
Now, I know what you’re thinking. If the problem is this obvious, why hasn’t anyone fixed it yet?
Because teams would rather spend money on flashy scorers who get the views on Youtube and put the asses in the seats. Because everyone loves watching vines of Ibrahimovich scoring some ridiculous goal, and no one shares videos of you being in the right spot to shut down an attack, or Lahm riding an attacker off a ball, or Thiago Silva directing his teammates along the back line.
So, you ask, what’s different about NYCFC? Why are they going to spend big money on someone who’s not scoring goals?
Really, John?
Have you never met the lovely people at CFG? The folks who are already paying Vincent Kompany 10 million pounds and Aleksandar Kolarov 6 million Euros? The guys who are currently paying Pirlo, Lampard and Villa 13 million bucks here? CFG are probably the only backers in MLS with the cojones (um, that would be bollocks to you) to drop major coin for a crewcutted, slow-footed, end-of-his-career backline socio-path like yourself. No offense.
Now, why should you want to come here?
One reason.
Because John Terry is a footballer. Because he lives to play the game. And just because Chelsea thinks he’s done, doesn’t mean John Terry thinks he’s done. John Terry has a good deal of football left in him.
Now I know what you’re thinking. That MLS really just a retirement league. So ask your buddy Frank what he thinks. Or Stevie G. Or even Becks. They’ll tell you – it’s work. Sure, it may not be EPL or La Liga level. But it’s physical and tough and improving. And we’re averaging more fans per match than Ligue 1, the Eredivisie or Brazil’s Serie A.
Oh, and there’s one more thing that those other leagues – and the other teams in MLS – don’t have.
You know how London is like the heartbeat of England? That’s New York. You know how the fans in Chelsea will lay down in front of a train for their team? That’s New York fans. You know how they can smell it when you’re not giving your heart and soul for them? That’s what it’s like here. You want a real soccer experience in one of the great soccer cities on the planet? You want to prove you’re still the John Terry everyone knows, loves, hates, admires and fears? Then New York City FC is where you belong
Season starts in March. Your season ends in May. We’ll see you June 1. And then we’ll raise the Cup together in November.
Sincerely,
The Fans of NYCFC
