MLS, Patrick Vieira’s legacy at New York City FC

Article by Matt Lichtenstadter

Patrick Vieira’s long rumored departure to Nice has now been confirmed, and so ends an arguably transformative time not just for him, but for MLS in the manager’s dugout. Some were skeptical when NYCFC named him as manager after they sacked MLS veteran Jason Kreis (someone of note once called NYC MCFC2 because of said decision), but City, NYCFC and Vieira proved everyone wrong.

Vieira’s teams played some of the best soccer in the league and became one of the best teams almost overnight. There were hiccups, largely in the postseason because Vieira, if for all his strengths may have been a bit too dogmatic in the way his teams played, but there’s no doubt that he grew astronomically as a manager almost overnight in MLS. He could command a squad like few others because he is one of the best defensive midfielders of his generation, but that’s nothing if a manager doesn’t have a belief in what he’s telling his players to do, and Vieira did more than almost anyone else in the league.

He proved that MLS isn’t just a league where players can come to prove themselves, but that managers can too. MLS is often a tactically stale league since clubs are often hesitant to hire foreign managers because of the arcane player acquisition rules. Vieira didn’t mind the challenge, not only because the job was essentially handed to him by some friends in Manchester, but because he took what he was given as a challenge to prove himself, and he did. Perhaps only Atlanta played the kind of soccer that NYCFC could; possession driven, beautiful in its intricacies and something foreign in MLS with regards to tactics; assertive. Other managers could get the best out of what they had; Bruce Arena, Sigi Schmid and Bob Bradley all did that, and a younger crop of American managers in Vermes, Vanney, Marsch and Berhalter did change the league to let a Vieira type succeed. But considering what NYCFC is, and what it could be, Vieira transformed a directionless team into one with one of the clearest visions in a largely visionless league.

With Vieira, NYCFC did not win a trophy, but that doesn’t seem to matter all that much. Their playoff exits at the hands of TFC two years ago and Columbus last year were embarrassing, but they’re flies in an otherwise plenty pleasant ointment on the wound that is MLS tactics. He trusted younger players, gave them a chance and made even older players better (see David Villa thanking Vieira after the 1-1 draw with Atlanta). What Vieira did is show the world that in MLS, players aren’t the only ones that can prove themselves and take the next step in their careers, so too can managers.

Because of MLS’ wild structure, there are not huge odds that some prodigy in the making from Europe will come to MLS over a mid-level club in the major leagues in Europe. NYCFC’s ties with Manchester City allowed the Vieira experiment not only work but happen in the first place. But for a league that is so often risk averse, NYCFC and Vieira took a risk that paid off spectacularly, and now both club and manager are in a better place. MLS is going to be a worse league without Vieira managing in it, which is not something almost anyone expected to say when he was hired two and a half years ago.

What NYCFC look like with Pep’s right hand man Domenec Torrent in charge can be a discussion for another day. For MLS, Vieira’s success is a milestone in a league that has evolved rapidly on the pitch, but not necessarily on the touchline, that is until now.

Vieira’s legacy on the pitch as a player is unmatched by almost anyone in his generation (maybe other than Makelele, his compatriot), and his legacy as a manager is growing rapidly too. He will have less to work with at Nice than he had at NYC, which says something, but he won’t be there too long if his work at NYCFC is any indication.

Hopefully, his work at NYCFC is a sign that the manager’s dugout in MLS is a place to grow and learn not just for folks inside American soccer, but outside too. For the league, that is something remarkable to say.