When it was announced that Frank Lampard was finally coming to Major League Soccer after years of flirting with the idea, many viewed it as the beginning of New York City FC becoming one of the bigger clubs in the league and a step in the direction of acceptance for soccer in America. Jump to the end of August with the season coming to an end and Lampard missing match after match due to injury, and the question becomes is Frank Lampard the worst DP signing in MLS history.

Now this might seem like hyperbole but look beyond the limited amount of time Lampard has played. This argument is based on how he has impacted the image of the MLS and his ability to come back from this nightmarish season. Frank Lampard is currently 37 years old which is four years older than Landon Donovan and one year younger than Thierry Henry (both of whom retired  last year), and this gives Lampard a very limited window to show his worth in the league.  For every Henry or David Beckham, there are more than enough players like Cuauhtémoc Blanco Bravo who come over well past their sell by date.

What pushes Frank Lampard into the lead past all these washed up players who cannot keep up or players who just fell apart once signing with MLS, is the fact that spurned the league in a way no other player even has the chance to. When the City Football Group announced that Lampard would be playing for Manchester City  it came off as a move that would build up the excitement for NYCFC, by having a player go from the Premier League and right into MLS. But instead, Lampard and City decided to leave their American club without a face and the impression that the parent-club couldn’t be bothered.

I don’t blame Frank Lampard for wanting to stay in one of the best leagues in the world while he was still producing, but in doing so he seems to have run out of gas and is no longer the player who could come into MLS and change the game. Even more he made a league that has been working on improving its image around the world look weak. What might be worst for Lampard though is that for NYCFC he really doesn’t have a position in the club’s midfield unless he replaces a passionless Andrea Pirlo.

 

Cody Bender.  Soccer Beat Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow me on Twitter @CWBend