Does Gotham FC need a star player to replace Carli Lloyd Before we get to answering the question of whether Gotham FC needs a star player to replace Lloyd, we need to establish what a start player is and what they can do for a franchise. As a long time New York soccer fan I've seen the effect and after effects of bringing in big name players to the big apple soccer scene. NYCFC made a huge splash by bringing in 3 aging European soccer stars in David Villa, Frank Lampard and Andre Pirlo. The cross town rivals New York Red Bulls are no stranger to high profile players. Having superstars such an Thierry Henry and Tim Cahill. Both teams saw introductory phases where in stadium attendance rose but the effects faded over time and rather quickly. We posed the question to perhaps the biggest New York soccer expert in legend Shep Messing and he stated plainly. Star power only gets you so far. To be recognized as a sports team in the new York market you need to be a winner. New York loves a winner. If you win a championship you'll be accepted. So it's about "putting the best team you can in the field and win". Attendance is a huge part of growing that league. In a zoom meeting with former GM Alyse Lahue she stated that moving the team to red bull arena was expensive even at 8-9k attendance in the opening match. Gotham averages around 4-5k in attendance regularly. This on paper is not sustainable if this team is to get a return on investment. Renting isn't cheap. These players deserve to play at packed stadiums with the best of services. The only way to make this sustainable is to get more tickets sold. A start player may help in that regard. However, having a star player for star players sake doesn't translate automatically to wins. Neither the Red Bulls or NYCFC have won championships with their star players. In fact, the most regular season success had come from both teams playing younger development players and creating their own stars like Tyler Adams. The question is, is their already a marketable player on roster that can fill that superstar role and be the face of the franchise. The answer is yes. There is. Margaret "Midge" Purce has that "it" factor. A ultra talented attacker with flair to burning past defenders 1v1 and being a scoring threat every time she touched the ball. She's electric. Not only that but the Harvard educated player also is a leader in the locker room and in the public realm. She along global super star Megan Rapinoe we're invited to and spoke at the White House on the issue of equal pay for women. Part of the black women's players collective she has every quality you want in a super star. Now it's up to Gotham, the NWSL and the USWNT to make it happen. That being said there is room in this team in a big market to adding another super star. That is, if they fit what new coach Scott Parkinson is looking for and fits the character of player that Gotham desires. Carli Lloyd for all her stardom often times seemed disconnected from teammates on the field and sometimes put personal ambition above the teams goals in the eyes of the fans.
Gotham FC as it stands it's a veteran heavy team with few homes in it's starting lineup. The biggest spot open is the number 10 spot behind the attacking duo of Purce and Onumonu. A star player to fill that role would have to be in the likes of Macario or Debinha. It's possible a star attacker in that outside midfielder role. But there is a budding star in Monaghan who probably shouldn't get pushed to the bench. Besides Viens and pinto are up and coming players who may fill that role.
Consensus is that a superstar will put butts in seats, which is surely needed as red bull arena is expensive to rent. A superstar will not, however, always translate to winning. Sorry, Orlando. But if the superstar fits the role in the team and puts the club first then why not?
Gary Gibson
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