The former France and Arsenal captain is set to relinquish his duties as the manager of Manchester City’s Elite Development Squad after penning a three-year contract with the MLS club.
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Vieira begins his new role on January 1 ahead of the new MLS season which starts in March. Vieira, 39, played for Manchester City in 2010-11 before coaching at the youth level of the club from 2011-13 and the reserves from 2013-15.
“I am delighted to take up the role of head coach of NY City FC”, said Vieira. “To work with this squad, with [sporting director] Claudio Reyna and [assistant coach] Rob Vartughian and the fantastic support team that is in place, is an exciting prospect for any coach”. Along with the aforementioned Manchester City, where he ultimately finished his playing career, he also featured for the likes of Cannes, Milan, Arsenal, Juventus, and Inter. He was a member of France’s title-winning teams at the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship.
The City “loan” fiasco that saw Lampard turn up in NY six months late and in no condition to play certainly highlighted how Kreis was fighting a losing battle with ownership during his tenure, but the summer signing of Pirlo was perhaps an even better indicator of the clash in philosophies. His playing experience spoke for itself as well, meaning that despite being young in the coaching world he can still be more than capable of having success in the Bronx.
A report in the Daily Mirror a few weeks ago claimed Arsenal were looking to bring Vieira back to North London in a coaching role to learn from Wenger, with the aim to see him eventually replace the 66-year-old. “Patrick is a special individual and a rare talent”, he said. NY missed the playoffs finishing 17th overall in a 20 team league and Kreis was sacked last week.
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‘I have no doubt that he will thrive at NY City FC’.
