Patrick Vieira claims USMNT 'will be successful in the near future'

10/14/2022

Crystal Palace boss Patrick Vieira claims the USMNT ‘will be successful in the near future’ and insists Premier League fans ‘would be surprised by the passion of US soccer supporters’ after his time in the MLS with New York City FC

Patrick Vieira managed MLS team New York City FC from 2016 until 2018
The Crystal Palace boss said he was surprised by the passion of US supporters
The Arsenal legend insisted the future of soccer in the United States is bright
He said that managing in the MLS had its own challenges due to the differences
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Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira claimed that the USMNT will find success in the ‘near future’ as he insisted that European soccer fans would be surprised by the passion of American supporters.

The Arsenal legend moved to New York in 2016 to manage New York City FC in his first role outside of academy coaching.

Vieira spent two and a half seasons at the helm in the Big Apple and admitted he was left impressed by the passion and dedication of soccer fans in the United States.

Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira coached MLS side New York City FC from 2016-2018

The Frenchman claimed the US national team is on track to achieve success in the near future

‘The British people or European people would be surprised by the passion of the game and of soccer in the United States,’ he told Crystal Palace’s website. ‘Even myself, I was really surprised because we played in different places and the stadiums, the atmosphere.

‘People coming before or seeing fans after the game. There is a passion over there that is growing every year and I think the future looks really bright for US soccer.’

He insisted that the growing passion for the sport is reflected in the emerging American talent playing in Europe’s top-flights and claimed that success for the US national team is not far off.

Christian Pulisic (left), Tyler Adams (center) and Brendan Aaronson (right) play in England

He added: ‘There are a lot of Americans now coming at an early age in Europe and playing the game, trying to learn even more, trying to develop themselves and to challenge themselves.

‘It’s such a big country that I believe they will be successful in the near future.’

Vieira’s position at New York City FC was his first foray into managing at a senior level after coaching at Manchester City’s academy.

He admitted that managing in the MLS presented its own challenges due to the differences between the way it works compared to European leagues, such as the Premier League.

‘I wanted to challenge myself moving from youth football to professional football,’ he explained. ‘I wanted to go to a league where I was getting more pressure, and wanted to test the philosophy that I wanted to implement.

The Arsenal legend admitted that managing in the MLS presented its own challenges

‘Of course, moving to New York City F.C. was a really good decision, because I was surrounded by people who were prepared to give me a platform to go to the next level.’

‘It’s a different way of working, because you have to take a lot of elements into consideration when building teams,’ Vieira added.

‘The salary cap is one of them. It’s pushing you as a manager to really think about the priority and the quality that you want when you’re building the team.

‘There are also different levels of players. You have players who came from South America or players who came from Europe and are used to training every day and playing games every weekend, and you have players who came from the draft and have been training three or four times per week.

‘So there were different levels of ability of players and it’s not something easy for a manager to build a team or build the training session.’

Vieira insisted that making the move to New York was a good decision for his career

Vieira revealed he felt at home in New York thanks to the many sports teams the city boasts as he said he enjoyed being able to go see the Yankees in action or the ice hokey at Madison Square Garden.

‘I enjoyed it straight away,’ he said. ‘I had a couple of friends living in New York for a while, like Youri Djorkaeff who played with me in the French national team.

‘He really understood what New York was about and he made me understand the city really well – and things to do in the city… New York is a good place to live.

‘Living in New York, you are going to Madison Square Garden, watching the ice hockey.

‘You are going to the baseball watching the [New York] Yankees play, you are going to see American football. If you love sport in general, you will be really pleased living in the United States.’

Vieria joined Crystal Palace in 2021 and led the Eagles to a 12th-place finish in his first season

Vieira left New York in 2018 to take charge at French side Nice before joining Palace last July.

He led the Eagles to a 12th-place finish last season in the Premier League but Palace have endured a tough start to the current campaign, sitting 15th in the table.

However, the team faces rock-bottom Leicester City Saturday and will look to secure all three points against the dejected club and under-fire manager Brendan Rodgers.

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