Pep Guardiola Praises NYCFC for Reaching MLS Cup

NYCFC has at least one high-profile supporter pulling for the club in MLS Cup.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola offered his well wishes to NYCFC in his prematch press conference on Friday, which took place on the eve of the MLS championship match. NYCFC and Man City are both part of the City Football Group family, with the Premier League side the crown jewel in the worldwide network of clubs under the group's ownership umbrella.

Guardiola has a couple of more intimate ties to NYCFC, though, with his former right-hand man, Domènec Torrent, the former manager of the club. Guardiola also spent his sabbatical year between his stints at Barcelona and Bayern Munich living in New York. It's no surprise, then, that he's pulling for NYCFC in Saturday's showdown vs. the Portland Timbers at Providence Park.

"Wow, first off big congratulations," Guardiola said. "When Domènec Torrent was there making a step forward, finishing first in the conference but unfortunately in the playoffs went out in the previous rounds, and today with a new manager (Ronny Deila) and the team arranged something good. This organization was built for that, and it's good for this brand, for New York City, and for the city of New York and for the club [to] achieve this. Being champions of the conference and now playing [in the final], wish them on behalf of Man City all the best. It's part of our family and hopefully they can win the final."

Unlike Man City, which has accumulated trophies under Guardiola, including three of the last four Premier League titles, NYCFC has yet to win anything of consequence in its six seasons as a club. It did, as Guardiola pointed out, top the Eastern Conference in the regular season in 2019, but it fell in its first playoff game that season, a conference semifinal defeat to Toronto FC.

This season has brought about some firsts, including the first appearance in a conference final and a first conference championship—and if Guardiola has it his way, it'll end with a first MLS Cup.