Steve Gerrard has emulated a fellow former England captain in David Beckham by playing for LA Galaxy in MLS and his career in the States could not have started better. Frank Lampard is still waiting for his debut for New York City after an international career in which like Gerrard he played for England more than 100 times. Both players will be looking to inspire their new team mates to record wins in MLS this weekend, LA on the road at the Houston Dynamos and New York at home to Orlando though Lampard’s participation in that match has not been confirmed.
Previous Gerrard and Lampard article.
Steven Gerrard
Gerrard had only ever played for Liverpool and England before joining LA Galaxy. He supports the club and has been involved in many memorable matches since making his debut in 1998. He led his team to the Miracle of Istanbul. Liverpool were losing 3-0 to AC Milan in the final of the 2005 Champions League in the Turkish city. Gerrard scored a goal and inspired his team to win the match after extra time and penalties. However, in his time at the club Liverpool never won the Premier League despite some near misses most notably last season when a crucial slip by Gerrard cost the team dear.
A perfect end to Gerrard’s career at Liverpool would have been playing in the English FA Cup Final on May 30th, his 35th birthday. The dream did not become a reality as Liverpool lost in the semi-finals to Aston Villa who lost to Arsenal in the final. Gerrard scored 186 goals in 708 matches for Liverpool. He has also scored 21 times for England in 114 appearances. He captained his country at the 2014 World Cup but never won a major international trophy. He is expected to return to Liverpool in a coaching capacity after his sabbatical in MLS.
Frank Lampard
Lampard played in the English Premier League for Manchester City last season. In July 2014 Lampard supposedly signed a two year deal to play for New York City FC. The move to the States followed a 12 year spell at Chelsea where he is the record scorer, finding the net 211 times in 648 matches. He moved to City in a one season deal that was possible because City are the parent club of New York. At the start of this year Lampard finally signed to play for New York City in the MLS but he is yet to appear for the club.
Houston Dynamos v LA Galaxy
Houston and LA Galaxy are at opposite ends of the Western Conference. The home side are ninth, seven places and ten points behind their opponents in this match. Houston are eight points off a play-off position while LA are just about certain to qualify for the post season. This is the third meeting of the season with the previous fixtures producing one draw and a win for LA. On recent form this is a trip that the Galaxy can enjoy by winning on the road and continuing Gerrard’s great start to his new career.
The Galaxy arrive in Houston on the back of a 5-2 home victory against the San Jose Earthquake. Gerrard scored and made an assist on his MLS debut but it was his former Liverpool team mate Robbie Keane that was the man of the match. He scored a hat-trick for the second league match running and now has seven goals and three assists in his last five games. LA can take the momentum and confidence gained form scoring 19 goals in their last four home matches on their travels and win at Houston.
New York City v Orlando City
Lampard would be a good addition the New York side that host Orlando in a significant match in the context of making the playoffs. Orlando are in the final qualifying position but only three points ahead of the side they visit on Sunday. They are on a run of two losses while New York lost for the first time in three fixtures at the New England Revolution last week. This match is just the second meeting in MLS history with the first match ending in a draw. With or without Lampard this match looks like a home banker for New York.
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