Lampard off the mark for NYCFC

The former Chelsea and Manchester City midfielder
scored in a 2-0 win over Toronto FC, with fellow summer signing Andrea
Pirlo also turning in a high-quality display

Nearly 14 months after joining the club, Frank Lampard finally has his first goal for New York City FC.

The
37-year-old opened the scoring in his side's 2-0 win over Toronto FC at
Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, as the club moved into second in the
Eastern Conference.

Lampard missed the first half of the MLS
campaign after deciding to extend his controversial loan stint with
Manchester City, delaying his arrival until mid-July. Nagging injuries
have further limited Lampard's impact, with the former Chelsea stalwart
making just his fifth MLS appearance against Toronto.

But it took
him only 20 minutes to find the net. Midfielder Andrea Pirlo - another
marquee summer signing - played in right-back R.J. Allen, and his cut
back found Lampard on the edge of the box. Although he didn't make a
clean contact with the ball, his bouncing shot still evaded the grasp of
Toronto goalkeeper Chris Konopka.

"I didn’t catch it the best —
it sort of just bobbled in the corner," Lampard told reporters. "But
it’s great to get off the mark. I had a tough start with injuries, but
I’m getting fitter and hopefully more to come. It’s been frustrating for
me. No one is more frustrated than the player himself. I want to give
back. I want to show people what I can do. It’s a goal. I’ll get fitter
and there will be more goals, I hope."

And Lampard wasn't the
only big name to enjoy a productive night, as Pirlo notched a fine
assist in the 77th minute, helping Patrick Mullins add some sheen to the
scoreline. The Italy international's performance should quieten his
criticis for now, with Pirlo having seen New York lose in five of his
first seven starts.

"You can’t not enjoy playing with a player of
his quality," Lampard said of the former Juventus playmaker. "He’s a
master of the ball. He plays fantastic passes. You know when you move
that he is going to find you."

And coach Jason Kreis echoed
Lampard's sentiments, adding: "Andrea is a natural-born competitor who
doesn’t take to losing well, and I think that he’s been in many
situations like this before that require a massive effort. I think,
really, in the last two games he’s really worked extremely hard and
played quite well."