5-foot-3 Moralez envisions big impact for NYCFC
Being tiny hasn’t stopped New York City FC midfielder Maxi Moralez before.
At just 5-foot-3, Moralez surprisingly isn’t the shortest player in MLS. But the 30-year-old, who has played in Italy and most recently in Mexico with Club Leon, isn’t expecting anything new when it comes to players tossing him around.
“[MLS] is very physical league,” Moralez said at a community event in East Harlem last week. “Just like Italy, it’s very physical. My height has made me suffer, but I’ve faced a lot of tall people before. I want to be successful here.”
The league’s physicality always has been a talking point, but other short players such as Toronto FC forward Sebastian Giovinco and Real Salt Lake forward Joao Plata have used their small frames to their advantage.
“I don’t like to describe myself as a player or compare myself to others,” the newly signed Designated Player said. “Obviously, there are a lot of expectations for me. I want to show that on the field, especially with what [coach] Patrick [Vieira] is asking from me.”
NYCFC got a glimpse of Moralez’s play-making ability in their 1-0 loss against Orlando City last week. Vieira said it is just the beginning, considering Moralez has been with the club for just two weeks.
“I think he’ll be even better this week,” said Vieira before Sunday’s matchup against D.C. United at Yankee Stadium. “In training, he looked really sharp but he needs a few games to know the league. But Maxi will be a really important player for us.”
Moralez floated central behind David Villa, feeding balls out wide leftand-right where NYCFC likes to funnel its attack. His precision and understanding of what is happening around him helped deliver 11 successful passes in the final third of the field, as he embraced his job crafting scoring opportunities.
That has one teammate excited for things to come from the tiny midfielder.
“I’ve played against him many times,” said midfielder Andrea Pirlo, who played for against Moralez in Italy for Juventus. “When he played at Atalanta, he played really well. Now, I’m happy he plays here with me.”