New York City FC threw their first ‘Pirlo Party’ on Sunday, and the guest of honour made a timely appearance for the MLS newcomers, providing a welcome second-half boost in an eight-goal thriller that did much for the league’s excitement level, if little for anyone’s defensive reputations.
Yet while Italian maestro Andrea Pirlo demonstrated he still has life in his 36-year-old legs, another foreign import was the most important player on view. He didn’t score, he had only one assist and his team finished on the wrong end of the 5-3 scoreline, but Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, otherwise known as Kaká, has already staked an indelible claim to be the league’s MVP this year, no matter how many parties New York stages between now and the end of the season.
It is also possible the Brazilian could turn out to be the most important designated player since a certain David Beckham first put his name to an inventive new rule about highly-paid stars being slotted into the playing ranks, despite the limitations of a salary cap.
After a six-year stint as the league’s de facto ambassador, Beckham hung up his DP boots in 2012 and handed over the reins to a larger group of designated promoters, including Los Angeles team-mate Robbie Keane, Seattle’s Clint Dempsey, Thierry Henry in New York and, in Canada, Marco Di Vaio (Montreal) and Michael Bradley (Toronto).
In 2015, that steady trickle has become a positive stream, with each of Kaká, David Villa, Shaun Maloney, Sebastian Giovinco and, most recently, Erick Torres, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Giovani dos Santos, Pirlo and Didier Drogba joining the DP throng. Yet only one of them drew the bulk of Snapchat fan votes to be the MLS captain in the all-star game against Spurs on Wednesday, and he was the only South American.
New York City’s game against Orlando marked the first time three former World Cup winners have appeared on the same MLS field, yet it was only one of them who spent the weekend before the game leading the media a merry promotional dance around the city, pressing the flesh and kissing babies (actually, taking selfies with all-comers and cuddling puppies), and he wasn’t European.
Villa, Giovinco, Gerrard and Jozy Altidore have all been notable contributors on the field in 2015, with the imperious Spaniard and impish Italian helping themselves to a combined 25 goals to date. Both will be firmly in the MVP debate, yet both have plenty of world-class help at hand and only the Brazilian has become the undisputed ‘face’ of his franchise, a flag-bearer of the frontline kind.
The simple fact is, this has become routine for Kaká, a standard experience of selling himself as much as the game, putting in long hours and multiple, multi-language interviews in order to promote the league’s growing reputation for attracting significant talent.
It is also the language factor that has made him so valuable, in a way even Beckham couldn’t approach in his heyday. It does help, of course, that the Brazilian has scored 11 goals this season, including a belter in the US Open Cup against Columbus and an even better one in a friendly against West Brom that invoked memories of his 2007 peak with AC Milan.
But his ability to communicate in English, Spanish and Italian as well as his native Portuguese – allied to his sincere simplicity – is the true gift for the league’s marketeers, who have long yearned to have an authentic South American connection that can engage the continent’s many Latin soccer fans.
At home, in Orlando’s cavernous Citrus Bowl, Kaká has quickly become the fan favourite to end them all, a figure who will run into the supporters behind the south goal after scoring and embrace as many as possible, and then be the last player to leave after a game, having signed autographs late into the night.
The Brazilian also endeared himself to fans with his tribute to injured team-mate Kevin Molino in May when, after scoring a penalty against Los Angeles, he ran to the sideline and donned a Molino shirt, earning himself a yellow card but even more adulation as a result.
Brazil shirts are common at most Orlando away games, along with fans curious to see the 2007 world player of the year in the flesh. City’s road games have brought the highest attendance this season at each of Montreal, Salt Lake, Chicago and San Jose, and the second highest at Houston.
Kaká doesn’t hide when he takes his family to Disney World on a rest day, and he has taken selfies with thousands in his seven months in the heart of Theme Park Central. If you crossed St Francis of Assisi with Peyton Manning, added a dash of Errol Flynn and a side order of Forrest Gump, you couldn’t order up a more marketable – and likeable – player to carry the MLS flag.
No wonder Orlando City president Phil Rawlins says: “I firmly believe Kaká is the most valuable DP to join MLS since Beckham. His value on the field is clear for everyone to see but when you combine that with his universal appeal, his global reach in social media and his accessibility, he is clearly a game-changer for the league.”
Head coach Adrian Heath adds: “I don’t think we could have picked a better guy, in every way, to be the foundation of this team. Not only did he provide instant credibility but he is also a great teacher to the young guys in the team, showing them on a daily basis what it means to be a top-level professional.”
Considering Orlando is the epicentre of all things Brazilian in MLS terms, they probably would say that, wouldn’t they? Yet listen to a more neutral observer, like Fox Sports pundit Eric Wynalda, and, if anything, the praise for the ‘Kaká effect’ is even higher.
Wynalda enjoyed a storied playing career in both the formative years of MLS as well as during a decade playing for the US national team. He has seen MLS in all its 20-year history, and he has been paying close attention to events in central Florida this year.
He insists: “Sometimes we struggle to find a really strong connection to something that is real, and then someone like Kaká comes along, who is just a brilliant human being, and that’s the biggest part for me. We have seen players with big names and high salaries but I don’t think we have ever seen someone this genuine – and who can still play at an extremely high level.
“You don’t usually get guys like me – guys who were at the very beginning of the league, who didn’t make a lot of money and can sometimes be a bit self-righteous about foreign players coming in and making loads of money and not trying – saying this, but you are never going to hear that complaint from anybody when it comes to him.”
Considering Kaká is on $7.2m a year – in excess of any of his fellow DPs and roughly 100 times what Wynalda earned at his peak – to spread his Orlando largesse as far as possible, it is a remarkable statement from the ex-MLSer.
The former San Jose Clash striker does not stop there, either. “The players who have the opportunity to play with him are getting the most fantastic up-close education, and his influence on that side of things has been tremendous,” Wynalda observes. “It really is wonderful to have him in the league and people need to recognise that this doesn’t happen every day. It has been a great experience for everybody.
“I think there has always been an echo from the public about why haven’t we seen more South American players in the league. We had Marco Etcheverry in the very beginning, who was evidence that players from that region could bring tremendous value to the league, but we hadn’t seen much more until now, and a lot of it just has to do with the fact he is a brilliant footballer. He is everything he was supposed to be, and more besides.
“I wouldn’t go so far as to say he has had the same kind of influence over here as Pele, but it is pretty damn close. What he has brought has really enlightened a lot of people to this game.”
Steve Nicol is another player-turned-pundit who has a wealth of MLS knowledge and sees Kaká as the latest manifestation of the ‘new’ MLS. The former Liverpool star and New England head coach explains: “I think David Beckham set the standard for designated players, and we are now seeing the benefits of the level of professionalism that he brought.
“Prior to Beckham, I think that all the other superstars that came over were pretty much a failure as they saw it as an easy payday. David changed all that. Now, you are no longer bringing in guys who are mailing it in at the end of their careers, and Kaka is another example of that.
“You can see the pride in his performance and his willingness to work and pass on his experience and know-how. Those Orlando players are getting a real lesson in professionalism because, as much as anything else, he leads by example.”
Wynalda also points to the immense social media reach that Kaká enjoys as indication of the extra depth of his influence. Orlando City has close to 700,000 likes on their Brazilian Facebook page alone, almost as many as New York Red Bulls do for their regular Facebook profile. The Lions also have fan clubs in Britain, Italy, Norway, Portugal, China and Spain, as well as throughout Florida and parts of Latin America, which is testament to Orlando’s nature as a tourist Mecca going hand-in-hand with its new sporting icon.
Is it possible, then, that Kaká could have an even greater effect than Beckham? “Well, you can certainly say Kaká is the better footballer,” said Wynalda. “I think what David brought was a little bit more on the commercial side, as well as the awareness of the league because of his popularity. What David brought was fantastic, but Kaká has engaged fans who don’t know who he is.
“To the casual soccer fan in America, being introduced to him in a different way to the way Beckham was, and being judged solely on his ability as a player, you can’t fail to be impressed. Even when what he tries on the field doesn’t work out, you can see the genius in the man. Being an American and having been a part of the league since the beginning, I think it’s wonderful to have this guy out there.
“I guess I could just say it for what he is – the complete package, everything you would want in a DP. This is a man who isn’t going to let you down.”
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