Frank Lampard has faced off against Steven Gerrard many times over their long and fruitful careers in the English Premier League, but Lampard has eagerly marked the date of their next meeting on his calendar all the same.
That's because it won't take place in England, but halfway around the world at StubHub Center in Carson, Calif., where they'll do battle for the first time with their new clubs, New York City FC and the LA Galaxy.
“August 23! It's at their place,” Lampard told ESPNFC this week. “A day after my [older] daughter's birthday, so I should know. I think it is great for the league. I have said before, the league is really coming on. People in Europe at the top leagues are talking about it.”
Lampard is scheduled to conclude the EPL season at Manchester City before joining NYCFC as a Designated Player, while Gerrard will make a similar transition to LA when his time at Anfield draws to a close this summer.
Whereas Lampard's destination has been known for the better part of a year, many in Liverpool are still coming to terms with his former England midfield partner's decision to depart his beloved Reds.
“I am pleased for Stevie. I think it is a very good move for him,” Lampard said. “What more can he do for Liverpool? He has had a fantastic career. It helps with the interest here, people seeing it on TV over here now. I look forward to being competitive against Stevie. We get on very well, particularly in our latter years as captain and vice-captain of England. I have a huge amount of respect for him and I look forward to going up against him.”
Lampard and Gerrard join a steady procession of international heavyweights making the move to MLS in recent years, a development Lampard expects will continue.
“Players will go there. The league is growing in a very solid way,” he said. “I know the foundations of it. People like Steven Gerrard, David Villa, Kaká, all these names going over, it is going to help the league.”
For his part, Lampard said he considers himself “very fortunate” to have had the twofold opportunity to contribute to Man City's season and start his new chapter in the United States.
“I am very excited,” he said. “I am very fortunate about this part of my career, coming to City. It was something I never saw coming.
“At 36, I got asked to come to the champions and a club with this pedigree. I am delighted that happened as it has done, and I am delighted about the future and the opportunity to go and play in New York, try and make the best of it, individually try to help there but also be part of a new football club in one of the best cities in the world. I am fortunate.”
