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NYCFC’s David Villa, Frank Lampard, Andrea Pirlo finally have breakout game

Frank Lampard scored a goal in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Philadelphia Union.
Frank Lampard scored a goal in Saturday’s 3-2 win over the Philadelphia Union. Photo Credit: Universal Pictures

New York City FC fans have waited for a game like this. For the first time, David Villa, Frank Lampard and Andrea Pirlo — the club’s three designated players — found the back of the net in the same match.

At last, the trio of stars used their respective talents to make a difference in the club’s first win since May 15. The 3-2 victory against conference-leading Philadelphia Union on Saturday also marked the first time the trio were in the starting 11 this season for NYCFC (5-5-6, 21 points).

“I hope in the future we can perform like that again,” Pirlo said told reporters after the game. “The goals were great, but once again the most important thing is the overall performance.”

Getting Pirlo and Lampard on the board was a relief for NYCFC, which now trails the Union by just two points in the standings. The team has longed for contributions all around, not solely from Villa. The captain increased his league-leading goal count to 11 against Philadelphia with a score in the 21st minute.

Lampard, who has been limited to 44 minutes this season due to a calf injury, made an impression early in his first start of the season by scoring NYCFC’s first goal. Pirlo capped the club’s scoring in the 50th minute.