LA Galaxy will face off against New York City FC on Sunday afternoon in one of the most eagerly anticipated match ups of this MLS season. The game will feature a number of the world's best soccer players, and in addition to players like David Villa, Andrea Pirlo, Giovani Dos Santos and Robbie Keane, all the pre-match build up has been about Steven Gerrard renewing rivalries with fellow Englishman Frank Lampard. Today's game takes place from the StubHub Center in Los Angeles and has a scheduled start time of 3 p.m. ET. The game can be watched on TV on the ESPN network or online through ESPN live stream via the link below.
Steven Gerard and Frank Lampard have spent the last decade fighting it out in the English Premier League and are two of the most recognizable players on the planet. Both moved to the MLS just weeks ago, and although most are used to seeing them clash in Liverpool and Chelsea (and more recently Manchester City) colors, today they will be lining up for the Galaxy (the most successful MLS club in history so far), and NYCFC (currently in their inaugural season but touted to be one of the most successful teams for the coming years).
For a long time, pundits and critics have spoken about the rumored tension between Lampard and Gerrard despite them both being regular fixtures in the England team for so long. As such much of the talk in the build up to today's game has been about that same rivalry.
Lampard, in a recent interview, played down the rumors of any bad blood between the pair, simply saying that they both had an extreme desire to win, and that both hated losing and were bad losers. But off the pitch once the game is over they've had an amicable relationship.
He told BBC Sport: "We had many rivalries over the years with Liverpool and Chelsea, and it was intense. It will be no different, the fact we want to win badly. When we step on the pitch, we are both winners, both want to win, and we're both bad losers, so that won't change."
Gerrard said ahead of the game: "I'm sure Frank agrees, it's slightly embarrassing to have all the focus on you when its LA Galaxy v New York. It's all about the game and the three points – I'm sure he would agree. But we understand it. We've played together for so many years and we've also been rivals, Liverpool v Chelsea, so we understand that element of it as well."
Gerrard is a player that spent his entire professional soccer career with his beloved Liverpool before joining the Galaxy. Lampard, however, started out in West Ham's iconic youth academy set up, emerging as one of their brightest stars, before joining Chelsea. He enjoyed huge success with the West London club, before joining Manchester City for last season, and has eventually found his way to New York despite some confusion and anger about his start date.
Against one another it is Lampard who has enjoyed the lion's share of success. In total the pair have faced off 33 times in England, with Lampard winning 15, compared to Gerrard's 11, and there being seven draws.
Speaking about the rivalry between them Gerrard said, "It's real. When that whistle goes for 90 minutes, when we're competing against each other, it's war. We fight against each other, we always have, [and] when the whistle blows to finish, there's a mutual respect there, and we've always got on off the pitch, regardless of what other people say."
He added, "If he plays [Sunday] from the beginning, or he comes on [as a substitute], we become enemies, and when the game's over, we become friends again."
Although both play in the center of midfield, Lampard is certainly a player who gets forward a bit more. Gerrard can also come in behind the strikers but has always been comfortable staying back to support the defense in front of the back four.
Lampard scored 259 goals over 884 games through his 20 seasons in England. He has also scored 29 goals in 106 international games for England. Gerrard meanwhile has scored 186 goals in 708 games through his 17 seasons with Liverpool, and has scored 21 in 114 appearances for England.
Today's game between LA Galaxy and New York City FC has a scheduled start time of 3 p.m. ET and can be watched on TV on the ESPN network or online through live stream by clicking here.
