11:05 AM ET: Thank you for joining us today for this special Live coverage of England international and former Chelsea FC captain Frank Lampard becoming the fourth-member of 2015 MLS expansion side New York City FC. Keep it here with VAVEL USA for all of your soccer news.
11:00 AM ET: The next step for the club and player will be to figure out where to loan him to keep his fitness at peak level before the pre-season starts in early 2015.
10:58 AM ET: That is the end of the press conference. They are getting ready for the soccer clinic now. Nice press conference, short, sweet and to the point.
10:57 AM ET: Asked if there was any team he looked forward to scoring against, "All of them." He is going to be a great fit.
10:55 AM ET: He is asked about the risk of joining a new club rather than an established club, "It's not a risk, it's a challenge. I will do my best to make New York City FC a club that New Yorkers will be proud of."
10:54 AM ET: He is very excited to call Yankee Stadium his home for the next two years.
10:53 AM ET: A reporter asks Lampard about Chelsea's signings in the summer, "Chelsea will always have a huge place in my heart. I always wish Chelsea the best."
10:52 AM ET: He is not concerned about the different weather conditions in the United States. He mentions training in Miami with England this past June as well as experiences playing in hot conditions in past World Cups.
10:50 AM ET: Lampard, "I've been watching games in the MLS for a long time back home, It's a great opportunity and a great challenge for me." He also mentions that people are starting to take the United States seriously especially with their performance in the past World Cup.
10:49 AM ET: Reyna, "We're going to use the rest of the week to make a decision that's best for the club in terms of getting him ready for 2015. It is a two-year-deal."
10:48 AM ET: Lampard says that he did speak with David Beckham about Major League Soccer but not about this move specifically.
10:47 AM ET: Kreis, "The character issue is A++, he is the exact type of a person and player that we want here in New York."
10:46 AM ET: He has not made his decision yet on whether he will continue to play for England.
10:45 AM ET: Lampard, "I want to carry on challenging myself. Not just on the pitch but off of it as well."
10:45 AM ET: Frank Lampard, "Why not choose New York City?" When asked why he chose to come to NYCFC.
10:43 AM ET: Manager Jason Kreis, "I couldn't be more honored to work with a person and a player that is as quality as Frank Lampard."
10:42 AM ET: Reyna, "Simply said, Frank Lampard, is one of the best players in the history of the English Premier League."
10:42 AM ET: Reyna, "Things are moving fast but the reality is at any club, anywhere, it is about the players."
10:41 AM ET: Claudio Reyna, "It's really about the people when building the club."
10:40 AM ET: Tim Pernetti, the Chief Business Officer, is speaking now. He says "it is awesome to be in Brooklyn, they are excited to share the history of the club with all of New York City."
10:39 AM ET: The audio is back and now we have video! And there is Frank Lampard approaching the stage with Claudio Reyna and Jason Kreis.
10:34 AM ET: Scratch that, the audio is gone for the time being. People often associate Frank Lampard with Chelsea FC but they forget that he actually spent the first six seasons of his career with West Ham United.
10:30 AM ET: And here we go, the sound technician has unmuted the microphones and we are ready to roll with this press conference.
10:27 AM ET: We mentioned earlier that this will be the fourth player officially on the New York City FC squad. They are represented in each third of the field with a goalkeeper, a defender, a midfielder and a forward. It will be very interesting to see how they choose to build their team around these big players especially with the roster rules in Major League Soccer and their affiliation with Manchester City FC.
10:23 AM ET: Another look at the scene from MLSsoccer.com editor Greg Lalas.
10:20 AM ET: A beautiful view as we prep for the beginning of the press conference now just eight minutes away.
10:16 AM ET: People seem to forget that Lampard is also a proven goal scoring threat as well from the midfield. He scored a total of 211 goals for Chelsea across all competitions including 170 in the English Premier League as seen in the graphic below.
10:12 AM ET: We just about 17 minutes away from the start of the press conference in New York City this morning with sources all over Twitter confirming what the rumors had been that indeed it will be former Chelsea FC midfielder Frank Lampard who will be signing with New York City FC.
10:05 AM ET: Today's ceremonies will be led by club sporting director and former United States Men's National Team Captain Claudio Reyna and Manager Jason Kreis. It will be taking place at a soccer field on Pier 5 at the Brooklyn Bridge Park before a short thirty minute soccer clinic with about 40 local children to follow. New York City FC will kick off their inaugural Major League Soccer campaign in March 2015 and will play their home matches at Yankee Stadium.
10:04 AM ET: The signing will bring the total number of players under contract with New York City FC to four; joining the likes of David Villa, Jeb Brovsky and Josh Saunders who will all spend the fall months on loan with New York City FC and Manchester City FC sister-club Melbourne City FC of the Australian A-League.
10:03 AM ET: Lampard will bring a vast amount of international to the expansion side as well; he has currently earned 106 caps for his country while adding 29 goals. His most famous instance with his country was for a goal that was not credited during the 2010 FIFA World Cup during England's Round of 16 match with Germany.
Lampard floated in a ball that beat Manuel Neuer crashing into the underside of the crossbar before landing over the goal line and bouncing back out. The ball was clearly over the line but referee Jorge Larrionda allowed play to continue as if no goal has been scored. It was a critical error that came during a key point in the match; had the goal been allowed England would have drawn level with Germany at 2-2 with two goals in three minutes. That error is believed to be the birth of the new goal-line technology implemented in the recent FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
10:02 AM ET: It is now believed that the signing will indeed be England international and former Chelsea FC midfielder Frank Lampard. One of the draw backs to signing Lampard will be his age of 36 but he will bring a solid leadership to the midfield core.
Along with those leadership qualities, he brings a level on consistency in his club form over the last decade. Lampard has appeared in at least 40 matches across all competitions for Chelsea in 12 of his 13 season with the club. A number of different injuries kept him to only 32 appearances during the 2010-11 season.
10:01 AM ET: The rumor mill had been turning in recent days in regards to a big signing that was coming for New York City FC but it was not Lampard's name that was being talked about. It was Barcelona star and Spanish international Xavi Hernandez who had been linked with a move to club. That deal looks to be all but dead as of now after Xavi is anticipated to be showing up for Barcelona training on Thursday.
Reports are stating that he will remain with the club through at least January of 2015, where he will look for a potential transfer during the winter window.
10:00 AM ET: Good morning ladies and gentlemen, welcome to VAVEL USA's live coverage of the New York City FC press conference to announce a "major player signing." I am Matthew Evans and I will be your guide through this historic event for one of the newest expansion clubs to join Major League Soccer.