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MLS New York City FC

Tony Larsen: "For 90 Minutes We're One Family."

December 8, 2021 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
New York City FC News Release


Tony Larsen clicked confirm. His flight to Portland, Oregon was now booked.

"It's in and out for me because both my son and I have tight schedules this weekend," Larsen explained. "We're flying in that morning, we land about an hour before the match, I'm going to boogie over and we are leaving around 11:30PM."

Larsen's son, Chris (pictured above at the Club's first ever home game), was the catalyst to book the trip. The two had spent years attending NYCFC games together, and it was a desire to recapture that feeling and enjoy another special moment together that saw the pair commit to flights and match tickets.

"There isn't a game that goes by where he isn't texting me throughout, even if we're not together, we're still discussing it," dad said "So it brings us together. We'll go weeks without talking to each other until the next game and it's just that moment for he and I to really bond and click again."

While the team's journey to MLS Cup started against D.C. United in March, Larsen's path with the club was forged a number of years before that.

"I was interested as soon as I heard that it announced," he explained. "I didn't know if I'd actually become a season ticket holder, though. I figured that decision had to involve my wife. So we were actually at a street fair, down in Tribeca, and we went over to the NYCFC tent that was there."

Larsen is a lifelong lover of the game. He grew up hearing stories of Pelé from his parents and remembers a time when the sport's popularity in the United States was not what it enjoys today - thankfully that never dampened his passion for the game.

"I've always loved the sport primarily because of the inclusion that I felt as a as a youngster when I moved to a different part of the United States," he said. "The game got me involved with my school and was able to integrate me into that new school. That's why I really kind of have an attachment for it, but as far as with NYCFC specifically, it was just as soon as they were announced as being in the five boroughs, that was a big factor for me, it actually represented the city that I love."

Being a fan of a club that is born in front of your eyes offers its own unique experiences. The first signing, the first home game, Larsen has been present for it all. And it's when stood in the stands at a home game that those same feelings he experienced in an elementary school playground resurfaced.

"It's the thing that makes New York special - it's the diversity that comes together as one," he said. "I mean, when I'm in the supporters' stand or anywhere in the stadium, there's someone next to me with completely different values, completely different culture, usually a completely different language, but for 90 minutes we're one family. I think that makes us special. It represents New York as a whole in that way."

While so many of his best moments as a fan have come on the field, it has not been exclusively in a sporting context that he has found joy with NYCFC.

"The first three years I did the team photo through Citizens points at the first home game," he said. "It was fun - the team remembering me when I came to join them the next year, that was kind of cool - just to feel integrated and part of the club that way.

"I think the biggest thing the club has done is given me extra avenues to give back in the community. I mean, one of my cherished memories is winning the 2019 community MVP, because I love the opportunity to plant flowers on Randall's Island, to clean up parks in the Bronx, to mentor kids at the high school in the Bronx. There's been a lot of good opportunities to give back to the community that I care for."

On Saturday, Larsen will stand alongside his community once again in Portland. He will soak in that special moment alongside his son Chris and hope that the pair can enjoy another unforgettable memory together.

"For me, it's going to be more about the memories of getting us there," he said. "The times when he was younger, bringing him to the games. The times when I would watch him play as he was growing up. It's the togetherness that it brings, and the shared memories that are irreplaceable. Whether we win or lose, we're in our first championship and I'm doing it together with my son.

"It's those things that I want him to take with him too, so when he eventually has children he can remember and talk to his kids and say 'I went with my dad to their first championship final'. Those things become that familial bond and it helps us carry on that legacy."

"It's the thing that makes New York special - it's the diversity that comes together as one," he said. "I mean, when I'm in the supporters' stand or anywhere in the stadium, there's someone next to me with completely different values, completely different culture, usually a completely different language, but for 90 minutes we're one family. I think that makes us special. It represents New York as a whole in that way."

While so many of his best moments as a fan have come on the field, it has not been exclusively in a sporting context that he has found joy with NYCFC.

"The first three years I did the team photo through Citizens points at the first home game," he said. "It was fun - the team remembering me when I came to join them the next year, that was kind of cool - just to feel integrated and part of the club that way.

"I think the biggest thing the club has done is given me extra avenues to give back in the community. I mean, one of my cherished memories is winning the 2019 community MVP, because I love the opportunity to plant flowers on Randall's Island, to clean up parks in the Bronx, to mentor kids at the high school in the Bronx. There's been a lot of good opportunities to give back to the community that I care for."

On Saturday, Larsen will stand alongside his community once again in Portland. He will soak in that special moment alongside his son Chris and hope that the pair can enjoy another unforgettable memory together.

"For me, it's going to be more about the memories of getting us there," he said. "The times when he was younger, bringing him to the games. The times when I would watch him play as he was growing up. It's the togetherness that it brings, and the shared memories that are irreplaceable. Whether we win or lose, we're in our first championship and I'm doing it together with my son.

"It's those things that I want him to take with him too, so when he eventually has children he can remember and talk to his kids and say 'I went with my dad to their first championship final'. Those things become that familial bond and it helps us carry on that legacy."

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