New York City FC on Twitter: "Swap your RBNY jersey today for a FREE NYCFC jersey from now until 6pm at Herald Square! #NYisBlue #WeAreOne #RivalryWeek"

Let me start this off by saying I may be giving them way more credit than they deserve.

I think this is pretty hilarious, but apparently for different reasons than most of the people here seem to think.

NYCFC is a brand new team, and not new in that they have existed as a team for decades and are finally being promoted to a top flight division. Brand new, in a city that has had another MLS team since the MLS started (Or, in the weird tradition of NY teams, a team that plays in northern New Jersey but is named a NY team).

So most of the people in their home city probably don't know they exist, and those that do know they exist don't really know what to make of them. Basically people are predominantly apathetic towards them, which we all agree is not a basis for good fandom.

So what do you do to get people to stop being apathetic? You make people hate you, and that's where ploys like this come in.

No true fan of NYRB is strolling down to herald square for a blue kit. They would be incensed by the notion. (Certainly not as enraged as a Celtic fan would be if offered a Rangers jersey, but again its a matter of scale and history, NYCFC just hasnt existed long enough to breed that). On top of that, its coming from the official twitter account! That new NY club is shit! etc.

So now there's vitriol where there was none. Maybe not a lot, but its something.

On top of that, regardless if plastic fans actually march down and swap jerseys. NYCFC are set up with their colors in Herald Square getting all kinds of attention and coverage building their name. To neutrals that didn't know them, they've demonstrated that they are in direct competition with NYRB (I've heard people ask if NYCFC were a "farm team" which is a term used mostly in baseball and I guess the closest correlate would be like the youth squads).

I think the best thing that could happen with this is if NYCFC goes on to beat NYRB this weekend. Then between the needling and upset on the pitch you've got some sparks for a REAL rivalry.

But again. Maybe I'm giving them too much credit and they just have someone running the twitter that not only doesn't understand football but doesn't understand sports at all.

/r/soccer Thread Link - twitter.com