Andrea Pirlo says he was surprised by the high level of play during his first year in MLS with New York City FC, while Kaka believes the league will join the world's elite within a decade.

Pirlo never really took off in his first season at Yankee Stadium, as he tallied just two assists and failed to score in 13 appearances after joining the expansion club in July.

New York City FC failed to make the playoffs in their first year of existence, but Pirlo said he's hoping for more in his first full season.

"I've only spent a few months here, but I've been very, very happy to see the way things went," Pirlo told ESPN at MLS media day.

"The level is much higher than I thought and I'm very happy to be here, but I hope from the new season we will improve and things will go even better."