Former England teammates Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard will meet up again in MLS this summer. Michael Regan/Getty Images

Frank Lampard says he already has a date in his diary for his first clash with his friend Steven Gerrard as he looks forward to renewing their rivalry in Major League Soccer.

The Manchester City midfielder will join up with New York City FC at the end of the English season, while the Liverpool captain will head for Los Angeles Galaxy at the conclusion of his Anfield career.

Lampard and Gerrard were long-time teammates in the England midfield but faced each other in plenty of high-pressure games between Chelsea and Liverpool.

And Lampard is already looking forward meeting again on the other side of the Atlantic in the sort of match he feels will boost the profile of MLS.

"August 23! It's at their place," he said. "A day after my [older] daughter's birthday, so I should know. I think it is great for the league. I have said before, the league is really coming on. People in Europe at the top leagues are talking about it.

"Players will go there. The league is growing in a very solid way. I know the foundations of it. People like Steven Gerrard, David Villa, Kaka, all these names going over, it is going to help the league.

"I am pleased for Stevie. I think it is a very good move for him. What more can he do for Liverpool? he has had a fantastic career. It helps with the interest here, people seeing it on TV over here now. I look forward to being competitive against Stevie. We get on very well, particularly in our latter years as captain and vice-captain of England. I have a huge amount of respect for him and I look forward to going up against him."

Lampard believes New York City FC have done amazingly to construct a club from nothing and feels they have enjoyed a fantastic start to life in competitive football.

Unbeaten in their first three games, NYCFC drew a crowd of 43,507 to Yankee Stadium for their home debut, a 2-0 win over the New England Revolution.

"I've watched their games and thought they looked fantastic," Lampard added. "The home game particularly, I thought the atmosphere in the ground, the crowd: I've had feedback from inside the club about what a buzz there is for it in the city. I was delighted for the lads.

"The lads were over here preseason, we went out for dinner and I got to know a lot of them, so I know how keen and hungry they are, all the way to every member of the squad. I was very pleased for them, brilliant.

"There are always question marks over it before, with a completely new things for so many of us. Who knows? What I do know is the people behind the scenes have done an amazing job... from Claudio Reyna, from the top of the club here, the City Football Group, to all the people behind the scenes in New York. They deserve that special day. I think it was a really special moment for everyone who has been involved in it and I hope it goes from strength to strength."

Lampard had been expected to link up with New York City in time for the start of the MLS season and instead stayed with Manchester City until May.

The veteran is keen to put the controversy of that decision, announced on New Year's Eve, behind him as he looks forward to his new life in the United States.

"I am very excited," he said. "I am very fortunate about this part of my career, coming to City. It was something I never saw coming.

"At 36, I got asked to come to the champions and a club with this pedigree. I am delighted that happened as it has done, and I am delighted about the future and the opportunity to go and play in New York, try and make the best of it, individually try to help there but also be part of a new football club in one of the best cities in the world. I am fortunate."