New York City FC's Tommy McNamara. Source: Diane Bondareff

NEW YORK CITY FC moved into second place in the MLS Eastern Conference last night thanks to a spectacular goal from a player who happens to hold an Irish passport.

Tommy McNamara was born in New York but he qualifies for dual citizenship, as the 25-year-old attacking midfielder’s paternal grandfather was born in Ireland.

McNamara has been having an excellent season for NYC FC and, after being teed up on the edge of the box by Andrea Pirlo, he found the net for the third time in 11 games in 2016 to give his side a 2-1 win away to Portland Timbers.

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In an interview with MLSSoccer.com back in March — when he picked up New York City’s Player of the Month award — McNamara expressed a desire to play for either Ireland or the USA, adding that he has already been contacted by the FAI.

“I have an Irish passport. I’ve had it for almost 10 years now. Someone from the FAI reached out and wanted to confirm whether I did have a passport or not,” said McNamara, who hasn’t had any interest yet from the US national team.

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“I think it’s an honour to represent the national team. Obviously I qualify for both and it would be an honour to represent either. I’ve always followed and supported the Irish national team as well as the US national team. I’ve watched almost every game for both national teams. I’ve followed and supported both national teams my entire life.”

New York City FC boss Patrick Vieira seems to rate McNamara highly too. The France and Arsenal legend said: “He’s a player who plays football with thinking. He’s really clever, technically he’s really good on the ball, he’s a team player, a positive player. I like him as a player and I like him as a person.”

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