Soccer coaches have smoked cigarettes on the sidelines for decades, so Heber wasn’t too surprised the first time he saw his manager at Armenian club FC Alashkert light up during a halftime team talk.



It was when the starting goalkeeper joined in that the New York City FC forward knew he was in for something far, far different than what he was used to back in his native Brazil.



“It was always so smoky in the locker room,” he laughed in a recent interview.



That was just four years ago, but it feels like an entirely different lifetime for Heber, who has taken MLS by storm since he signed with NYCFC in late March. The 27-year-old has eight goals and three assists for City, who are an impressive 6-1-5 in his 12 regular season appearances. He’s been a solid replacement for the legendary David Villa; finishing effectively, combining well with NYCFC’s stable of underneath attackers and currently trailing only Carlos Vela, Brian...