It's the kind of instant impact that New York City FC will be hoping for when their 2015 expansion season kicks off in March.

Designated Player David Villa, who's on loan with Australian A-League club Melbourne City ahead of the start of MLS training camps in January, scored a goal on his Australian debut on Saturday, netting an equalizer just 15 minutes after coming into the match against Sydney FC in the opening weekend of the new A-League season.

The 32-year-old forward came off the bench three minutes into the second half, finding the back of the net on a feed from Damien Duff in the 63rd as Melbourne City tied Sydney 1-1.