Andrea Pirlo was thrilled over a winning MLS debut with New York City FC.
The former Juventus midfielder came off the bench during the 5-3 victory over Orlando City at Yankee Stadium on Sunday.
“It was great because I could tell that they wanted me to play," Pirlo told the club website.
“When I got on the pitch, it was absolutely amazing to hear all of the applause. It was very emotional to hear and I really did appreciate it."
Coach Jason Kreis was also impressed with the contribution from the former Juventus star.
“He's a special, special player. The guy sees passes that most of us don't. He can really open up the game. What I really saw was a team opening up because they believed he could find them. He made a big difference.
“It was his first game after training with the team for four days so we can hope for even better going forward."