3 reasons why New York City FC is soaring in 2016

New York sits atop the Eastern Conference once again in 2016, only this time, the Big Apple has been painted, symbolically, in sky blue. Head coach Patrick Vieira has guided New York City FC to the top at the halfway mark of 2016, with the New York Red Bulls reduced to a lowly fourth.

It's a huge turnaround for the Pigeons, who finished 2015 near the bottom of the pile.

Here are 3 reasons NYCFC is soaring in 2016:

The Evolution of David Villa

Among the stars that now call New York home, no player is as important to NYCFC than David Villa.

The man known as "El Guaje" in his native Spain has notched 12 goals in 18 games, two more than Montreal Impact winger Ignacio Piatti, who, it must be said, is much more clinical in front of goal; Piatti's 10 goals have come from 37 shots - only 20 on target - whereas Villa has attempted 107 shots, 47 on target.

Villa's conversion rate is not, however, a symptom of his decline. Instead, at 34 years old, the Spanish striker has been forced to change his game while playing on a smaller, shortened pitch at Yankee Stadium, where space comes at a premium.

At New York, Villa figures the gamble pays off more frequently than it does in Europe, so why not shoot? Why not force the issue, especially on a shorter, smaller pitch, in closer proximity?

Astutely, Villa has notched eight goals in 11 home games this season by asking that very question: he went from an average of 1.8 shots per game at Atletico Madrid in 2013-14 to 4.6 and 5.9 shots per game in 2015 and 2016 respectively.

Aged or not, Lampard and Pirlo bring quality

While Andrea Pirlo is forgiven for his lack of speed - a new development, to no one - by doing Pirlo things ...

... Frank Lampard hasn't been quite so lucky.

The former Chelsea man, sidelined for the first 12 games of the season with a calf injury, has been heavily scorned, in part because of his $6 million salary.

He was even called the "worst signing in MLS history" by Bob Williams of The Telegraph.

But Lampard is healthy and the two have now started side-by-side in the last three games, with Vieira cleverly switching right full-back Andoni Iraola to defensive midfield to help alleviate some of their defensive duties.

It is by no means a perfect solution, nor is this midfield engine running smoothly, but for the most part, the duo is hustling, trying to create chances, and moving all over the field.

(Courtesy: MLS Chalkboard)

Ugly or not, it's paying off: NYCFC won its last three games with Lampard and Pirlo finding Villa regularly up top. Vieira figured out how to make all three of his stars click, something former head coach Jason Kreis just couldn't manage.

NYCFC is quick to move on

Vieira deserves praise for his tactics (though they are sometimes rather odd) and for his man-management: his players enjoy playing under his tutelage, as expected.

But his biggest accomplishment with NYCFC comes down to his operating mentality: the simple truth is that NYCFC is a sophomore team with no established team chemistry and, as a first-time coach himself, there will be speed bumps that he and his team will need to overcome.

Vieira has tried a lot of different formations, and if it didn't work, he moves on and tries another, quickly moving on to plans B, C, D, and E. Kwadwo Poku's place wasn't assured, so rather than fit square pegs into round hole, Vieira moved him on - Jack Harrison proved a better fit, anyway.

Feeling confident after a stretch of five games without a loss, NYCFC was dealt a blow courtesy of its rival Red Bulls in a 7-0 loss on May 21. Rather than wallow in their embarrassment, Vieira moved forward, circling the next encounter and preparing to try something else.

"We were a completely new version of New York City because we had a week to prepare for the game," Vieira said, according to ESPN FC. "Mentally and physically we were prepared to play a derby game and that wasn't the case when we played the first game."

It worked, and last weekend, NYCFC defeated the Red Bulls 2-0 to move atop of the Eastern Conference.

Try. Fail. Move on. There's no use lingering in the past.