Alex Ring will succeed David Villa as NYCFC captain. (Photo courtesy of MLS)

It might be difficult to replace David Villa as a lethal striker, but New York City FC has named a new captain — Alex Ring.

The Finnish international midfielder had worn the captain’s armband several times when Villa was injured the past two seasons, so leading the team won’t be anything new this Major League Soccer season.

“I’m immensely proud to be the captain of this team and of this club, it’s an honor.” Ring said. “You have a certain responsibility for the team. It’s your job to rally up the troops and get them ready for the games.”

Ring established himself as one of the league’s best midfielders after joining the Club from 1. FC Kaiserslautern in 2017. He has played 59 regular-season matches, starting 58. He has scored twice and contributed four assists.

In 2018, Ring was selected for the MLS all-star game and started against Italian champions Juventus F.C.

“Alex is an incredible leader for our team both on the pitch and in the locker room,” head coach Domenec Torrent said. “He’s the perfect professional and has earned the trust of his teammates since day one at the club. It’s a big moment for him and one he deserves.”

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.