Gareth Bale’s thoughts on MLS and losing stir conversation: MLS Weekly

Welcome to Week 18 of our staff column collecting news, insights, and highlights from around Major League Soccer . 

Last Wednesday, former Wales international Gareth Bale was asked to explain the most significant differences between soccer in the United States and Europe. In discussion with his former Tottenham Hotspur teammates Jermaine Jenas and Peter Crouch about Lionel Messi’s decision to join Inter Miami Bale’s answer concerned the concepts of victory and defeat. 

“They accept losing a lot better over there,” he said. “They know how to lose. But when they win, they celebrate like they won the championship – (Messi will) definitely enjoy it.”

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Bale is far from the most qualified person to make this assertion. After signing as a free agent from Real Madrid in 2022, Bale made 14 appearances across MLS’ regular season, Leagues Cup and MLS Cup Playoffs for LAFC. His stint there was a chance for him to maintain fitness ahead of the 2022 World Cup, but also to contribute to a title favorite. He joined a side cruising toward the playoffs as a top seed. So as a result, one or two defeats during the 34-game regular season weren’t as consequential to the team’s aspirations to win the MLS Cup trophy. 

While Bale’s time in LA offered an opportunity for the club to elevate its status internationally by signing one of Europe’s best-known players of the past decade, his role was not to immediately become the team’s best and most influential player. Two starts in four months suggest his on-field role was always going to be more peripheral (though it paid off with his late, game-tying goal in MLS Cup). 

His comments hit a nerve for many MLS fans and former players, with at least one former MLS player