With Messi in Miami, is Los Angeles still the MLS home for global stars?
Save for a few isolated examples, when a soccer superstar came to America; they usually came to Los Angeles.
This started in earnest with David Beckham, who became the league’s first designated player in 2007, making Los Angeles Galaxy the global symbol of American club soccer for much of the past 16 years. Zlatan Ibrahimovic brought the world’s eyes back to Carson in 2018, launching the El Trafico rivalry with an upstart Los Angeles FC with a debut brace from the bench.
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More arrivals in Los Angeles continued its status as the place to be for stars coming to MLS: Carlos Vela. Chicharito. Gareth Bale. It could even be a place for up-and-coming players to further develop – the opportunity to sign a player of Riqui Puig’s pedigree and age (he signed wit the Galaxy as a 22-year-old with experience in Spain’s youth teams and in the Champions League with Barcelona) was usually reserved for destination markets like Los Angeles and New York (which has its own record of stars including Thierry Henry, Andrea Pirlo and David Villa). Even Douglas Costa, signed with a big reputation.
This trend could easily continue this summer: LAFC has a designated player slot is available, offering the prospect of a European star to play for the league champions while enjoying the best of one of the world’s most famous cities.
But with Messi on his way to Inter Miami, the July 4 edition of El Trafico felt simultaneously huge, with a league-record 82,110 turning out at the Rose Bowl, and somewhat small, overshadowed by the potential impact of Messi’s arrival.
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In fairness to the LA clubs, the Messi situation was unique; he owned a home in Miami and had tight familial ties with the city. In 2018, two years before
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