CARSON, Calif. – A desire to reignite his club career and Southern California's massive Mexican community spurred Giovani Dos Santos' decision to leave Europe for the LA Galaxy, where he figures to become the face of the franchise rather quickly.
The Mexican attacker, set to debut for LA in Thursday night's CONCACAF Champions League opener against Caribbean club champion Central FC (10 pm ET; Fox Sports 2), from Trinidad and Tobago, has fired up the community like no player since David Beckham's arrival eight years ago.
There are about 3 million people of Mexican descent in the Greater Los Angeles area – that might be a low-ball estimate – and Dos Santos is the first Tricolores star to wear a Galaxy jersey since Luis Hernandez departed after the 2001 season. This is a big deal, and it played a critical role as the Mexican attacker chose to come to MLS after a long courtship.
“I am very proud of being Mexican,” Dos Santos said when he was officially introduced Tuesday at StubHub Center. “It's going to be great to play here with the Mexican fans in Los Angeles, and I hope I can represent very well my Mexican fans and my Mexican people. ...
“There are a lot of Mexicans here in Los Angeles, and that has played an important role in my decision. The truth is that I am very grateful with all of the support that I have received from the first day I arrived here.”
Dos Santos' signature moment occurred four years ago, when he scored a brilliant goal in Mexico's CONCACAF Gold Cup title-game victory over the US at a Rose Bowl filled with Mexican fans.
The Galaxy want to gain that community's support, and Dos Santos could be as important off the field for the club as he is on the field.
“The support the Mexican people have for soccer in this country is huge ...,” noted captain Robbie Keane, who played with Dos Santos at Tottenham. “Bring someone like Gio, he has the 'X' factor in terms of off the field.”
Club president Chris Klein said LA look “at every aspect of any player that we sign,” and Dos Santos' background was a huge positive.
“LA is a very diverse city, and we're thankful we have players like [Texan] Omar Gonzalez and [local product] Gyasi Zardes not only representing [the area] but also playing with our national team,” Klein said. “Adding Giovani is only in addition to that, and I think the opportunity is big, but I wouldn't say it's a single thing that's going to change us. We've been on course for a long time now to establish ourselves and connect with the fans that live in LA and support the Galaxy. ...
“We believe we represent the city that we play in, [and] now to bring Giovani in, a player from Mexico, is something that's important because of the city that we represent night in and night out.”
Said head coach Bruce Arena: “If Giovani was Italian, we'd want him here. The fact that he's Mexican is tremendous, but the first criteria was his quality as a player.”
Dos Santos is terrifically skilled, but he's endured a rocky club career since departing Barcelona in 2008. He's been with Tottenham, Mallorca and Villarreal, with loan stints to Ipswich Town, Galatasaray and Racing Santander, but has played 30 or more first-team games in only four times in eight seasons.
He followed a terrific 2013-14 campaign for Villarreal, scoring a dozen goals in 34 appearances, but scoring just once in 27 La Liga matches last season. He did have four goals in seven UEFA Europa Cup games.
“That's a big part of coming here. I'm 26 years old, and I think that here I can find that stability,” Dos Santos said “I have been a part of a lot of teams, and I think that it has helped me a lot to gain experience. I've met various players, different cultures and styles of play, and I think that has made me mature a lot as both a player and a person.
“All the decisions that I've taken I will never regret. Instead, I will always be thankful for what God has given me, and I think this is a big moment that I have wanted.”
Find your colors. Shop mlsstore.com for the dos Santos jerseys and other LA Galaxy gear.
