Top Stories

Gerrard confirms summer move to USA, reports cite Galaxy as next club

Steven Gerrard Liverpool (AP)

By FRANCO PANIZO

Steven Gerrard has only played for one team throughout his professional career, but on Saturday more clues began to surface about his next destination.

Steven Gerrard told LFC TV on Saturday that he is bound for the United States this summer, confirming recent reports that linked the Liverpool legend with a move across the Atlantic. The announcement came a day after Gerrard said he was leaving the Reds after 16 years with the club.

“I can tell the supporters at the moment that it will be America,” said Gerrard. “I’ll be going to play in America. But I’m not over the line with any team just yet. I’m close and as soon as I know, I’ll make the announcement, I’ll do the bits and bobs that I need to do.

“Then we try to go and win a trophy and forget about Steven Gerrard for a bit.”

Multiple reports are citing the LA Galaxy as Gerrard’s next club, making a move on an 18-month contract this summer.

The Gerrard news comes in a week that has seen compatriot Frank Lampard extend his stay at Manchester City instead of joining New York City FC for the start of the MLS season.

—-

What do you think of Gerrard’s decision to play in the U.S.? See him suiting up for the Galaxy or another club? How will he do stateside?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. LA is looking very suspect to me.

    1/2 a season never works out well.

    The Sounders have to heavily favored at this point. New England and Dallas secondary favorites.
    Many things will happen of course.

    Reply
  2. MLS has got to break the cycle of signing these ‘past their prime’ former European stars and focus on finding young ‘diamonds in the rough’ in Central and South America. Easier said than done,…but signing The Stevie Gs will not help MLS in the long run.

    Reply
    • Seems like you’ve answered your own complaint, but yeah the league certainly would love that. Thing is, for now these guys are still putting people in the seats AND performing at a very high level in MLS (with some exceptions, which are bound to happen). For now, MLS can still use these guys if they have 1-3 years in the tank…. they are good enough, and they are popular. They raise the league’s profile, and make it a more attractive place for an increasingly younger group of potential signings. Sooner or later, we will starting getting guys who are willing to take the plunge before 30. Michael Bradley may not be super–elite, but he is a precedent that shows this CAN be done in the immediate future.

      Signing diamonds in the rough is every league’s dream, not just MLS. But guys in their primes who are of international quality never come cheap, even if ithey are S. American or Mexican. As you’ve said, it’s easier said than done, but MLS has done reasonably well here and I’m sure they will continue plugging away with this as a primary strategy.

      Reply
  3. it should say red bull have let go cahill and signed drogba and gerrard but of course, garber has faith in red bull ownership. 🙂

    Reply
  4. I don’t want players who disparage our league to then come and take they final big pay day. Haven’t we learned our lesson yet?

    Reply
  5. DC United has new stadium deal…. splashing some cash? Rumor has it they were looking at another older superstar play-making CM.

    Reply
    • I really hope DC United will splash some cash, on someone who will make us a perennial contender for 5-6 years. Not on a rent-a-geezer from the Trenton of Northwest England.

      Reply
  6. I like this a lot. The Galaxy are blessed to have Juninho and Sarvas as their CM pairing but they don’ t have much behind them and Sarvas is getting a bit long in the tooth. I think that they could rotate through the three for most of the season and find a way to get all three of them on the field for the big games and the playoffs if need be.

    Reply
  7. Surprised Toronto FC wasn’t even mentioned in this article given the clear interest they’ve expressed in signing him. I’m not saying he’s likely to end up there, but I think it’s certainly relevant.

    Reply
    • Gerrard did say America. Toronto is in North America. Maybe it’s a trade – Defoe for Gerrard? (I kid, I kid)

      Reply
    • All salaries are paid by the league up to the approx. $387K max non-DP figure. The clubs pay a share of revenues to the league to cover all salaries. Club picks up the rest for DPs. $750K sounds like the projected max for 1.5 years under the new CBA. Nothing to see here at all.

      Reply
  8. It’s the Galaxy according BR. If you’re surprised by this, that’s the bigger news story.
    Maybe the Galaxy won’t have to “pad” their announced attendance figures this year.

    Reply
  9. dont be surprised if it was NYCFC and thats why lampard and the front office have not really complained about his staying.

    Reply
  10. Insult to injury after the Lampard debacle:

    Gerrard signs* with Orlando or NYRB.

    __________
    * And by “signs” I mean, you know, actually has a contract with the stated MLS team that can be enforced by said MLS team.

    Reply
  11. Liverpool/NYRB fan here. If your Ali Curtis at NYRB you ABSOLUTELY CANNOT let him go to LA. You just finished a season where BWP feasted off the service of TH14 to 30+ goals. It’s really a “Duh” move if the money is available for Red Bulls. I fear it’s going to be LA though, sadly. What’s really messed up is it seems when these “star players” come to finish up in MLS, right off the bat, about 16 teams never have a real shot at getting them. Good for a NYRB fan like me but I think it’s bad overall for the league where marquee players don’t want to play in flyover country.

    Reply
    • I get what you are saying but Schelotto sure didn’t mind playing in CBus. Yeah, maybe he was no big name player but the little teams get just as good quality if not even better. I have no problem with big names going to bigger markets as that really helps the league from a marketing stand point. Then when you get the quality guys all over the place it helps the league overall from a competitive and quality stand point. It’s all good.

      Reply
    • To be fair, we don’t know if RBNY made an offer. Gerrard may just prefer to live in LA or prefer LA Galaxy as a club, which would make sense since they are stable, well run and successful and RBNY is not. That said, I don’t think they are spending money any more. They’ve already tried to temper expectations. Hopefully, they sell soon.

      I think if you had teams in flyover country offering $5m a year, there would be plenty of guys more than happy to come. Money talks! Manchester wasn’t exactly an awesome city back in the 1990’s (it’s much better now in my opinion) but that didn’t stop guys playing for Man U. Munich isn’t the greatest city on Earth but they don’t have problems attracting players.

      Reply
      • “Prefer LA Galaxy as a club”. Steven Gerrard has no idea what LA Galaxy “as a club” is. He was born near Liverpool, he’s played soccer for Liverpool since he was nine. He’s has done, literally, nothing else his entire life. If it doesn’t involve Liverpool, he probably knows very little about it. He might know there are Palm trees and hot women in LA, and he almost definitely knows they’re gonna pay him a bunch of money. That’s about the extent of what he knows about LA, the Galaxy, NYRB, MLS or probably the entire U.S.

      • And you know he’s an erudite thinker because you read Chaucer with him in your book club?

        As FSegaud says below, yeah, he’s probably talked to Keane. I imagine the conversation went something like ” c’mon over mate, it’s fantastic! Lots of money, they treat you like a king and no one will recognize you in a bar so no chance of getting into a fight!”

      • What makes you think he is an erudite thinker?

        I know more than a few of those who do not belong to book clubs or read Chaucer.

    • Yeah… I don’t really see the point considering where he plays. Maybe he can be moved further up field so he has to run less? Dunno…

      Reply
      • they called me past my prime too, right before I helped City overtake Chelsea to go first in EPL. Is it any wonder I want to stay now?

    • It’s all about the money money money.
      Soccer jersey money money money.
      Started off with Beeeeckham,
      moving on to Geeeeeeeerrard…

      Reply
    • As a Galaxy fan (and Everton fan for that matter), who else do you imagine the Galaxy are going to get as a DP? Gerrard is still playing at a high level, and as long as the Galaxy don’t sign him for too long (anything over two years would be too long), then I can’t imagine them doing much better. 22 yr old James Rodriguez is not coming to LA. Neither is 30 year old Wesley Schneider.

      Reply

Leave a Comment