There have been very few. Hardly enough of a sample for the law of averages to even out, but….. I’d venture a guess that the success rate is somewhere around the mean for foreigners coming into the league.
Yup…. in many ways, the people in the stands are the bleeding edge fans who play a significant role in marketing a brand and setting the stage/mood/atmosphere for the real show/money maker…. TV.
For the average Mexican soccer fan, El Tri will always rank ahead of any club except for maybe Chivas or America, or possibly Barça. No problem with that.
What will be interesting to see is just how much hate the Mexican fans will bring to USMNT players while attending Galaxy games. Will the National Anthem get booed prior to a Galaxy game, as it routinely is by Mexico supporters before any US-Mexico game? Will El Tri supporters throw bags of urine at Omar Gonzalez or Gyasi Zardes while wearing Dos Santos Galaxy shirts? Will Mexico/Dos Santos supporter boo any mention of Landon Donovan, the Galaxy legend? Will there be fights in the stands – something the Galaxy and their fans are woefully unprepared for?
Hopefully none of this goes down, Dos Santos fits in well, and he becomes the model for the new player acquisition model in the MLS (foreign player in the prime of his career, rather than a European retiree). But it is easy to imagine this all going sideways, not because of Dos Santos, but because of the inherent tensions built into the Mexican and Mexican American fan base in Los Angeles.
There are some gems in this post. By far my favorite is, ” Will El Tri supporters throw bags of urine at Omar Gonzalez or Gyasi Zardes while wearing Dos Santos Galaxy shirts?”
Don’t the Galaxy get pretty good numbers already, with many season ticket holders? I think this signing has more to do with getting people to turn on the TV then filling the stands.
Yeah, the Stub Hub will have a few more sell-outs than they normally do, and those wanting season tickets will have a longer wait, but the target here is TV ratings.
The Galaxy, have their own local TV rights contacts, that until a few years ago, would have been better than all of the MLS rights fees. But to get more future money, they need more viewership/ratings, especially in the largely untapped Hispanic Market in LA. The Dos Santos signing will go a long way in satisfying that aspect. The Galaxy actually have their broadcasts also in Spanish on TWC and are popular from LA to San Diego. There is no doubt that increased rights fees, jesey and memorabilia sale and extra revenue from more butts on seats will more than pay for his transfer and personal terms costs.
I don’t like what LA is doing at all. They seem to have unlimited money when it came to buying players. Beckham(past), Donovan (past), Keane, Gerrard, Juninho, Gonzales, Zardes……
I think the league should just make a new rule. When playing the Galaxy, the other teams can only field 9. Once this new rule kicks in, the Galaxy can move to the top of the table without spending millions trying to do so by buying a championship
It’s a competitive professional sports team. Not sure what you’d have them do? Looks to me that Galaxy are doing pretty much exactly what any other successful sports team does…. using the people, ideas, resources they have available to put the best product they can on the field. LA definitely has strong ownership with money, but also very astute people working within…. and key: Arena who just so happens to be the best in the league at combining coaching a team and managing/putting together a roster within the complex restrictions of MLS. I don’t get the complaint. Frankly seem rather bitter and whiny. If they and the other ambitious teams in the league don’t push the level, it’s a certainty the league and game in the US would wallow in the lukewarm stew of mediocrity forever.
The thing that separates LA from the rest of the league is not the DPs like Gio, Keane, Beckham, Donovan, etc. It’s the signings like Lletget, Sarvas, Gordon, etc. and the homegrowns like Zardes, Villareal, etc. They are better top to bottom, not just at the top.
Remember, Bruce Arena founded another dynasty at the beginning of the MLS in DC United. If you look at that team and see how many former USMNT players, how many national team players from South Central American nations, he had on it, and the number of MLS Cups they won and you see that he did it all over at the Galaxy. He took Homegrown players from the Academy, Draft choices, allocations, trade and high end transfer to make the Galaxy a potential juggernaut.
The fact that AEG, owners of the Galaxy and an entertainment giant, with deep pockets, knows how to market sports, it can bring in European and Mexican superstars to increase ratings, not only for the Galaxy, but for the whole MLS. The increase in attention means increased ratings, it means increase TV rights fees and it means more money, for not only the Galaxy, but for all the teams in the MLS.
While Bruce Arena is building a super team, AEG and the MLS are building a league.
it’s still crazy to me that Orlando or NYCFC could have taken Gordon in the expansion draft but just passed on him. I’m sure he’s not better then Nemec.
What’s good for MLS is good for US soccer in the long term
Exactly – some percentage of the folks in that video wearing Mexico jerseys will become MLS fans and more fans is obviously better for MLS and US Soccer.
Very few of them. How many Mexican fans go to Chicago games still?
To be fair, Chicago Fire FC hasn’t given anyone a reason to show to the game
same euro-troll posting under different names
I don’t like you
As a long-term Galaxy fan I will find it hard seeing all these people show up in Mexicao jerseys who a month ago couldn’t give a crap about MLS and still don’t.
Yes it is. I love the league and want to see it grow, but it will pain me to see these people show up that don’t care about the Galaxy, MLS and most likely root against the USMNT team.
BTW, 95% of them will be gone when Dos Santo leaves. Almost every MNT fan that I met deeply oppose the MLS.
You havent met anyone…euro-troll
And when Dos Santos leaves the Galaxy will get another Mexican star, remember Jorge Campos, or Luis Hernandez or Carlos Hermosillo? Players come and go, but the Galaxy will endure.
What is particular about Dos Santos is that he has NO affiliation with any Liga Mexican team, having been brought up through the Barcelona Academy and playing in Europe all his life. He does not come with the fanatical Mexican Domestic team baggage, and can appeal to Club America , Chivas and Atlas supporters in LA alike. While he is Mexican National team player, he wil be a Galaxy team player first and foremost with no legacy(good or bad) from any other Liga Mx team.
He also has a family legacy in LA as his father, a Brazilian, Geraldo Francisco dos Santos, known as Zizinho, played for the LA Lazer of the MISL in the 80’s with former Galaxy coach Octavio Zambrano. The LA Lazers were owned by the Jerry Buss family, who also owned the LA Lakers. The LA Lakers are co-owned, with the Buss Family , with AEG, the LA Galaxy owners. There are several Dos santos family members who reside in LA, and Giovanni and his brothers are quite familiar with the city.
The acquisition is a no-brainer to those familiar with the history of sport and soccer in LA. The fact that he is coming here now when both the MLS and the Galaxy are in the ascendency make for exciting times.
I can remember when Wilt Chamberlain joined Jerry West and Elgin Baylor to form the first LA Laker Dynasty, when Magic johnson joined Kareem and James Worthy, and When Kobe joined Shaq.
Now we have had Beckham with Donovan, and now Keane, Gerrard and Dos Santos, each contributing to an past current and future LA Dynasties and sports history.
The beat goes on in LA.
bottlcaps,
I swear, if you haven’t already , you have to read this article:
When I went to the SJE game when Gerrard was making his MLS debut, see all the Liverpool jerseys was kinda annoying. Especially because there was a Liverpool FC flag hanging in the stands. Now it’s going to be a mix of Galaxy, Liverpool, and El Tri jerseys.
Then he’ll be gone. MLS over-invests in DP’s, admittedly. But if they’re going to sink the big bucks into you, you’d durn well better produce.
You think Keane, Gerrard, Juninho, Zardes, and Lleget are just going to sit on their hands while Gio coasts? You think Arena will? You think the Galaxy front office will?
No way. Gio had better get his booties on and go hustle, or he’s gone in less than a year.
While I’ve liked what the Galaxy have done this summer and as much as I want MLS to succeed….I, as a USMNT Fan, cannot root for teams with El Tri players on their squad. In particular I cannot stand Dos Santos (or his brother). It’ll be hard for me to watch Galaxy games the rest of this season.
I don’t mind El Tri players coming here. Admittedly, I found it hard to root for Marquez at RBNY but that was only because he was the biggest tool in the history of world football.
+100000000 on Marquez. The epitome of why I hate the Mexican squad.
BUT I did love when any of my teams played against him because he was good for at least one bone headed play at the end of the game which often cause his team to lose
Say what???? I love Rafa Marquez!!!!!
everyone loves Rafa Marquez
even at his age, rafa > leonardo
There are bigger tools than Rafa in the soccer world but, admittedly, I can’t think of any.
Agreed, also can’t stand either brother. But gotta be honest…unless they were playing against Mexico, Chivas ( the real xenophobic mex team not USA) ,the Nazi team from Victory, or Al-queda FC I’m not going to root for the Galaxy anyway.
That’s pretty short-sighted. That’s like Puebla fans not rooting for Puebla because Beasley was there or Leon fans not rooting for Leon because Yarbrough is there. There is probably 30+ American players in the Mexican first division another 15-20 in the 2nd division (Ascenso). You try to get the best player you can and you root for your club.
I WOULD love to hear trumps view an pro-immigration Chivas fans. I would love to hear his thoughts on a Mexcian club that only allows Mexican born players.
Chivas fans= hypocrites
euro-teabagger
Xenophobic!! Not exactly the same thing. Mexico does not have the history or prejudice, slavery, murder , rape, etc…against black people for example that the United States has. So a thing like only Mexicans on a team is more like a sense of pride than of prejudice. Your background could be from Africa, Brazil, U.S. , Indian, Spaniard but if you are a Mexican citizen you can be on the team. They are not saying we are better than you or we hate you or have contempt for you which would be the feeling of a racist or supremacist. The stigma that exists here was not part of Mexico history so it is seen differently, seeing the same behavior through the eyes of the United States just looks different. Not to say it is not an outdated notion that needs to get with the times but it is definitely misunderstood.
I saw a couple of Galaxy jerseys in the video, but most fans had El Tri jerseys to sign or to wear.
What is not true? Are you suggesting that there were more Galaxy jerseys’ than Mexico’s jerseys in the video? Please…no need to be so defensive
I was there, most were Galaxy fans wearing the MEX jersey, THE ACB were there & we were all singing, I have a clip of it when he went inside the SUV. It was awesome!!!!!!!!!
if you look closely, he appears to avoid signing El Tri jerseys
Why would he avoid signing Mexico’s jerseys? It’s like suggesting that Clint Dempsey should not be signing USMNT jerseys, because he plays for the Sounders. Take a look at 46-50 seconds in, Gio has no problem signing El Tri jerseys. Most of these guys came to the airport because they are Mexico’s fans. If they become Galaxy fans or even simply buy tickets to Galaxy games to see Dos Santos, I am sure Galaxy owners will be pleased.
Look again at it , frame by frame. You can clearly see the child’s Tri Jersey is not signed, and that that hand you see is coming from another angle. Clearly not Gio’s dark dark skinned arm, but another dark skinned person. I know there’s a conspiracy out there to cover up, but the video doesn’t lie. Study it frame by frame, and notice the shadows.
wow, ok dude…
…..”back and to the left,…back and to the left”….
Couldn’t your detailed photo-analysis be better employed on the Zapruder film or something.
Looks like you just got a lesson in…*puts on sunglasses*…GIOmeTRI. (YYYOOOOOWWWW!!!)
CSI LAX
(I’m sorry…)
Well done.
ESnob,
Well, he has been an El Tri player a lot longer than he has been a Galaxy player so that makes a lot of sense.
Mexican players success in MLS…. Cero!
Blanco was successful in his play. No titles though…
euro-chump
There have been very few. Hardly enough of a sample for the law of averages to even out, but….. I’d venture a guess that the success rate is somewhere around the mean for foreigners coming into the league.
And which one of those players was not over the hill.
Who cares if the people going to see him are not Galaxy fans, but El Tri fans?, really.
Galaxy gets their money anyway, and one of their kids might like the Galaxy long term. It’s a win-win
More then the attendance numbers, MLS knows to take the next step it needs better TV ratings. I think this signing has a lot to do with that.
Yup…. in many ways, the people in the stands are the bleeding edge fans who play a significant role in marketing a brand and setting the stage/mood/atmosphere for the real show/money maker…. TV.
For the average Mexican soccer fan, El Tri will always rank ahead of any club except for maybe Chivas or America, or possibly Barça. No problem with that.
What will be interesting to see is just how much hate the Mexican fans will bring to USMNT players while attending Galaxy games. Will the National Anthem get booed prior to a Galaxy game, as it routinely is by Mexico supporters before any US-Mexico game? Will El Tri supporters throw bags of urine at Omar Gonzalez or Gyasi Zardes while wearing Dos Santos Galaxy shirts? Will Mexico/Dos Santos supporter boo any mention of Landon Donovan, the Galaxy legend? Will there be fights in the stands – something the Galaxy and their fans are woefully unprepared for?
Hopefully none of this goes down, Dos Santos fits in well, and he becomes the model for the new player acquisition model in the MLS (foreign player in the prime of his career, rather than a European retiree). But it is easy to imagine this all going sideways, not because of Dos Santos, but because of the inherent tensions built into the Mexican and Mexican American fan base in Los Angeles.
There are some gems in this post. By far my favorite is, ” Will El Tri supporters throw bags of urine at Omar Gonzalez or Gyasi Zardes while wearing Dos Santos Galaxy shirts?”
It’ll be fine.
Don’t the Galaxy get pretty good numbers already, with many season ticket holders? I think this signing has more to do with getting people to turn on the TV then filling the stands.
Yeah, the Stub Hub will have a few more sell-outs than they normally do, and those wanting season tickets will have a longer wait, but the target here is TV ratings.
The Galaxy, have their own local TV rights contacts, that until a few years ago, would have been better than all of the MLS rights fees. But to get more future money, they need more viewership/ratings, especially in the largely untapped Hispanic Market in LA. The Dos Santos signing will go a long way in satisfying that aspect. The Galaxy actually have their broadcasts also in Spanish on TWC and are popular from LA to San Diego. There is no doubt that increased rights fees, jesey and memorabilia sale and extra revenue from more butts on seats will more than pay for his transfer and personal terms costs.
I don’t like what LA is doing at all. They seem to have unlimited money when it came to buying players. Beckham(past), Donovan (past), Keane, Gerrard, Juninho, Gonzales, Zardes……
I think the league should just make a new rule. When playing the Galaxy, the other teams can only field 9. Once this new rule kicks in, the Galaxy can move to the top of the table without spending millions trying to do so by buying a championship
It’s a competitive professional sports team. Not sure what you’d have them do? Looks to me that Galaxy are doing pretty much exactly what any other successful sports team does…. using the people, ideas, resources they have available to put the best product they can on the field. LA definitely has strong ownership with money, but also very astute people working within…. and key: Arena who just so happens to be the best in the league at combining coaching a team and managing/putting together a roster within the complex restrictions of MLS. I don’t get the complaint. Frankly seem rather bitter and whiny. If they and the other ambitious teams in the league don’t push the level, it’s a certainty the league and game in the US would wallow in the lukewarm stew of mediocrity forever.
The thing that separates LA from the rest of the league is not the DPs like Gio, Keane, Beckham, Donovan, etc. It’s the signings like Lletget, Sarvas, Gordon, etc. and the homegrowns like Zardes, Villareal, etc. They are better top to bottom, not just at the top.
Remember, Bruce Arena founded another dynasty at the beginning of the MLS in DC United. If you look at that team and see how many former USMNT players, how many national team players from South Central American nations, he had on it, and the number of MLS Cups they won and you see that he did it all over at the Galaxy. He took Homegrown players from the Academy, Draft choices, allocations, trade and high end transfer to make the Galaxy a potential juggernaut.
The fact that AEG, owners of the Galaxy and an entertainment giant, with deep pockets, knows how to market sports, it can bring in European and Mexican superstars to increase ratings, not only for the Galaxy, but for the whole MLS. The increase in attention means increased ratings, it means increase TV rights fees and it means more money, for not only the Galaxy, but for all the teams in the MLS.
While Bruce Arena is building a super team, AEG and the MLS are building a league.
it’s still crazy to me that Orlando or NYCFC could have taken Gordon in the expansion draft but just passed on him. I’m sure he’s not better then Nemec.
What’s good for MLS is good for US soccer in the long term
Exactly – some percentage of the folks in that video wearing Mexico jerseys will become MLS fans and more fans is obviously better for MLS and US Soccer.
Very few of them. How many Mexican fans go to Chicago games still?
To be fair, Chicago Fire FC hasn’t given anyone a reason to show to the game
same euro-troll posting under different names
I don’t like you
As a long-term Galaxy fan I will find it hard seeing all these people show up in Mexicao jerseys who a month ago couldn’t give a crap about MLS and still don’t.
But… isn’t that partially the point? Get new fans?
Yes it is. I love the league and want to see it grow, but it will pain me to see these people show up that don’t care about the Galaxy, MLS and most likely root against the USMNT team.
BTW, 95% of them will be gone when Dos Santo leaves. Almost every MNT fan that I met deeply oppose the MLS.
You havent met anyone…euro-troll
And when Dos Santos leaves the Galaxy will get another Mexican star, remember Jorge Campos, or Luis Hernandez or Carlos Hermosillo? Players come and go, but the Galaxy will endure.
What is particular about Dos Santos is that he has NO affiliation with any Liga Mexican team, having been brought up through the Barcelona Academy and playing in Europe all his life. He does not come with the fanatical Mexican Domestic team baggage, and can appeal to Club America , Chivas and Atlas supporters in LA alike. While he is Mexican National team player, he wil be a Galaxy team player first and foremost with no legacy(good or bad) from any other Liga Mx team.
He also has a family legacy in LA as his father, a Brazilian, Geraldo Francisco dos Santos, known as Zizinho, played for the LA Lazer of the MISL in the 80’s with former Galaxy coach Octavio Zambrano. The LA Lazers were owned by the Jerry Buss family, who also owned the LA Lakers. The LA Lakers are co-owned, with the Buss Family , with AEG, the LA Galaxy owners. There are several Dos santos family members who reside in LA, and Giovanni and his brothers are quite familiar with the city.
The acquisition is a no-brainer to those familiar with the history of sport and soccer in LA. The fact that he is coming here now when both the MLS and the Galaxy are in the ascendency make for exciting times.
I can remember when Wilt Chamberlain joined Jerry West and Elgin Baylor to form the first LA Laker Dynasty, when Magic johnson joined Kareem and James Worthy, and When Kobe joined Shaq.
Now we have had Beckham with Donovan, and now Keane, Gerrard and Dos Santos, each contributing to an past current and future LA Dynasties and sports history.
The beat goes on in LA.
bottlcaps,
I swear, if you haven’t already , you have to read this article:
http://www.si.com/longform/2015/mls/
When I went to the SJE game when Gerrard was making his MLS debut, see all the Liverpool jerseys was kinda annoying. Especially because there was a Liverpool FC flag hanging in the stands. Now it’s going to be a mix of Galaxy, Liverpool, and El Tri jerseys.
Maybe the Liverpool jerseys were there because of Pelosi.
I’m afraid he will take the same “MLS is beneath me” approach that Rafa Marquez took. Just cashing a fat check and only giving 50%…
You say it like it’s a bad thing.
Good work if you can get it…
Then he’ll be gone. MLS over-invests in DP’s, admittedly. But if they’re going to sink the big bucks into you, you’d durn well better produce.
You think Keane, Gerrard, Juninho, Zardes, and Lleget are just going to sit on their hands while Gio coasts? You think Arena will? You think the Galaxy front office will?
No way. Gio had better get his booties on and go hustle, or he’s gone in less than a year.
He’ll either get that or he won’t.
It will be intriguing to watch.
To be honest, he basically has that attitude anywhere he plays hoho. 50% is like giving 101% for that guy.
While I’ve liked what the Galaxy have done this summer and as much as I want MLS to succeed….I, as a USMNT Fan, cannot root for teams with El Tri players on their squad. In particular I cannot stand Dos Santos (or his brother). It’ll be hard for me to watch Galaxy games the rest of this season.
I don’t mind El Tri players coming here. Admittedly, I found it hard to root for Marquez at RBNY but that was only because he was the biggest tool in the history of world football.
+100000000 on Marquez. The epitome of why I hate the Mexican squad.
BUT I did love when any of my teams played against him because he was good for at least one bone headed play at the end of the game which often cause his team to lose
Say what???? I love Rafa Marquez!!!!!
everyone loves Rafa Marquez
even at his age, rafa > leonardo
There are bigger tools than Rafa in the soccer world but, admittedly, I can’t think of any.
Agreed, also can’t stand either brother. But gotta be honest…unless they were playing against Mexico, Chivas ( the real xenophobic mex team not USA) ,the Nazi team from Victory, or Al-queda FC I’m not going to root for the Galaxy anyway.
That’s pretty short-sighted. That’s like Puebla fans not rooting for Puebla because Beasley was there or Leon fans not rooting for Leon because Yarbrough is there. There is probably 30+ American players in the Mexican first division another 15-20 in the 2nd division (Ascenso). You try to get the best player you can and you root for your club.
Good…Get lost Trump
I WOULD love to hear trumps view an pro-immigration Chivas fans. I would love to hear his thoughts on a Mexcian club that only allows Mexican born players.
Chivas fans= hypocrites
euro-teabagger
Xenophobic!! Not exactly the same thing. Mexico does not have the history or prejudice, slavery, murder , rape, etc…against black people for example that the United States has. So a thing like only Mexicans on a team is more like a sense of pride than of prejudice. Your background could be from Africa, Brazil, U.S. , Indian, Spaniard but if you are a Mexican citizen you can be on the team. They are not saying we are better than you or we hate you or have contempt for you which would be the feeling of a racist or supremacist. The stigma that exists here was not part of Mexico history so it is seen differently, seeing the same behavior through the eyes of the United States just looks different. Not to say it is not an outdated notion that needs to get with the times but it is definitely misunderstood.
I saw a couple of Galaxy jerseys in the video, but most fans had El Tri jerseys to sign or to wear.
not true, there were also the guys singing the galaxy song, and placing scarf around him
What is not true? Are you suggesting that there were more Galaxy jerseys’ than Mexico’s jerseys in the video? Please…no need to be so defensive
I was there, most were Galaxy fans wearing the MEX jersey, THE ACB were there & we were all singing, I have a clip of it when he went inside the SUV. It was awesome!!!!!!!!!
if you look closely, he appears to avoid signing El Tri jerseys
Why would he avoid signing Mexico’s jerseys? It’s like suggesting that Clint Dempsey should not be signing USMNT jerseys, because he plays for the Sounders. Take a look at 46-50 seconds in, Gio has no problem signing El Tri jerseys. Most of these guys came to the airport because they are Mexico’s fans. If they become Galaxy fans or even simply buy tickets to Galaxy games to see Dos Santos, I am sure Galaxy owners will be pleased.
Look again at it , frame by frame. You can clearly see the child’s Tri Jersey is not signed, and that that hand you see is coming from another angle. Clearly not Gio’s dark dark skinned arm, but another dark skinned person. I know there’s a conspiracy out there to cover up, but the video doesn’t lie. Study it frame by frame, and notice the shadows.
wow, ok dude…
…..”back and to the left,…back and to the left”….
Couldn’t your detailed photo-analysis be better employed on the Zapruder film or something.
Looks like you just got a lesson in…*puts on sunglasses*…GIOmeTRI. (YYYOOOOOWWWW!!!)
CSI LAX
(I’m sorry…)
Well done.
ESnob,
Well, he has been an El Tri player a lot longer than he has been a Galaxy player so that makes a lot of sense.