ClapMajor League Soccer has progressed a whole lot across the last few years, and it certainly feels as if this is only the beginning for the league’s growth on the world stage.
As reported by ESPN and Los Angeles Times, the introduction of Javier Hernandez into the mix is certainly turning a few heads – with one of those heads being Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.
The Mexican legend known as Chicharito is set to complete his highly anticipated move from Sevilla to LA Galaxy before the January transfer window comes to an end. With Bryant being a shareholder in MLS’ official sports drink sponsor Bodyarmor, he clearly knows a thing about both the league and the sport as a whole.
Knowing your worth
“It’s a beautiful thing,” Bryant told TUDN. “For MLS and for Los Angeles, it is important to have very competitive stars.
“For MLS to have a great name like Chicharito, it is very important for the game.”
When the league first started, we [MLS] were looking at bringing stars that were at the end of their careers.
“Now you are looking at MLS going and bringing stars in their prime. That changes the game drastically.”
Bryant went on to talk about the influence of David Beckham.
“When David first came out here, I came down and watched him play,” Bryant said. “I was able to kind of gauge what the energy was at that time, and it was still relatively unfamiliar to the U.S. market.
“Then to be able to fast-forward now and to see the energy that has kind of been put behind MLS, and the amount of support that’s being put behind MLS, it’s — I wouldn’t say surprising, because I’ve always appreciated the game and what a beautiful game it is and knew eventually America would catch on.”
Prove that you’re worth the money
It’s going to be really interesting to see just how many more stars wind up making their way over to Major League Soccer in the midst of their prime in the next few years. It’s become far less of a rare occurrence as time has gone on, and instead, it seems to be the general trajectory of the MLS.
Whether or not Hernandez is able to have the same sort of impact in North America as Carlos Vela did is a different matter altogether, but it’s definitely worth considering. The two will be on rival sides of the city next season if this deal goes through, with Hernandez serving as the replacement for the outgoing Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Everyone knows and loves the popular Swede and we aren’t here to try and trash him, but bringing in someone a bit more youthful that seems to be a touch more humble can only mean great things for the MLS.
With the new season being right around the corner now, we’re fascinated to discover what kind of twists and turns are going to be in store following an incredibly dramatic campaign last year.
