Despite all the fanfare around Gareth Bale and Giorgio Chiellini, LAFC were able to beat arch-rivals LA Galaxy without their new European stars.
The duo join the Black and Gold after glittering careers across the pond, with Bale winning five Champions League titles and multiple domestic honors with Real Madrid. Chiellini, meanwhile, was a European Championship winner with Italy just last year and lifted no fewer than nine Serie A titles with Juventus.
Friday night’s El Trafico was the first fixture where Bale and Chiellini were eligible to play. In the end, head coach Steve Cherundolo opted to leave the latter as an unused substitute, while the former wasn’t on the matchday roster at all – though he did partake in post-match celebrations.
LAFC ran out 3-2 winners thanks to goals from Jose Cifuentes (x2) and Cristian Arango.
So, that’s a victory for LAFC over their fiercest foes and a team already five points clear atop the overall standings getting even stronger, with proven world-class talent ready to enter the mix. Not a terrible position to be in.
“We’re holding a really good set of cards right now,” Cherundolo told ESPN immediately following the game. “And we’re going to do our best to play them right.”
In his post-match press conference, Cherundolo dedicated the victory to LAFC’s supporters, while insisting his players viewed this as just another game.
“We are more, I would say, relaxed and relieved than we are overjoyous,” he said. “In the end, it’s three points in a league match. But the rest, all of the celebrations and the bragging rights the next time we see these guys is for our fans.”
In recent years, we’ve seen Wayne Rooney arrive and pick up a floundering DC United side, leading them into the Playoffs. There was also Zlatan Ibrahimovic raising the ceiling with the LA Galaxy and, a little further back, Obafemi Martins and Clint Dempsey winning titles in Seattle.
There is a place for veteran stars in MLS and given how good LAFC already are, it’s frightening to think just how much they could improve once Bale and Chiellini hit their stride.
“We can definitely be stronger [with them],” said midfielder Kellyn Acosta. “They bring a different dimension that we didn’t have. … Guys with a lot of experience. Guys who are veteran leaders, veteran presences, guys who have played at the highest level. So I think they’re not only going to encourage guys around them but bring that competitive edge.”
