The Galaxy's introductory press conference for MF Giovani dos Santos yesterday "confirmed what many suspected" when the team signed him last month, that he "has a lot of star power in Southern California," according to Greg Hadley of the L.A. TIMES. Fans at his first practice “sported Mexican national jerseys and Galaxy shirts in equal measure, and at his news conference, dos Santos took questions in English and Spanish." U.S. Rep. (Calif.) Xavier Becerra, himself Latino, was “also on hand.” Galaxy President Chris Klein “acknowledged how important it was for the team, which has no other Mexican players, to get a young, popular star that can connect” with L.A.'s Latino population. He said, “L.A. is a very diverse city. Adding Giovani is only an addition to that, and I think the opportunity is big” (L.A. TIMES, 8/5). The AP noted “some 50 fans, many wearing” dos Santos' Mexican national team jersey, “gathered to see the 26-year old before and after" practice yesterday. Fans “chanted his name, held up signs welcoming him to Los Angeles and clamored for autographs and pictures.” dos Santos gives the Galaxy and MLS a “legitimate Mexican superstar capable of connecting with the region's sizable Mexican immigrant and Mexican-American population.” Klein said that the presence of dos Santos “gives the club new commercial opportunities on both sides of the border.” But Klein was “more concerned with what it can do for the reputation of the Galaxy and MLS” (AP, 8/4).
THE REAL DEAL? The GUARDIAN's Joseph D’Hippolito writes dos Santos “represents the latest attempt by the Galaxy -- and Major League Soccer -- to stimulate widespread enthusiasm among the millions of Mexicans and Mexican Americans” living in the U.S. The “vast majority” of Mexicans and Mexican Americans in the U.S. “feel more loyalty to the teams they or their parents left behind.” Mexico’s national team “relies on that sentiment to make money by scheduling more friendlies” in the U.S. than in Mexico. ESPN Deportes' Rigoberto Cervante said, “Mexicans still don’t see MLS as a respectable league.” D’Hippolito notes the Galaxy “signed three of Mexico’s most famous internationals” -- G Jorge Campos, F Carlos Hermosillo and F Luis Hernandez -- in the club’s first five seasons. Yet they “failed to help the Galaxy win any of their five MLS Cup championships or inspire long-term support.” The Galaxy have not "fielded a Mexican player" since '02. L.A.-based newspaper Hoy Sports Editor Eduard Cauich said, “That is why many Mexicans are very disconnected with the Galaxy. Only a signing like Gio can attract them again. This signing is different than Campos’s, Hermosillo’s and Luis Hernandez’s because all of them were past their prime when they came here. They were in a different stage in their careers compared to Gio” (GUARDIAN, 8/5).
