Los Angeles Magazine x LA Galaxy 2019

X

25 YEARS

STRONG:

USHERING IN THE NEXT GENERATION OF GALAXY FANS

ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIĆ + MUHAMMAD ALI (SORT OF) PAGE 9

THE WORLD’S MOST SUSTAINABLE SOCCER STADIUM (NO, REALLY) PAGE 12

SIP ON THIS: SOUTH BAY’S BEST BEERS PAGE 6

PLUS FASHION TIPS FROM SEBASTIAN LLETGET, ULTIMATE TAILGATE ESSENTIALS AND OUR FAVORITE SUPERFANS (HINT: THIS KID’S INVOLVED)

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A LET TER FROM THE EDITOR The LA Galaxy is a proud club defined by its passion, culture and HISTORY OF WINNING. It’s this tradition that brought me to the Galaxy this season and what keeps our faithful fans returning each match day.

As we celebrate our 25th anniversary next season, there’s no better time to honor the Galaxy’s triumphant past while also looking ahead to its future.

So we teamed up with our friends at Los Angeles Magazine to bring you this exclusive magazine, to pay our respects not only to players past and present, but also to our loyal fans without whom we would be nothing. THIS IS FOR YOU. The LA Galaxy have always been PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES of innovation in American soccer and we promise to continue to do so for the next 25 years (and then some).

Enjoy this special issue and I look forward to seeing you at the next match.

VAMOS GALAXY. GUILLERMO BARROS SCHELOT TO

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X EDITOR IN CHIEF Guillermo Barros Schelotto CREATIVE DIRECTOR Zlatan Ibrahimovic EXECUTIVE EDITOR Landon Donovan EDITOR AT LARGE Cobi Jones

IG @guillermoschelotto

IG @iamzlatanibrahimovic

IG @landondonovan10

“The climate! I’m new to the city and LA has been one of the most beautiful places I’ve lived. It’s second to none.”

Twitter @cobijones

ART DIRECTOR Sebastian Lletget LIFESTYLE EDITOR Diego Polenta

IG @theylovedaboy

IG @diegopolenta92

FASHION EDITOR Jonathan dos Santos FACT CHECKER Romain Alessandrini ASSISTANT EDITOR Efrain Alvarez

E ON THR COVE

WHAT DO YOU MISS MOST ABOUT LA WHEN YOU’RE ON THE ROAD?

IG @efra_26

IG @jona2santos

“My dog, Fofi, and my house.

LA is the best city in the world because you have everything: beaches, shopping, great climate, good restaurants and home to the Galaxy.”

IG @_r.alessandrini7_

“My family. I was born and raised in LA and it’s an honor to represent my hometown club wherever I go.”

WHO ARE THOSE CUTE KIDS? When Phil Limon took his family to their first Galaxy game, his son, Sebastien, locked eyes on the Angel City Brigade. “I want to come to more games,” he told his father, pointing to Section 121, “but I want to sit there.” They’ve rarely missed a game since.

Limon’s family includes Sebastien, son Charlie, son Ozzee, daughter Kelly and wife Sandra. The crew arrives at the stadium three hours before matches to barbecue while the boys play soccer, chatting excitedly about Zlatan and their favorite topic of late, the upcoming LAFC match.

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Cover Photos by Dustin Giallanza

“This year, we’re taking a family trip to the away game in Portland,” Limon says. “The younger two boys will be flying for the first time it’s a daily conversation in our house. Soccer has brought me closer to my boys in a way I had only dreamed about. It’s amazing.”

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FROM THE FANS

TATTOO THESE GAMES ON YOUR ARM.

THE 25TH SEASON ON THE HORIZON. And because it’s our 25th anniversary, we’re holding a few cards close to our chest to throw down throughout the season. Expect surprise pop-up events, limited-edition merch and exclusive club access to our most loyal supporters (hint: that’s you).

ON THE FIELD...

How about unforgettable games against rivals like San Jose Earthquakes and LAFC? And checking out MLS newcomer Nashville SC?

...AND OFF THE FIELD Don’t miss new and improved features at Dignity Health Sports Park, including a safe-standing supporters section in the north end. Nuestra casa es su casa.

MEMBERS

ONLY

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“I can’t wait to play LAFC. After the intense matchups last season, the rivalry is definitely born!

They want the town but it’s ours!”

JOHN BAGAKIS , San Pedro. IG @Bagak82

“We’re not fair-weather fans.

We’ve been here and we’ll be here, enough said.” MACHELLE MASSEY , Santa Clarita, IG @ThisIsMachelle

“The LAFC match will be incredible: the gameday soundscape, rivalry and soccer finesse on the pitch. The culture thrives and clashes like no other game in the league.” JONATHAN “JON BOI” MORALES , Athens Park, IG @jonboi_xiii

“Win, lose or draw, our hearts pump blue and gold. We back our club through the good and the bad.” JESSE MARTINEZ , Wilminton, IG @jmart001

“Galaxy fans carry a true passion and know their team history. They have tact and carry themselves well when facing rivals at home or on the road.” VICTOR MONTES , Long Beach, IG @El_MONster562

Only members get access to exclusive events in 2020, including the highly-anticipated jersey launch party. The best seats at the best rates, access to LA Galaxy players and deep discounts at the team store? All membership perks as well.

Check out all our membership benefits at www.lagalaxy.com/since96

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17 OFF DUTY:

SEBASTIAN

LLETGET

AFTER OVERCOMING A LENGTHY INJURY, Sebastian Lletget has become not just one of Galaxy’s most promising stars, but also its most social. Between his highly-curated Instagram presence (@theylovedaboy, as if you didn’t know) and sightings around town with girlfriend and pop superstar Becky G), Lletget may be the busiest guy we know. We managed to catch up with the attacking midfielder to find out where he likes to spend time off the pitch.

LET’S GET THIS OUT OF THE WAY. WHO DO YOU THINK HAS THE BEST TACOS IN LA? For sure Baja California Fish Tacos

310 Grand Ave. #112 El Segundo, CA 90245.

424-277-1211.

(LA Mag Pro Tip: $1.59 Fish Tacos on Wednesday)

IT’S SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND YOU’VE GOT THE DAY OFF. WHERE CAN WE FIND YOU? Playing beach tennis with some yerba mate tea, hopefully overlooking a nice sunset.

IN THE RARE CASE YOU GET THE WEEKEND OFF, WHERE ARE YOU TRAVELING? I really love Laguna Beach.

YOU’RE GETTING TO BE KNOWN AS QUITE THE TRENDSETTER. WHERE DO YOU SHOP IN LA? Zara. Or anywhere at The Grove.

6333 W 3rd St building e14, Los Angeles, CA 90036.

323-935-3560.

BECKY G WANTS TO GO OUT. WHERE’S YOUR GO-TO RESERVATION? Definitely Izaka-ya in Manhattan Beach

1133 Highland Ave, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266.

310-796-1888.

WHERE CAN WE FIND YOU REFUELING POST MATCH? Probably Frida’s in the Del Amo Mall.

I get the fajitas.

21438 Hawthorne Blvd, Torrance, CA 90503.

310-371-0666.

WHAT MUSIC IS BLASTING DURING YOUR WARM-UP?

Drake, Ozuna and Becky G (of course).

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TALES FROM A

The Grove, photo courtesy of Caruso. Laguna Beach, photos courtesy of VisitLagunaBeach.com. Izaka-ya, photos courtesy of Katsu-ya Group. All other photos courtesy of Sebastian Lleget IG @theylovedaboy.

TAILGATE “Pizza from Big Nick’s Pizza in San Pedro is a must. I’m the GM.” JOHN BAGAKIS , San Pedro. IG @Bagak82

ARRIVE EARLY TO LOT 13 TO MEET WITH AN ECLECTIC BUNCH THAT FEELS LIKE FAMILY . The

“

L.A. Riot Squad is one of Galaxy’s most loyal supporter groups. For 90+ minutes, we root the Galaxy to victory.”

JONATHAN “JON BOI” MORALES , Athens Park, IG @

jonboi_xiii

“We drive 58.2 miles one way to every game, usually five hours before kickoff to tailgate with Galaxy family and friends we’ve made over the years. We’re dedicated!” MACHELLE MASSEY , Santa Clarita, IG @ThisIsMachelle

“ MY ESSENTIALS: CARNE ASADA ON THE GRILL AND MY GALAXY TAILGATE FLAG FLYING HIGH. ” JESSE MARTINEZ ,

Wilminton, IG @jmart001

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THE SOUTH BAY

BEER SCENE FEW THINGS PAIR BETTER IN LIFE THAN BEER AND SOCCER. FORTUNATELY FOR GALAXY FANS, THE SOUTH BAY HAS BECOME THE EPICENTER OF LA’S BEER RENAISSANCE.

Within just a few miles of Dignity Health Sports Park lay a litany of world-class breweries and elevated watering holes. Whether posting up for an away game or picking up some tailgate essentials, we spoke to some of LA’s finest beer minds to find out what’s good in our hood.

ANDY BLACK

YORKSHIRE SQUARE BREWERY 1109 Van Ness Ave, Torrance, CA 90501. 424-376-5115.

“Yorkshire Square is on the fringes of the US craft mainstream, one of the few breweries with a strong identity in this sea of same same.”

> Andy Black, head brewer at Yorkshire Square Brewery and member of Angel City Brigade, with a perfect pour.

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GO-TO BEERS:

Early Doors and Yellow School Bus. “Early Doors is malty but not overpowering; complex yet easy drinking.”

“Yellow School Bus is a dry, crushable and wicked pale with a touch of corn and hops.

A classic American style with some much needed British refinement.”

WHEN TO VISIT:

“Wednesday and Friday nights are banging. We have lots of regulars who are passionate fans of cask and British beer. And we just opened our kitchen, so now we’ve got British classics mixed with some lighter options.”

SHOUT OUT TO THE NEIGHBORS:

“I love Ichimi Ann/Bamboo Garden. It’s just like a Japanese lunch counter. They make fresh soba, have great bowls and are super friendly.”

1618 Cravens Ave, Torrance, CA 90501.

310-328-1323.

HEATH GREGORY

PHIL LIMON

12918 Cerise Ave, Hawthorne, CA 90250.

TBD Location in Long Beach

LA ALE WORKS

MALTITUDE BREWING

424-456-4191

“LA Ale Works has a great indoor/outdoor tasting room, outdoor patio with food trucks, and private viewing area perfect for watching road games. And it’s only 10 minutes from the stadium.”

GO-TO BEERS:

“I always try a flight of our six newest beers. The list is ever changing with 25 taps.”

WHEN TO VISIT:

“That time when the family-friendly day vibe transitions into a hopping night spot.”

SHOUT OUT TO THE NEIGHBORS:

“HopSaint Brewing Company is the rare brewpub that masters both the kitchen and the beer. The local secret is the limited run of burnt end chili on Sunday afternoons.

Trust me, it doesn’t last long and you’ll know why as soon as you have it.”

“We’ve been brewing about 18 months, fusing craft beer with our Mexican culture.”

GO-TO BEERS:

Tamarind Saison and Mexican Chocolate Stout “We take a French/Belgian Farmhouse style and incorporate traditional Mexican flavors. Then, we condition it in tequila barrels.”

“This one’s a dry stout beer with Mexican Chocolate Ibarra, Mexican Cinnamon and Madagascar Vanilla added.”

BEFORE THEY OPEN :

“I just completed a course at Chicago’s Siebel Institute of Brewing Technology.

Learning more about the brewing process has opened my eyes to a love of microbiology and the study of yeast.”

> Clockwise: LA Ale Works sunny patio. Brewing break at Yorkshire Square Brewery. Maltitude Brewing tastings at LA Galaxy tailgate.

INSIDE THE STADIUM… |

“You’ll find me at the Craft Beer bar stand 10.5. The Stone IPA is my go to.” VICTOR MONTES , Long Beach, IG @El_MONster562

“Say hi to John over at the Maui Wowii stand, and order a strawberry daiquiri tiki cup with a double shot.” MACHELLE MASSEY , Santa Clarita, IG @ThisIsMachelle

“Never miss a Goose IPA from ‘The $7 Beer Cart’ near the southeast entrance.” JONATHAN “JON BOI” MORALES , Athens Park, IG @jonboi_xiii

“The Hoptonic IPA from Smog City Brewing is my favorite.

Pick it up at the “BEER” stand on the east side of the stadium.”

STEVE SLAGLE , Walnut, No Social Handle (“I’m over 60!”)

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ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC IS ALWAYS THINKING about the game. So much so, that pinning him down to answer a few personal question was more difficult than saving a penalty from the star striker. What the Swede lacks in patience for journalistic plebians, he makes up for dedication to his craft and legendary athleticism. Here, Zlatan reflects (briefly) on his past, present and future.

IF YOU COULD BE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND WITH ANY ATHLETE, WHO WOULD IT BE? Muhammad Ali.

WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO SPEND AN EVENING IN LA? Relax at home or work in my garden.

FIRST CAR?

A Mercedes.

IF YOU COULD COME BACK AS ANY ANIMAL, WHAT WOULD IT BE? A lion.

MOST MEMORABLE CAREER MOMENT SO FAR? When I win my trophies. Obviously.

Photo Credit: Jon Lorentz

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THE FUTURE OF SOCCER (IN OUR BACKYARD)

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BY

At its core, the game of soccer fosters a sense of identity and a kinship extending far beyond what happens on the field over a 90-minute game. Establishing that bond is a process as generational as the game itself and remains a top priority for the LA Galaxy as they enter their 25th season.

To foster this sense of civic spirit within Carson, the LA Galaxy Foundation created the LA Galaxy Champion Project to grow the game of soccer, while also promoting health, wellness and leadership to youth within a five mile radius of Dignity Health Sports Park.

Launched in March 2019, the outreach initiative provides 10 local Carson Elementary schools with the opportunity to work together with the club to grow the sport of soccer by receiving exclusive benefits and programming support throughout the year.

“We’re serving as a resource to our local community in Carson, but the flip side is that we want to build a culture close to our stadium where the fans experience the Galaxy in a meaningful way,” said LA Galaxy President Chris Klein. “We will always be Los Angeles’ soccer club, but we see Carson as a remarkable opportunity to grow the game. We love the neighborhood and being a resource is something we’re tremendously proud of.”

Over the next decade, the LA Galaxy Champion Project will seek to revitalize playgrounds and promote leadership at participating schools, each of which lay within five miles of Dignity Health Sports Park, the Galaxy’s home since 2003. Select educators and students who follow the Galaxy’s core values - “Be the Best, Advance the Game, Make a Difference and Respect All” - will also be honored at Galaxy home matches.

Lauren Nowinski, Senior Director of Community Relations for the LA Galaxy Foundation, underscored the value of the project: “This new initiative allows us to highlight and celebrate over 5,000 youths in the community,” Nowinski explained.

“We want to provide opportunities to play soccer as much as possible throughout Southern California, and that begins with the elementary schools closest to us.”

In the initiative’s first year, a total of 10 schools will participate: Carson Street, Leapwood Avenue, Annalee Avenue, Towne Avenue, Del Amo, Dominguez, Do-

ADAM SERRANO

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WE WILL ALWAYS BE LOS ANGELES’ SOCCER CLUB, BUT WE SEE CARSON AS A REMARKABLE OPPORTUNITY TO GROW THE GAME. lores Street, 232nd Place, Catskill Avenue and Bonita Street. The schools are representative of the communities that, at times, struggle to access the sport of soccer. Over 78% of students in participating schools are socio-economically disadvantaged, with a student body comprised of predominantly Hispanic, Black/African American and Filipino students. In its first year, nearly 5,000 students will benefit from the program.

Martin Leon has been the principal at Carson Street Elementary for the past 13

years and an educator for 27 years. He believes the Champion Project initiative has the potential to transform the way his students play and grow in their most formative years: “It’s very exciting to see the Galaxy tapping into schools and making a longterm commitment,” Leon said. “This is another opportunity to keep our kids engaged and ensure they’re focused on something constructive. The Champion Project is the type of long-lasting initiative that can create demographic changes and foster interest within the community.”

Carson Street Elementary students will receive Galaxy-branded flags and pencils, get tickets to future matches and enjoy the ultimate refitting of playground surfaces.

Faculty have already seen an increased interest in soccer since the program launched.

“It’s a partnership that works both ways: It helps the Galaxy put their stamp on the community and also exposes children who may never have picked up a soccer ball to the sport,” Leon said. “And, of course, it gives children yet another activity to enjoy during recess.”

> Leapwood Elementary School students partake in a Champion Project soccer clinic. Photos by Bailey Holiver

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SUSTAINABLE SOCCER STADIUM

THE WORLD’S MOST

STAYING ALIVE:

BY

GEOFF RYNEX

THE BEES ARE IN CHARGE HERE, enjoying endless wildflowers with nary a human in sight. They buzz happily, encouraged to exercise their instincts and pollinate all the blood orange orchards and summer squash blossoms that fall within their dominion. Keepers adjust frames and restructure interiors regularly. In the proper conditions, these bees will produce about 800 pounds of honey per year. Nearby, the only five-time MLS Cup-winning club in history conducts its business.

Dignity Health Sports Park (DHSP) is the world’s most sustainable soccer facility. It was the first to use recycled water for irrigation. In 2016, it became the first soccer-specific venue in MLS with an LED lighting system, cutting energy consumption by 60 percent. With that came the installation of the largest AI-powered energy storage system of any U.S. stadium. There’s a rack lined with California cruiser bicycles that employees use to reduce gas-powered trips around the sprawling grounds.

Earlier this year, the Galaxy and DHSP were nominated for the Sustainability & Community Award by the StadiumBusiness Awards for its Protect the Pitch initiative, the |

umbrella for Galaxy sustainability efforts.

But a consistent dedication to experimentation and incremental improvements driven by people at the park has transformed what was already an environmentally innovative facility into a living organism—one that’s feeding people, forging bonds and changing habits outside the park.

Katie Pandolfo, DHSP’s general manager, leads new sustainability initiatives.

“We’re in a unique position here and have people who like to push the envelope and say, ‘Okay that’s great, we can recycle a tin can, but what else can we do?’” Pandolfo, nicknamed Mighty Mouse by staff, emphasizes that everyone is responsible for constantly bringing new ideas. “I think these things evolve over time. There’s no one thing that happens. It’s just kind of these baby steps that keep growing and the ideas keep coming.”

Consider Galaxy Garden. What began in 2017 as two four-by-eight garden boxes in an unused area between the tennis stadium and the loading dock has grown into an expanse of seasonal produce, citrus groves, a chicken coop and a greenhouse that regularly provide food for staff and player meals. There was never a single, overarching garden-construction plan, only

ideas that kept accumulating and working.

Now, 25 employees have boxes they tend, cultivating an impressive variety of fruits, vegetables, greens and herbs.

Chris Hybl, a communications and digital specialist for the Galaxy, is an active member of the garden club that’s sprung out of the expansion. “I have some pattypan squash, straightneck squash, eggplant, French green beans and a few heirloom tomato varieties. I also grow gem lettuce in a box inside the greenhouse. I’m about to start some date trees from seed.”

The club meets on Friday afternoons to exchange tips and get advice from DHSP’s chief engineer, Gary Wilson, and grounds staff for agricultural office hours. Recently, a groundskeeper left a note with a sickly leaf taped to the greenhouse door, admonishing the team while educating: “This happens when you’re watering from the top.

Don’t do that.”

Once the garden began to flourish, Pandolfo wanted chickens. Wilson and Adam Duvendeck, VP of Operations for AEG, garden club member and home brewer, came on a weekend and built a coop. “It’s a pretty extravagant chicken coop,” says Wilson. “We have staff 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so they’re probably the

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most entitled, spoiled chickens you’ve ever seen in your life. They are really living the life.” Now, the garden club has a regular schedule for members to take home fresh eggs, and Duvendeck has hop trellises.

He’s done three harvests, the last of which produced about 20 gallons of IPA and pale ale. But as Pandolfino was thinking fowl, Wilson wanted bees. For years, DHSP exterminated the wild swarms that would make their hives on the grounds. Wilson angled for commercial hive boxes, and now runs an eight-hive apiary. Park visitors who sweet talk the right bartender on the right day can get fresh honey margaritas. “[People] see the different initiatives we’re taking - like no longer serving straws and composting cups, composting food and then they take that and bring that [thinking] home with them,” says Pandolfo.

The organization works far beyond the 126 acres of DHSP. The Galaxy’s charitable foundation works with Garden School Foundation, bringing teachers to build gardens at schools and teach kids about healthy eating. The Galaxy helped build a

garden at Carson’s Leapwood Avenue Elementary School and revisited as part of Protect the Pitch in April, to help beautify and maintain it. The Foundation also hosts field trips at DHSP for local students, where they can visit Galaxy Garden and learn from club members, take cooking classes and visit Galaxy practice. This season, the park began working with food rescue start-

now, people are excited about the new ORCA digester, an imposing machine that composts wet food items into sludge that can safely go into the sewer instead of being hauled out. There are already composting bins in the garden, but Pandolfo plans on rolling out a composting program for the entire staff, whereby all the park’s food waste will be consumed by the great machine. The ultimate goal is an entirely trash-free day at the park.

Wrapping up the tour, Pandolfo laments the ficus trees that remain on the grounds from the park’s opening in 2003. “They’re messy. They’re invasive.

They have huge root systems. I wish we had planted other trees when the property was built, but they’re here.” It’s the only sour note of the tour from Pandolfo, and she moves on quickly. Five days later, Wilson reports they’ve begun selling off the ficus trees. It’s time to clear room for a vineyard.

WE HAVE STAFF 24 HOURS A DAY, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, SO THEY’RE PROBABLY THE MOST ENTITLED, SPOILED CHICKENS YOU’VE EVER SEEN IN YOUR LIFE.

THEY ARE REALLY LIVING THE LIFE. up Copia to get leftovers from the stadium to local food shelters. The partnership is expected to provide tens of thousands of meals and create a carbon footprint decrease equivalent to removing 20 cars from the road for a year.

These initiatives helped secure DHSP’s place as the unofficial green stadium of the 2028 Olympics, hosting rugby, tennis, modern pentathlon, field hockey and track cycling. The LED array will get attention, and the garden will charm plenty. But right

> Galaxy staff tend to their personal garden boxes and spoiled chickens. Photos by Cortnee Loren Brown

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Photo Credit: Robert Mora

DEFINING A SPORT

DEFENDING A NAME

Is it the five MLS Cup trophies, and the toil it took to claim them? Or all that starpower, both on the field and, often, in the luxury boxes above?

Or the sheer beauty of it all when things are flowing most spectacularly: ballet, sort of, but with a ball?

Is it the masterminds, none more revered than Bruce Arena, who reigned over the greatest of eras, and the swagger with which his teams mowed down foes en route to cup after cup after cup? Is it the history, which increasingly takes on a storied feel, from the 69,000 packed into the Rose Bowl on opening night to Ibra’s scorching debut in the new crosstown derby?

Photo Credit: Robert Mora

Their rivals don’t want to hear it, and yet, a good number of them will acknowledge its truth: The hierarchy in American soccer starts with the LA Galaxy. Is there even any debate?

BY

SCOTT FRENCH

It’s about what the Galaxy have done on the field, for sure: five Major League Soccer championships, plus four Supporters’ Shields as the best regular-season side, eight firstplace finishes in the West, eight wins in Western Conference finals, nine MLS Cup appearances, a couple of U.S. Open Cup crowns and the first CONCACAF Champions’ Cup title won by an American club.

And it’s about who’s done it, the who’s who of soccer stars - the Beckhams, Donovans, Joneses, Robbie Keanes, Paul Caligiuris, Carlos Ruizes, Mauricio Cienfuegoses and a supporting cast of club legends that won’t be forgotten: Dan Calichman, Robin Fraser, Danny Peña, Greg Vanney, Ezra Hendrickson, Clint Mathis, Simon Elliott, Danny Califf, Peter Vagenas, Chris Albright, Todd Dunivant, Alan Gordon, Omar Gonzalez, A.J. DeLaGarza, Mike Magee, Juninho, Marcelo Sarvas. We can go on. And on.

And the managers, including the finest ever to work a sideline: Arena, Sigi Schmid and now, Guillermo Barros Schellotto.

But results are just a start. How and why they’ve won is more important than what they’ve won. It reveals the club’s outsized role in American soccer’s evolution since the

1994 World Cup ushered in a modern era.

The Galaxy have been at the center of pretty much every step forward in the professional game since. From the stadium-building boom that propelled MLS toward real major-league status to the youth academies and full reserve teams that work toward the future to the modern training facilities that rival the best Europe can offer.

From big-money superstars dotting rosters across the league - Beckham, the undisputed king of that lot - to aggressive (and reinvigorating) expansion and the talent boom that’s followed. And to acceptance - this, especially - as a legitimate player in the international game.

THIS IS THE GALAXY’S LEGACY. Or at least a good deal of it. There’s more. Consider that without Philip F. Anschutz - the Colorado billionaire who took possession of the Galaxy after the 1998 season and has been the driving force behind all this innovation - Major League Soccer would not have survived its first decade. And all of this other stuff? Well, forget about it.

Anschutz is the hero of this tale, although

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you’ll never hear him proclaim so. You likely won’t hear him proclaim much of anything: He’s always preferred to work behind the scenes, blend into the crowd, never gives interviews. But he’s been the sport’s seer and savior on these shores, and soccer’s presence today without him would be a bleak and foreboding land.

Just ask Don Garber.

“In so many different ways, the Galaxy and the success of the Galaxy on and off the field has really helped position Major League Soccer as a preeminent major league here in North America [and] has earned the respect from the global football community,” said Garber, MLS’s commissioner the past two decades. “And all of that has been driven by Phil Anschutz’s vision and commitment to building a professional soccer league that everyone in the sports community could be proud of.

“Without the Galaxy, there is no Major League Soccer today.”

Anschutz is the glue that ties together the Galaxy’s eras, the fuel that drives its success, the visionary who surrounds himself with innovators and sends them off to do their jobs. There’s a reason the championship trophy bears his name.

His work has defined the three primary strands of what makes this club the most vital in American soccer history: winning, building and Beckham. Regarding the former, LA has done it better than any of its rivals, with more league victories - approaching 400, including playoffs - and trophies.

2003 brought the building of what Garber calls “the first true cathedral of soccer” and the most important element to the league’s survival. And finally, there’s Beckham, which boosted the sport’s popularity at home and brought MLS into the global soccer mainstream.

Anschutz, who already owned the Colorado Rapids and Chicago Fire, stepped in and everything changed. The Galaxy became more professional in every regard, and AEG began investing heavily into the club’s infrastructure. The Columbus Crew had opened Major League Soccer’s first soccer-specific stadium in 1999, a function-

al if limited facility widely likened to an erector set. Anschutz’s concoction was something else entirely, a masterful stadium with excellent sightlines, modern amenities and, thanks greatly to a European-style roof, a pulsing atmosphere.

jettisoned after the 2001 season. “As a player, you’re starting to look at wow, are we going to make it?” he said. “And what is it going to look like as we take small baby steps forward. And someone like Mr. Anschutz was bold enough to say, ‘No, not only is it going to make it, but I’m going to make an even bigger bet on a facility in Southern California.’

“It was moments like those in the league’s history, whether you were playing in Columbus or Kansas City or L.A., that you started to think, ‘OK, this has a real shot.’ ” More arenas, designed to put fans closer to the field amid Euro-like ambiance, followed around the league. A rising fan culture, around the clubs but also tied to the national team and greater access to the game overseas, broadened as new clubs joined the fray.

It all built upon an aura that had surrounded the Galaxy from the start. Donovan, who had attended games at the Rose Bowl in his youth, joined San Jose on loan from Bayer Leverkusen in 2001 and scored the Earthquakes’ first goal in their MLS Cup title win over LA. He’d win another championship in 2003 and another two years later in his first season with the Galaxy. He saw both sides of that aura.

“The Galaxy were the team that everyone was jealous of,” said Donovan, who led the Galaxy to their second MLS Cup crown in 2005. “Everybody assumed that the Galaxy got all the breaks from the league, got all the good refereeing decisions, that they they were always going to be favorites. That played into whole underdog role for San Jose, and so we sort of perpetuated that myth that all these things were happening to help the Galaxy.

“And then when I got to the Galaxy, it became very clear that every team got up for that game against the Galaxy, especially in L.A. The Galaxy were sort of the crown jewel of MLS, and everybody wanted them and everybody wanted to play for them.”

The next big move would dramatically

WITHOUT THE GALAXY, THERE IS NO MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER TODAY.

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It’s one of the tent poles in MLS annals, and it arrived at a crucial moment. MLS, despite a collectivist ownership structure designed to foment competitive parity and avoid the pitfalls that in the mid-1980s killed the late, great North American Soccer League, was failing. Anschutz was buying up the rights to rival clubs, adding D.C. United and the MetroStars (now New York Red Bulls) in 2001 and San Jose Earthquakes in 2003 to his collection. The Galaxy might have been his signature team but hardly his only priority.

“You can’t overstate what Phil has meant to Major League Soccer,” said Donovan, the most important of American soccer players and winner of six MLS Cups, four with the Galaxy. “In 2001 when I was [playing] in San Jose, I only sort of knew about Phil from the periphery. But I remember [Earthquakes star and veteran national-teamer] Jeff Agoos very clearly telling me there’s a really good chance the league folds next year, and he said that the owner of the Galaxy and a few other teams is basically the one with the decision in his hand. ‘If he pulls out, the league is done.’ ” Club president Chris Klein, a former winger who played for LA in 2007-10, had played four years with Kansas City when the teams in Miami and Tampa Bay were

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Photo Credit: Robert Mora

Photo Credit: LA Galaxy

● M AURICIO CIENFUEGOS A ND CO BI JO NES REC E I V E T HE I R 2 0 0 2 M L S C U P RI N GS O N T H E O P E N I N G GA M E AT DI G N I T Y H E A LT H SP O R T S PA RK I N 2 0 0 3 . RO B B I E K E A N E SCO RES T H E GA M E - W I N N I N G G OA L IN ML S C UP 2 0 1 4 .

alter the American soccer landscape. The Galaxy, who had won their second title wanted the biggest star possible, someone who would turn heads in the U.S. and win respect from overseas. Beckham’s arrival was the divide between MLS’s AD and BC, but it required intense work, both romancing the English superstar and creating a mechanism - the “Beckham Rule,” which allowed teams to sign “Designated Players” that would otherwise top the league’s maximum salary and push teams past the salary cap - that would allow it to happen.

Anschutz got it done.

Beckham, 32 when he got to L.A., was in possession of the finest right foot the game had possibly ever seen. He could place a ball on a dime from practically any distance and with dizzying bend score jaw-dropping goals from set pieces. Plus he was something of a gritty role player, a working-class hero in regal garb. Decent guy, too.

His good looks and East London charm drew added attention, and his wife - fashionista Victoria Adams, the famed “Posh Spice” - opened to him a world beyond the field, where his celebrity outpaced that of movie stars, rock idols and royalty, his queen excepted. He was a god, almost literally: His statue sits atop an altar in a Buddhist temple in Bangkok.

Beckham was an industry all his own,

an example of what skill, style and expert marketing can produce. Everyone, or at least everyone who might matter to MLS, kept tabs on him, followed him, cheered for him, lived vicariously through him. When he said yes to the Galaxy, the Galaxy suddenly mattered all over the globe.

He attracted new fans to his team and the league - including a who’s who of Hollywood in the suites, field-side seats or hallways outside the locker rooms - and brought with him marketing opportunities that had been previously unimaginable. His impact on MLS, deep and broad, was most visible through the significant expansion that followed in the next few years - strikingly with the vibrant fan cultures that accompanied so many of the new teams, notably in Seattle, Portland and Atlanta.

MLS was a different place after Beckham showed up. Garber calls it “the shot heard around the world.”

“The attention that he brought our club and our league, that was really outside anything we’d ever experienced before,” Klein said. “He was the first one to come here that kind of made it okay for the world’s biggest stars to look at MLS as a viable option. It was the moment that put MLS on a world stage.”

Ibrahimovic was a 26-year-old Inter Milan star in 2007. He didn’t know what MLS was.

“The first time I heard about it was when Beckham signed with the Galaxy, and it went worldwide,” he said. “I mean, when David does something, the whole world knows about it. And him signing for MLS became global news. It became interesting and attractive. ... I said one day I will come.”

That day was more than a decade off for the Swedish giant, after stops in Barcelona, Milan, Paris and Manchester, but others quickly followed in his footsteps. Thierry Henry would join the Red Bulls in time, and then a flood of superstars: Alessandro Nesta, Kaká, Didier Drogba, David Villa, Andrea Pirlo, Frank Lampard, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Wayne Rooney. The Galaxy would bring in Irish star Robbie Keane - the “game-changer,” in Donovan’s words, as LA won three titles in four seasons under Arena - and then Ashley Cole, Steven Gerrard and Ibrahimovic. More clamor to come.

Donovan, who had an unhappy stint in Germany in his late teens, saw it when he returned to Europe for offseason loans to Bayern Munich in 2009 and Everton in 2010 and 2012.

“Night and day from what I’d previously experienced. And 100 percent due to what David did to open people’s eyes to Major League Soccer,” he said. “For the first time, you heard players realistically saying,

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THE GALAXY WERE SORT OF THE CROWN JEWEL OF MLS, AND EVERYBODY WANTED THEM AND EVERYBODY WANTED TO PLAY FOR THEM. will become a big thing.”

That day’s ahead, not as far off as it seemed not too long ago.

Look 25 years down the road, there’s no telling what we’ll see. The strides American soccer has made in the past quarter-century - and that MLS has made since Beckham has propelled the game to real prominence in this country. Only seven leagues around the globe average greater attendance, and MLS barely trails Italy’s Serie A and France’s Ligue 1, two of Europe’s “big five” national competitions.

Come 2044, MLS might stand beside these leagues, the German Bundesliga, English Premier League and La Liga in Spain’s La Liga as a true world major league, competing with Real Madrid and Bayern Munich for the world’s best players and biggest trophies.

T

THIS IS THE GALAXY’S LEGACY.

Photo Credit: Robert Mora

‘Hey, how can we go play in the States?’ ... And it helped that David was very honest in his comments, that the league was much more difficult to play in than you would realize from afar. It didn’t have the quality of the Premier League or La Liga or Serie A or the Bundesliga, but it was a hard league to play in, and he made that very clear.”

The designated-player rule had a profound effect on MLS and led to stronger rosters. Teams have increasingly spent on younger players, so many of them from South America, and there’s been an accompanying rise in the standard of play.

The world has taken notice.

“David showed the world that it’s good to play here and opened up [our] eyes,” Ibrahimovic said. “The U.S. market is maybe the biggest in the world, and if you have this sport here and make it as big as basketball - or like [soccer is] in Europe - it

● Z L ATA N : T H E L I O N O F L O S A N G E L E S |

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96 00 03

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01

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TURNING BACK TIME A LOOK AT THE 05

LAST 25 YEARS

1996: The inaugural Los Angeles Galaxy team.1997: Forward Harut 1998: The Galaxy finished the 1998 season with 85 goals, a record that still stands. 1999: The Rose Bowl: The Galaxy’s home from 1996 to 2002. 2000: The Gal-

Karapetyan takes a shot on goal.

axy pose for a starting XI photo with the club’s first mascot, Twizzle.

2001:

Winning the 2000 CONCACAF Champions Cup at the LA

Coliseum.

2002: The LA Galaxy win their first MLS Cup title. 2003:

Mauricio Cienfuegos and Cobi Jones show off their MLS Cup rings at the grand-opening of Dignity Health Sports Park. 2004: Carlos “El

2005: Galaxy captain Pete Vagenas lifts the 2005 2006: Landon Donovan maneuvers around a defender.

Pescadito” Ruiz.

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MLS Cup.

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15

07

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2007: The Galaxy make global headlines with the signing of David Beckham. 2008: Bruce Arena is unveiled as head coach and general manager of the LA Galaxy. 2009: Mike Magee scores to send Galaxy fans into bedlam. 2010: Edson Buddle is all smiles after scoring one of his 17 goals in 2010. 2011: David Beckham and the LA Galaxy win MLS Cup 2011. 2012: Robbie Keane raises the 2012 MLS Cup trophy. 2013: Omar Gonzalez revels in scoring a goal against Juventus at Dodger Stadium. 2014: Landon Donovan lifts the 2014 MLS Cup. #FirstToFive. 2015: Giovani dos Santos, Steven Gerrard, Robbie Keane and Gyasi Zardes celebrate a goal against NYCFC. Defender Jelle Van Damme acknowledges the traveling fans after playoff defeat vs. Colorado Rapids. 2017: Romain Alessandrini throws up the LA sign after scoring. 2018: Zlatan Ibrahimovic scores the goal heard around the world in debut vs. LAFC. 2019: Jonathan dos Santos hits a stunner against Orlando City SC.

2016:

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THANK YOU

THANK YOU FOR

25 UNFORGETTABLE YEARS. WITHOUT YOU, NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE.

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LOVE, YOUR GALAXY FAMILY

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2020 SEASON TICKET MEMBERSHIPS

NEVER MISS A MATCH IN 2020

INCLUDES EVERY MLS REGULAR SEASON, PRESEASON AND LAMAR HUNT U.S. OPEN CUP HOME MATCHES RECEIVE EXCLUSIVE ACCESS TO LA GALAXY PLAYERS, COACHES AND ALUMNI EXCLUSIVE EVENTS INCLUDING THE 2020 JERSEY LAUNCH, PREGAME TAILGATES AND POSTGAME AUTOGRAPH SESSIONS

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