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Welcome to the Majors
A slew of new blood from Latin America comes to Major League Soccer, providing a new approach to the game and legions of fans.
By Kiko Martinez
When it comes to international soccer players in Major League Soccer, no name is more recognizable than that of Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder David Beckham. With an knee injury keeping him off the field most of 2007—his first season after leaving Britain for the U.S. league—Beckham’s legendary status and continuously-rising popularity have attracted most of the headlines as the season continues.
There is, however, another noteworthy story taking a backseat to Beckham in the echelon of international soccer players. Latinos in the MLS from countries like Colombia and Argentina are making an impact in the game like never before.
“The Mexican and South American style—slower, more creative and open-minded than the European brand—will lend some much-needed hot-blooded flair to the U.S. game, which for too long has thrived on hard work, speed and physicality,” writes Greg Lalas with Sports Illustrated. “The Latino players that are making their way here should be able to harness that energy and infuse it with something special.”
According to the current rosters of the 14 MLS teams, there are 41 international Latino players competing this season. Eighteen of them are rookies, says MLS Deputy Commissioner Ivan Gazidis, who adds that last year the standard of play in the league took a leap forward based on new imported players. They ultimately improved the skills of the homegrown players throughout the season.
“[Last year] wasn’t about David Beckham ... although [he] was clearly a huge story for us and has been a terrific ambassador of the league,” Gazidis says. “We have to focus on the international player pool in order to develop our product. Our focus ... has been on Central and South America.”
Welcome Marcelo Gallardo, Duilio Davino, Claudio López and others. The ball has been kicked your way and you can determine how far Latinos will continue to rise on this soccer battlefield.
Chicago Fire
Veteran midfielder and last year’s Humanitarian of the Year, Diego Gutierrez leads Colombian countryman Wilman Conde and three other Latino imports into their 10th year in the league. Finishing in the middle of the pack in the Eastern Conference in 2007, look for Mexico’s Cuauhtémoc Blanco to do some damage in his sophomore season. It all depends on how far first-year head coach Denis Hamlett can take them.
 Chivas USA
Speaking of coaches, Preki Radosavljevic, last year’s MLS Coach of the Year, has a lot to live up to after taking the Chivas to the best record in the Western Conference a season ago. There to help Preki: four-year international player Francisco Mendoza of Mexico, third-year player Claudio Suárez of Mexico, and second-year player Maykel Galindo of Cuba. It also doesn’t hurt to have the 2007 Goalkeeper of the Year Brad Guzan (13 shutouts last year) defending your net.
Colorado Rapids
The back-to-back MLS Reserve Division champion Rapids look to go on a tear this year and improve on last year’s 9-13-8 record, which marked only the third time in the team’s 12-year history that it did not make the playoffs. They’ll attempt this feat with Argentines Facundo Erpen, and Christian Gómez, the 2006 MLS MVP who was signed in February. Team captain Pablo Mastroeni, also from Argentina, will be watching closely.
Columbus Crew
Argentine and Player of the Month for July 2007 Guillermo Barros Schelotto is back for his second season with the Crew. To dig the team out of a subpar season last year, he hopes to be on the same page as fellow Latinos Alejandro Moreno of Venezuela and Gino Padula and Nicolas Hernández of Argentina. Hernández was brought to Columbus from Colorado in exchange for Tim Ward and a natural third-round selection in the 2009 draft.
 D.C. United
Diving deep into the international pool, United, which earned the Supporters’ Shield for the best record in the league last year at 16-7-7, went out and added three first-year players from Argentina—Marcelo Gallardo, Franco Niell and Gonzalo Peralta. United also brought in rookies Gonzalo Martínez from Colombia and José Carvallo from Peru. Add captain Jamie Moreno from Bolivia to the mix, and that makes D.C. the MLS team with the most international Latino players at six.
FC Dallas
When the San Jose Earthquakes pulled Dallas’ 2007 Defender of the Year Clarence Goodson off their roster in the expansion draft, the football club went south of the border to fill the space in its backline. Enter defender Duilio Davino from Mexico, who he held the rank of captain last year with Club America. Alongside Davino are internationals Pablo Ricchetti and Darío Sala of Argentina, and second-year midfielder Juan Toja of Colombia.
Houston Dynamo
As defending back-to-back MLS Champions (they beat the New England Revolution 2-1 last year), the Dynamo brings in the first Latino international player to its team with the addition of Argentine striker Franco Caraccio. It should be an interesting year at Robertson Stadium, with world champion boxer Oscar de la Hoya owning 25 percent of the team. Anschutz Entertainment Group, who also own the L.A. Galaxy, still hold 50 percent.
 Kansas City Wizards
International rookie Argentine Claudio López joins fellow countrymen Eloy Colombano and Carlos Marinelli for the 2008 season. With their upset win against the Chivas last year in the first round of the playoffs, the Wizards look to contribute to the great play of Eddie Johnson. Also added to the roster as rookies from Latino nations are Iván Trujillo from Colombia and Roger Espinoza from Honduras. Midfielder Kurt Morsink holds dual citizenship in the U.S. and Costa Rica.
Los Angeles Galaxy
The Galaxy used the Designated Player Rule to draw David Beckham from Real Madrid and wants to prove that the five-year, $250 million contract it lobbed his way was a great move. With a new, extremely well-paid head coach in Rudd Gullitt and recently reacquired international striker in Guatemala’s Carlos Ruiz, the Galaxy hopes to return to championship status after missing out on the post-season the last two years.
New England Revolution
After falling short in the MLS Cup Championship for the last three years, the Revolution is hungrier than ever to get back to big game, which will be played in Carson, California this year. The team did win the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in October, but three straight MLS Cup defeats have left a bad taste in the team’s mouth. In February, the team signed Honduran midfielder Mauricio Castro. In March, the team picked up Costa Rican forward Argenis Fernández.
New York Red Bulls
Colombians and strikers Juan Pablo Ángel and Oscar Echeverry make up the Latino international soccer connection in the Big Apple. Angel, who was signed last year from Aston Villa in the Premier League, earned the MLS All-Star MVP in 2007. He scored 19 goals in his first season, the most of his career since scoring the same number with Club Atlético River Plate in 2000-2001.
Real Salt Lake City
There’s a four-headed Argentine monster in Utah and it starts with second-year players Fabian Espindola, Javier Morales and Matias Mantilla. Signed in March, midfielder Matias Cordoba completes the quad on a team that is looking to redeem itself from a poor showing last year. Jamison Olave from Colombia was also added to the roster in January. Second-year coach Jason Kreis, who took over for John Ellinger last year, has a lot to work with.
San Jose Earthquakes
On hiatus for the last two years, the Earthquakes are ready to break ground once again in 2008 as an expansion team. Included with this year’s Boys in Blue are fourth-year defender Iván Guerrero from Honduras. Guerrero played with the Chicago Fire last year before being picked up by the Quakes in the expansion draft. San Jose started its season with Frank Yallop as head coach, who was the leader for the 2001-2003 seasons.
Toronto FC
In its inaugural season in 2007, the expansion Toronto FC, the first MLS team from Canada, finished last in the league with a 6-17-7 record. It also shattered a record of futility when it went 824 consecutive minutes without scoring a goal. The prior record was 557 minutes set in 2005 by Real Salt Lake. To help turn it around, Toronto FC signed its first Latino international player in March, defender Marco Vélez from Puerto Rico.
2008 Matches
Not-to-be-Missed
Atlantic Cup, 1st game June 14
Everyone remember the Red Bull spitting incident by Alecko Eskandarian in 2006? Rivals D.C. United and the New York Red Bulls square off early in the season. Game 2 is on August 10 and Game 3 on August 30.
Brimstone Cup, 1st game June 15
The Chicago Fire and FC Dallas start their rivalry for the Brimstone Cup on Sunday at 2 p.m. Central. The second and final game comes on September 21. Dallas has retained the Cup for the last four years.
Honda SuperClasico, 2nd game July 10
The Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas U.S. go for round two on ESPN2 in L.A. Game 3 takes place on August 14 in Carson. The Chivas won last year’s SuperClasico in four games, 2-1-1.
MLS All-Star Game July 24
This year’s game will mark the first All-Star competition held in Canada. The match will take place at BMO Field, the home of FC Toronto.
Rocky Mountain Cup, 2nd game Aug. 29
Real Salt Lake attempts to defend its Cup against its rivals, the Colorado Rapids. Game 3 is the final game of the season for both teams on October 25.
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