ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC OWNS LA – AND MAYBE ALL OF MLS

July 23, 2019

By DINO COSTA

It wasn’t the equivalent of Tottenham and Arsenal by any means, but last Friday night in what I consider America’s soccer capital, Los Angeles, the two MLS clubs that call the city home got together for a spirited match at

the Dignity Health Sports Park (awful name) before a raucous sold-out crowd.

Coming into the game LAFC was (and still is) running away with the league’s Western Conference possessing an offense that sees them currently

with 55 goals scored in 21 games – which are 14 more goals scored on the season than the next best club in that category (Philadelphia).

Additionally, LAFC has allowed the fewest goals against in the league this season, they’ve permitted a stingy 20 goals against – which gives them an

overall league-leading goal differential of +35.

In only their second season of MLS play the return of a 2nd team to the LA market has gone exceptionally well for this franchise, which never should

be confused with the utter disaster that was Chivas USA when they shared the city with the Galaxy for 10-years from 2005-14, before that franchise

was thankfully put out of its misery.

No, LAFC is a different animal altogether.

This is a franchise that has made significant inroads into the LA soccer scene with investors who are more than well-capitalized. They opened a

gorgeous new soccer-specific stadium to call their own, hired the respected American soccer coach Bob Bradley to manage the club on the field, and they

sold out each of their 17 home games at Banc Of California Stadium during their inaugural 2018 season.

As a fan of the aesthetics of athletics, you won’t mind it if I tell you that their logo (crest) is really sharp too.

LAFC racked up 58 points in their first year of play which is a record for any first-year expansion franchise in league history.

Some think that the tide is turning with many in Los Angeles who view LAFC as the better club and the more competently run franchise these days, in

comparison to the Galaxy, one of the league’s original charter members who have years and years of brand loyalty in the market in addition to winning

the MLS Cup a record 5 times over the league’s first 23 years.

Last year, in late March, I watched these two teams get together for the first time ever in a game that was played at the Galaxy home stadium (then

known as the Stub Hub Center), and the game was notable for reasons beyond the fact that it was the first match the two clubs would play against one

another.

For it was the arrival of one of the most decorated and respected (not to mention skilled) footballers in the world coming to Los Angeles and MLS,

the animated and uber-charismatic Zlatan Ibrahimovic, set to make his debut in the league and for the more established Galaxy.

The game could not have started off any better for LAFC with their own world-class player Carlos Vela scoring two gorgeous goals to give the new

kids on the block a 2-0 lead in the 1st half.

Then only minutes into the second half LAFC found the back of the net again on a goal by Daniel Steres and the Galaxy were down by what appeared to be

an insurmountable 3-0 deficit.

Ibrahimovic had yet to make his debut in this game, but with the score 3-0 and frustrations mounting on the Galaxy side, the crowd began chanting

for Ibrahimovic.

They eventually got him onto the field but not before the Galaxy started a stirring comeback, first with a goal from Sebastian Lletget making it 3-1.

Ibrahimovic entered the game for the Galaxy and made his MLS debut in the 71st minute and that’s when things really started to change. His appearance

onto the field seemed to be the jolt of electricity that the Galaxy needed and it was easy to see that his teammates fed off the

high-voltage Ibrahimovic brought with him off the bench.

Ibrahimovic immediately made an impact getting involved in a few touches that led to a goal by Chris Pontius that cut the LAFC lead to only

3-2…before the legend of Zlatan was born in Los Angeles.

In the 77th minute, Ibrahimovic was in the LAFC side and about 40-yards from the goal line when the ball hit the turf and bounced 15-feet above him. Ibrahimovic waited as the ball came back down and he blasted a perfectly timed volley, drilling it on a line and over the outstretched

arms of LAFC goalkeeper Tyler Miller tying the game and making the ground shake at the Galaxy stadium. Ibrahimovic ripped off his shirt and ran

around like a maniac who owned the ground he ran on…because at that moment he did.

But that was only a prelude to what occurred next.

Tied at 3-3 and now in stoppage time, Ibrahimovic ran toward the center with the ball on the wing to his left. Knowing he was temporarily

offsides Ibrahimovic held up while waiting for his teammate Ashley Cole to get to the ball. Once Cole had possession, Ibrahimovic moved toward the center of the box and took a left-side cross off the foot of Cole, and with two defenders draped on both his sides and with LAFC goalkeeper Tyler Miller coming out in an attempt to deflect the cross by Cole, Ibrahimovic made himself into a missile by launching himself forward into the air and meeting the ball with his head and into the LAFC goal…bedlam ensued.

At that moment the legend of Zlatan was born in America, and, if not in America, then certainly in the city of Angels.

Which now brings me back to the game last Friday night where the story actually got underway prior to the game kicking off.

I’m watching the pre-game show on ESPN and they’re interviewing LAFC’s marvelous striker Carlos Vela who was talking about how he feels his team is much better than last year’s club and how he felt that LAFC would get their

first-ever win during the series against the Galaxy.

Then the guy interviewing him said to Vela; “There’s been a lot of talk this week about who the best player in Major League Soccer is, you said at

the beginning of the season that you wanted to be the MVP, do you feel like you’ve been the MVP so far?”

Vela answered by saying; “Yeah, I think so, but I think the most important part is coming so I have to finish the same or better and that’s

how I can take the MVP and the championship.”

Then a little later during the pre-game, ESPN spoke with Ibrahimovic, and someone might have told Zlatan the words that Vela spoke about being the

MVP or the best player in MLS.

Interviewer: “You said this week that you were by far better than Carlos Vela, will you demonstrate that tonight?”

Ibrahimovic (without an ounce of emotion): “The whole league, not only Vela.”

Interviewer: “Do you worry that your words may have motivated Carlos Vela tonight?”

Ibrahimovic: (without an ounce of emotion): “I hope.”

End of interview.

Keep in mind, for the uninitiated, that Zlatan Ibrahimovic is 37-years-old, not exactly a spring chicken when it comes to the game of professional

football.

So the match begins and only about a minute into the contest the Galaxy turned the ball over and LAFC’s Adama Diamonde fed a ball into the box for the aforementioned Vela, the self-proclaimed MVP of the league, who was

taken down to the left of the net by Galaxy goalkeeper David Bingham, and a penalty kick was awarded. Vela put it home for his 20th goal of the year

and giving LAFC an early lead which would turn out to be the high water-mark of the night for the visitors.

From that point onward it became nothing but the Zlatan show. Ibrahimovic followed the early 1-0 Galaxy deficit be responding with 3 straight – but

different goals – all of them gorgeous to watch.

In the 8th minute, Ibrahimovic took a beautiful lob from Julian Araujo and sprang forward while finding himself wedged between two LAFC defenders.

Playing the ball first off of his chest and then to his feet, Ibrahimovic

somehow managed to corral the ball and wriggle out of the defensive cone around him – and then from the top of the box and off a small bounce, he rocketed a shot past LAFC goalkeeper Tyler Miller and the game was even.

Following his first goal, Ibrahimovic raced over to celebrate directly in front of LAFC head coach Bob Bradley as if to let him know that the

nightmare was only beginning.

Goal number two was perhaps even better?

56th minute and Ibrahimovic takes a gorgeous cross from Diego Palanta and showing his always versatile skills that he uses to beat his

opponents, Ibrahimovic connected on a perfectly timed header that Miller had no chance on, and the Galaxy was up 2-1.

Ibrahimovic’ 3rd and final goal of the game came in the 70h minute when after LAFC’s Diego Rossi came close to tying the game (shot went wide off

the goalpost), Ibrahimovic, from 25-yards out and this time with his left foot scorched a ball past Miller for the Hat Trick and a final emphatic

exclamation point on the day.

Ibrahimovic played this game not like a 37-year-old but like a player who was 10-years younger. He’s one of those rare players who can will a game to

his liking and he makes every one of his teammates better.

Following the game which the Galaxy won 3-2, Ibrahimovic was as justifiably arrogant and as confident as his words suggested before the game started.

Ibrahimovic said; “I think the best player talk motivated them more because I’m always motivated. I always go in to every game to do my best

and to help my teammates. Today the outcome was good and we won the game.”

Big-time players step up in big-time games in all sports, and this was certainly a biggie for both clubs and Ibrahimovic not only took the Galaxy on his back and carried them to a victory, but he also showed that there is

still a lot of great soccer left for one of the all-time great players that MLS is fortunate to have in their league.

It was a sterling and inspiring performance and one of the best 90-minute games any one individual player has played in the history of MLS.

LAFC’s Carlos Vela is younger and he may still lead MLS in goals scored this season, but don’t ever tell the proud man from Sweden that anyone is better

than he is, not in MLS anyway.

“When you play against a rival like that, with a full stadium, the atmosphere is nice,” Ibrahimovic said. “I get pumped, I get adrenaline. This is considered to be the biggest game in the league, so the biggest

job is to show up in the biggest game.”

LAFC still remains winless against the Galaxy in their short history and the anticipation for the next go-round between these two clubs on August 25

at Banc Of California Stadium is already being anticipated.

Last Friday evening Zlatan Ibrahimovic took ownership of the city of Los Angeles.

Even at age 37, he just might own the entire league.