The Future Continues To look Bright For Californian Soccer
- Updated: August 29, 2018
In a country where baseball, basketball and ice hockey tend to steal all the headlines, soccer is an emerging force in America and the excitement surrounding the game, which is hugely followed in Europe and South America, is continually growing year on year.
With the 2026 World Cup being held in the United States, Canada and Mexico after their joint bid beat Morocco’s proposal to host it, the recent news can only be positive for American soccer moving forward and enable the nation to get behind it, entice kids into giving the sport a go and help gain further exposer for the sport.
The appeal of Major League Soccer (MLS) is not just attracting Americans, but big named players from Europe are now jumping at the chance to ply their trade in an ambitious league and make a name for themselves in foreign territory, whilst experiencing the difference in cultures and living the American lifestyle.
Three MLS teams are based in California and are growing their reputations both in the state but also in the country as a whole. With the season reaching its crucial stage, let’s take a look at their campaign’s as a whole and assess their chances of success moving forward.
Los Angeles FC
Despite being in a better position in the Western Conference league table, Los Angeles FC (LAFC), tend to be in the shadow of their city rivals LA Galaxy when it comes to media coverage and the overall limelight. LAFC are in with a chance of winning the Supporters’ Shield, although perhaps a more realistic possibility is the chance to appear in the MLS Cup play-offs and then, hopefully, make it through to the championship decider – the MLS Cup.
Diego Rossi and Carlos Vela are key to LAFC’s chances, with the former Arsenal youngster capable of destroying any side on his day. Rossi, currently the team’s top scorer, has proven his ability this season and should both star men continue their current form, then LAFC could be in for an excellent run. Currently priced at 8/1 (bet365) to win the MLS Cup, the team managed by former National Team boss, Bob Bradley, are strong contenders.
LA Galaxy
Arguably one of biggest teams in the MLS, LA Galaxy are managed by the highly knowledgable and highly respected Sigi Schmid. Schmid has helped the club occupy the play-off spots currently but he has also got some of their star men working together and looking like a cohesive unit. One star man, Zlatan Ibrahimovich, has been hogging the headlines since swapping English Premier League giants Manchester United for American shores and has firmly hit the ground running.
Galaxy are currently priced at 14/1 for the MLS Cup, which is excellent value, especially when you use free bets from Sportingbet Canada. With ‘Zlatan’ onboard, anything is possible for the Galaxy this season.
San Jose Earthquakes
In stark contrast to their Western Conference counterparts, San Jose are having a season to forget. Currently occupying the bottom of the table, the Earthquakes probably can’t wait for the campaign to end.
San Jose Earthquakes head coach Mikael Stahre has had some fairly harsh words for his team recently, saying: “We will try to win as many games as possible. The last 10 games matter. We can also win games but we can improve and show everyone: ownership, the fans, all of us, you guys, that we have a future. And that’s the aim right now.”
With the whole squad and perhaps Stahre himself playing for their futures, the Earthquakes hierarchy will be hoping for some positive end-of-season results or they could be forced to make wholesale changes next season.
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