(Damien Dvarganes/The Associated Press)
Former Borussia Dortmund midfielder Marco Reus said that while MLS is not highly regarded in Germany, playing for the Galaxy in the United States was his first choice.
The Galaxy introduced Reus, who signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with the club.
“To be honest, it’s a bit difficult to say because it’s not a popular league in Germany. [Lionel] “For example, if you have Messi, they take notice,” Reus said. “I think this league is great, there are great players playing, especially in this team. I’ve seen a lot of great games.”
Although Reus was not under contract with Dortmund, the Galaxy had to pay Charlotte FC $400,000 in GAM (General Allocation Monies) for the rights to him.
“In MLS, it’s not as easy as saying, ‘OK, we want to sign you,’ because you have to deal with a lot of stuff, with the exploration rights and stuff,” Galaxy general manager Will Kuntz said. “When you sign a player of Marco’s calibre and it’s not a designated player contract, you have to negotiate with the league and go through a lot of red tape and disclosure. It creates a sense of disbelief and a sense that there must be money being paid behind the scenes.”
Read more: Galaxy sign Riqui Puig to contract extension until 2027
Manager Greg Vanney said he plans to deploy Reus, who was part of Germany’s 2018 World Cup squad, in multiple positions on the field and in a variety of ways.
“He’s a great player, he’s versatile and he can play a number of different roles within our group,” Vanney said. “We’ve talked about wanting to get the ball to him in certain areas of the pitch. He can help energise our attack and potentially play a more important role in midfield.”
The Galaxy have star midfielder Riqui Puig leading an attack that is slightly different to what Reus can offer, but that hasn’t been an issue for the new signing.
“It’s good to work together, [to think] “It’s not about me or Riki, we have very good players on this team,” Reus said. “Championships are only won together, not alone. It’s important that we stick together in good times and bad.”
Vanney said Reus has been in Los Angeles for a week and expects his visa to be processed as quickly as possible so he will be able to take part in the team’s match against Atlanta FC at Dignity Health Sports Park on Aug. 24 (7 p.m. PT, AppleTV).
The Galaxy currently sit atop the Western Conference with 49 points with eight games remaining.
This article was first published in Spanish by LA Times en Español.
San Diego Loyal soccer team coach Landon Donovan watches practice at the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center on Jan. 28, 2020. (KC Alfred/San Diego Union-Tribune)
The San Diego Wave announced Friday that former Galaxy star Landon Donovan, 42, will serve as their new interim head coach through the remainder of the 2024 season.
Donovan, a San Diego resident, previously served as executive vice president of soccer operations for the San Diego Loyal after serving as the USL club’s inaugural head coach for three years.
Wave president Jill Ellis asked Donovan if he could recommend someone to coach the NWSL club until the end of the season, and former interim coach Paul Buckle already had commitments and could only lead the team during the Olympic break.
“So I thought about it for a bit. I didn’t respond for a few hours,” Donovan told The San Diego Union-Tribune. “I talked to my wife and I said, ‘Hmm, that could be interesting,’ so I responded to Jill and said, ‘I’ve got a couple of people in mind, and if you’d like to talk, I’d be interested.’ So Jill called me and we started the process.”
Donovan said she “studied it thoroughly” for several weeks to prepare for the job, knowing there were differences between the women’s and men’s games, and when she watched the team practice, she was hooked.
“A lot of our guys have a lot of positives,” Donovan said, “and we can fix bad habits quickly, so that’s good for me. And I think all of our guys have the drive and the motivation to get a fresh start, move forward and finish the season in a really good way.”
Donovan was one of the most decorated players in U.S. soccer history before turning to coaching, winning six MLS Cup titles (four with the Galaxy) and becoming the only American player to top 50 goals and assists in his career. His 157 appearances are the second-most in U.S. men’s soccer history.
This article originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.