Zlat’s the way to do it for new MLS side
NEW Major League Soccer club Los Angeles FC are aiming to attract stars like Zlatan Ibrahimovic to stand out in the City of Angels.
LA’s second club will hope to rubber stamp the city’s place as a footballing hotbed when a second top-level team makes its debut in March.
The expansion club will have been three-and-a-half years in the making by the time the 2018 MLS season gets under way – and the team has certainly embraced the Tinseltown glamour.
Their ownership group includes Hollywood actor Will Ferrell, LA Lakers basketball legend Magic Johnson and divisive Cardiff City owner Vincent Tan.
And their new 22,000-seater Banc of California Stadium is hoping to turn heads with a sunset deck and exclusive barrier-free pitchside seats for premier seat holders.
LAFC co-owner and president Tom Penn insists the club will also be able to bring stars of the football world to the project.
“I think over time, you will see some of the best talent and best names in the world want to come to Los Angeles,” he said.
“All players at all levels want to come to Los Angeles and we feel like we’ve built a stadium worthy of any player in the world.
“That is true, Zlatan is not under contract. He also has a bad knee, doesn’t he?
“And he’s very active in the news with other clubs, right?
“The question is the correct timing and so we’re going to need stars through the cycle of our existence but we want to win and we want to have an exciting style of play as soon as possible.”
Eight months away from LAFC’s debut, though, there are just two players contracted to the club.
An expansion draft will help build the team, while they have been linked with swoops for Ibrahimovic, 35, Javier Hernandez, 29, and Wesley Sneijder, 33.
“I think we’re interested in any player, any time,” said Penn.
“It could be Messi, Ronaldo, you name it.
“We feel like that player is going to have interest in Los Angeles.
“All these players are under contract, many of these players want to come at different phases of their career.
“We’ll just see what is the right fit and when it’s the right fit.
“As football evolves, Los Angeles FC eventually is going to be a relevant club on the global scale.”