The biggest American soccer crowd in 15 years, a brilliant bender from David Beckham, and a spirited effort from Lionel Messi and his star-studded supporting cast had everything coming up roses for the Aug. 1 match between L.A. and FC Barcelona in Pasadena.
But while it’s easy for MLS Commish Don Garber to call the Rose Bowl exhibition “a great night for soccer in America,” Los Angeles Times columnist Helene Elliott brings the Galaxy back down to Earth, noting that the passionate, stadium-filled atmospheres from Saturday night are “all too rare for MLS” and suggesting that “if it’s going to thrive, the league needs more nights like this. A lot more.”
As witnessed by the 93,000+ that filed into the Rose Bowl, and supported by multiple crowds of more than 80,000 at a trio of other international games in the United States this summer, there is clearly a soccer audience “for the big occasions when remarkable club teams … visit.” But with a turnout six times bigger than the average MLS crowd (around 15,000), it’s hard not to notice that “a disconnect remains between fans who will come out in happy droves to see Barcelona or AC Milan play the Galaxy and the smaller crowds that file into MLS stadiums.”
And so just like how with great power comes great responsibility, with great success comes great expectations, a challenge that Garber is fully aware of. “Part of it is creating those connections and part of it is having a night when your team can be competitive and convincing a lot of fans that might be here to see Barcelona that the L.A. Galaxy can play,” he said. “We’ve got to start filling up all of our small stadiums before we can start worrying on a regular basis about filling up stadiums like this outside of exhibitions.”