American Stars Back LaLiga Plan
November 15, 2018
On the opening day of Soccerex USA, LaLiga won a ringing endorsement for its efforts to bring a league game to the States from two of that country’s soccer legends.
Former U.S. World Cup team member Tony Meola and John Harkes, the first American to play in the English Premier League (EPL), co-signed a comment piece in today’s Miami Herald saying they “strongly support” the plan to play a Spanish top-flight match in the Florida city in January.
The players wrote: “It’s good for the fans. It’s good for the game. It’s good for Miami. It’s good for LaLiga and, most important, American soccer.”
LaLiga aims to play a match between FC Barcelona and Girona on January 26 – the first ever regular season game to be held abroad by one of the world’s elite soccer leagues.
The article said: “We believe this will be great for American soccer – a rising tide lifts all boats.”
They wrote: “We believe this match will cause more kids to play and more people to watch the sport. That’s a good thing.”
“Soccer politics are complex, but we believe fans should have the loudest voice. To show our support for the match, we signed our names to the petition at BringUSTheGame.com, joining more than 30,000 fans.”
Soccerex USA attendees include MLS Commissioner Don Garber, US Soccer President Carlos Cordeiro, CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani and many other leaders.
