HISTORICAL. Bolivian Marco Etcheverry was the first tall Latino figure in MLS / @ dcunited
Heading into 28 years of first getting the ball rolling in the United States, Major League Soccer (MLS) has grown rapidly and impressively. In the country that for decades has held huge events related to American football, basketball and baseball, soccer was late to the party; However, it was not for reasons of contempt, the European influence that has embraced so much and has made football its sporting banner, took a long time to permeate, but once it did, it had a direct impact on the fans.
Part of its roots of almost three decades in the country is due in large part to the influence that comes from Central and South America, where soccer is an incomparable passion. From the extreme south of the continent, with Argentina as a world benchmark, to Mexico, a perennial competitor in the highest levels of the most important national team tournaments, football managed to successfully establish itself in the United States to the point of turning the country into an interesting factory of athletes who today carry the flag of the stars and stripes to the Old Continent.
Successful first steps
Among the most important records of the MLS a name stands out for its prominence: Carlos Valderrama. For many, the greatest Colombian footballer in history, “Pibe” filled the tournament with brilliance in the 1990s, when the discipline was just opening a space in the country’s tough sports market.
But his arrival in North America could not have been better. To date, Valderrama is still among the top assists in the tournament’s history, with 114 passes between 1996 and 2002, the fourth-best mark since the MLS curtain rose.
Focused on just one year, the native of Granada added 26 qualifications in 2000, a record he still holds.
His presence was an incentive to attract the attention of Latinos in the United States, especially those who experienced soccer first-hand in their nation and who hoped to do the same in the country of opportunity.
Goals in Spanish
The maxim of football is to score more goals than the rival and in that a Hispanic duo detached itself from the rest in recent years, with scoring records that were established in the last five years.
The first of them was the Venezuelan Josef Martínez, who in the 2018 campaign led Atlanta United to the league title thanks to his 31 goals, one of them precisely in the final of the championship.
Unlike the structure of a born scorer, Martinez, small but fast, became the man to fear in MLS thanks to his ability to define despite adversity. In the aforementioned calendar there was no summary that did not include that of the Vinotinto thanks to its spectacular goals.
Martínez served as a piece capable of starting from the middle of the court and reaching the rival goal with ease. With his head, right or left leg, the versatility of the Venezuelan enveloped his rivals and thus rose as the Most Valuable Player of the harvest.
The second, and still owner of the best scoring record in a year, is the Mexican Carlos Vela.
With a background in Spanish and English football, the Aztec made a name for himself in Europe and his national team before joining the MLS party. There, in the Los Angeles FC uniform, he put his team on the map even though he has not yet had a chance to be crowned champion.
In 2019, Vela scored 34 goals, a great credit for a man who at first seemed to have a talent for developing as a creative midfielder, but who over time also nurtured that scoring instinct that he kept within him.
The pioneer
One of the exponents of Latin soccer in the United States took over the heat of the local public thanks to his claw. Bolivian Marco Etcheverry, one of the most respected guys in the discipline on the continent, was a key part of DC United’s success in the 1990s.
The forward wore the colors of the capital’s team for seven years, one more successful than the other, to the point of being crowned three times in the MLS Cup. The memory of the agile striker remains intact, as he was one of the first exponents to bring the South American rhythm to the newborn league.
With DC United, Etcheverry scored 34 goals in 190 appearances and amassed 101 assists, the seventh best in the competition’s history.
When it comes to Hispanic influence in the league, his name is possibly the first to jump. Although it was fundamental in his country, the jump to Europe did not show the best of him; however, returning to America was the best thing that happened to him. Once installed in North America, the Bolivian regained confidence and became one of the main attackers of his time.
The tenacity that characterizes the highland player was his greatest tool. Killing him physically and emotionally was a titanic task, so his dedication led him to earn the recognition of both his teammates and his opponents.
Its impact was positive enough to put MLS on the map of footballers who at some point dismissed the possibility of playing in the United States, believing that the country would not give the sport the attention it deserved. Thus, it is fair to assure that with him there was a before and after for Hispanics in the league. Without his talent and projection, perhaps there would not be such a noticeable presence among soccer players in the region, who now see North American football as an important letter of introduction for their career.
eltiempolatino.com