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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Paul MacInnes

‘Star making not star taking’: how LA Galaxy rose back to top of US soccer

Maya Yoshida of Los Angeles Galaxy lifts the MLS Cup trophy after December’s win against New York Red Bulls
Maya Yoshida of Los Angeles Galaxy lifts the MLS Cup trophy after December’s win against New York Red Bulls. Photograph: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

When the Major League Soccer champions were crowned last December, Lionel Messi was not on the podium. He, Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets and the rest of the Inter Miami galácticos had been dispatched in the playoffs. Instead, the new kings of US football were the old aristocrats of LA Galaxy, back on top after a 10-year absence, but without a household name in their ranks.

The team that brought you Beckham-mania, staged the Captain America show and gave a number of people Zlatan-itis had retaken the summit of the US club game with a roster of unheralded talent. But the twist was more profound than that: this 180-degree turn on strategy was brought about by fan activism, after supporters went on strike to force the club to change their approach.

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