Major League Soccer adds another world figure to its ranks. James Rodríguez became a new Minnesota United playerone of the youngest franchises in the league and which until today had little relevance in the United States. It was founded in 2015 and the league debut took place in the 2017 season.
James comes to the MLS after a year in the Mexican León and with the great objective of preparing to play in his third World Cup. It will be less than a semester to have continuity, handle loads and be at full capacity by June 17day of the debut of the Colombian National Team against Uzbekistan at the Azteca stadium.
“I am in a unique, great stage. In five months I have the World Cup, I have a Cup in which I cannot fail. It is true that this was one of the keys to coming, so I can adapt to the country, I hope I will be well…“, commented James in his presentation conference with the Minnesota United sports manager.
The Athletic, the sports section of the New York Times, classified James’ signing as one of the most important and high-profile in the entire history of the MLS. The player is labeled “movie star” and they predict that it will “boost” the team both in sports and commercially. Saint Paul, Minneapolis and all of Minnesota will have more relevance in the American soccer world.
The MLS waited 10 years for James Rodríguez
The sports media reviews the times that James was linked to or seduced by Major League Soccer. It all started in 2016 when he played little for Real Madrid with Zinedine Zidane as a coach. Rumors that never materialized because the player continued his career in Spain and Germany (Bayern Munich).
In the summer of 2020, after a season on the Madrid bench, the first real approach came from the United States. Nothing more and nothing less than from David Beckham to seduce him with Inter Miami. James rejected the offer and went with Carlo Ancelotti to Everton in England.
As the years went by and he went from club to club without settling, the MLS kept knocking on James’ door. Offers, approaches and links with franchises such as LA Galaxy, Los Angeles FC, Columbus Crew, Toronto FC, Orlando City and Austin FC. None came to fruition until Minnesota appeared in late November of last year.
Related news
A decade passed and the American league finally has the top scorer of the 2014 World Cup, to a star who wore the shirts of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Everton, Porto, Monaco, Sao Paulo, among others. At 34 years old, the ’10’ lands to live his ‘American dream’. The MLS spectacle and the 2026 World Cup welcome the Colombian captain: Time to shine, James.
Your opinions matter! Comment on the articles and subscribe for free to our newsletter and to the information alerts in the App or the channel WhatsApp. Looking to license content? click here
