Landon Donovan, in Las Vegas to promote exhibition game, sees MLS succeeding here

By Jesse Granger

Friday, Jan. 22, 2016 | 2 a.m.

With rumors floating around town about Major League Soccer’s possible expansion to Las Vegas, a persistent question is whether the city can support a team.

Landon Donovan, who will be taking the field at Sam Boyd Stadium on Feb. 20 for the Global Legends Series exhibition soccer game, believes the city has a bright future when it comes to soccer.

“If all of the pieces are right, there’s no reason why a city like this shouldn’t be successful if they were to get an MLS team,” said Donovan, who is arguably the best player in U.S. history. “It takes a lot of work and a lot of doing things the right way, but I think it would be fantastic. I’ve played with various players who grew up in Las Vegas, like Herculez Gomez , and they rave about what a great place this is for soccer.”

The exhibition match next month could serve as a measuring stick for soccer interest in Las Vegas. The GLS is fresh off its inaugural game in Bangkok and will bring a slew of the game’s best players together.

“We tried to develop a brand that is basically a legends’ ‘old boy club,’ so you really do have to be a legend in order to play, which is pretty unique in itself,” said James Davies Yandle, CEO and co-founder of GLS. “We want to give the fans the opportunity to see these guys play live, all together for the very first time.”

For a player to participate in the GLS game, he must have either been a champion of the World Cup, the Champions League or the European Championship, or made at least 50 appearances for his country in international play.

That whittles the field down to the very best that have ever played the sport.

The contest held in Las Vegas will feature 14 World Cup winners, 75 Champions League titles, 294 domestic league titles and over 1,000 appearances for their countries. The total amount of player transfer fees during the careers for both rosters is upwards of $1.4 billion.

GLS held a news conference Thursday at the Thomas & Mack Center starring Donovan, along with Italian World Cup champion Alessandro Del Piero and legendary Mexican goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez.

“When people come to Sam Boyd Stadium they are going to get to see something special,” Donovan said. “As one of the younger players I actually grew up watching these guys on TV as a kid, so for me it is very exciting. I will actually have a similar experience to (the fans) except I actually get to play on the field.”

The soccer tour also includes stops in Dubai, Tokyo and Seoul, but Yandle says breaking into the U.S. market is key.

“We wanted to come to a city where the legacy of entertainment is on a worldwide stage, and that without question is Las Vegas,” Yandle said. “We are here because of the legacy of boxing and now UFC, and with entertainment from the Rat Pack, and I think (Jennifer Lopez) is opening her show tonight.”

Persuading the players to come to Las Vegas for a charity exhibition soccer game wasn’t difficult.

“Everybody knows Vegas around the world for different reasons, but especially because it is an incredible city for events, and this is a big event for us,” said Del Piero, who later joked that the players would be ready to play without thinking about the after-party — at least not yet.

“People will get more than they probably realize from the players because we are all so competitive,” Donovan said.

Donovan, who grew up watching the Runnin’ Rebels basketball teams coached by Jerry Tarkanian was excited just to have the news conference at the building where they played.

“I do remember, and look back fondly on, some of the Runnin’ Rebels days and hopefully those are coming back soon,” Donovan said. “As someone who would have never known anything about UNLV, they obviously created a brand and excitement around something that every kid can get excited about.”

Donovan said that under the right circumstances Las Vegas can be an excellent city for pro sports, and hopes that the MLS are the ones to make the leap.

“There have been rumors about potentially coming to Las Vegas for a while, and the players would love it,” Donovan said. “This is the type of city that should have a major pro sports team. There’s no reason why it shouldn’t, and I would love to see Major League Soccer on the forefront of that.”

The GLS game will be at 4:30 p.m., Feb. 20. Tickets are on sale now starting at $35 at Unlvtickets.com.