Giovani dos Santos signed with the LA Galaxy this week, becoming the latest in a long line of high-profile Designated Players for the Southern Californian team. But what sets dos Santos apart from those players is his heritage.
Dos Santos has been a stalwart for the Mexican national team since making his international debut as an 18-year-old back in 2007. He has appeared in over 85 games for El Tri, scoring 17 goals, including one in the 2014 World Cup Round of 16 against the Netherlands.
Other Mexican stars have come to MLS, but not all of them have worked out (sorry, Rafa!). Below are a few who did.
Cuauhtemoc Blanco
Blanco was the star of MLS in his three seasons with the Chicago Fire. He scored a total of 16 goals and assisted on 26 more with the Fire and led the club to the Eastern Conference Finals in each of his three seasons. He was named to MLS' Best XI in 2008 and won Goal of the Year in 2007. He was also an All-Star in 2008 and 2009, winning MVP in the 2008 game against West Ham United.
Jorge Campos
The goalkeeper was one of the players MLS was built on, arriving all the way back in its inaugural season. The Mexican legend came to MLS as a 29-year-old after spending much of his career with Pumas in Liga MX. He made 43 appearances over two seasons with the LA Galaxy before spending part of the 1998 season with the Chicago Fire. Campos was known for eccentric play between the pipes and of course, his wild goalkeeping uniforms.
Carlos Hermosillo
After finishing his illustrious national team career, Hermosillo joined the LA Galaxy in 1998. He was part of the historic '98 Galaxy team that scored an astonishing 85 goals, the most by any team in a single season. In two seasons with the club, he scored 14 goals and collected 15 assists in just 34 games.
Claudio Suarez
Suarez made 178 appearances with El Tri from 1992 to 2006 and after he left the national team the Mexican legend joined Chivas USA in 2006. In his three full seasons with the club, Suarez led Chivas USA to the playoffs, and in 2007 to the top seed in the Western Conference.
Erick "Cubo" Torres
The all-time leading goalscorer among Mexicans in MLS, Torres has scored 22 goals in 44 games so far in his MLS career. After spending two seasons with the now-defunct Chivas USA, "Cubo" signed with the Houston Dynamo in December. He spent the first half of the season on loan at Chivas Guadalajara and joined Houston this week.
