Gareth Bale was given an absolute soaking as he joined his LAFC team-mates in celebrating their El Trafico triumph over rivals LA Galaxy. The Welshman - who has signed a one-year deal in the City of Angels - grabbed a megaphone and led his adoring new fanbase in song as the water rained down on him. What. A. Welcome.
What's the key details?
- Bale had water poured all over him by his LAFC team-mates
- New signing was serenaded in front of his new fans
- Welshman even grabbed megaphone & led the terrace songs & chants
- LAFC defeated LA Galaxy in El Trafico derby to move clear at top of MLS
- Chiellini still waiting to make LAFC debut - but was on the bench here
Let's delve into it a bit further...
Watch: Bale gets drenched
With all three points from the Los Angeles derby in the bag, LAFC players turned their attention to Bale and making sure he got a suitably wet welcome! Check it out ↓
Match summary: LAFC 3-2 LA Galaxy
In front of a packed home crowd, LAFC clinched an edge-of-the-seat thriller over crosstown rivals La Galaxy.
Jose Cifuentes scored twice and Cristian Arango added a third for LAFC which helped them consolidate their position at the top of the Western Conference league table with 39 points from 19 matches.
The Galaxy scored two goals in the second half as they attempted to mount a miraculous comeback - with Samuel Grandsir and Rayan Raveloson both finding the net - but it proved to be too little too late.
We LOVE this angle on Cifuentes' second goal - and what about those celebrations! Incredible ↓
When will Bale make his debut?
Steve Cherundolo, head coach of LAFC, revealed in a press conference that due to a work visa-related issue, Bale was unavailable for El Trafico.
However, that has been resolved and he has now been cleared to play in the competition so there is the possibility that he will make his debut on July 17, when LAFC will travel to Tennessee to take on Nashville SC.
Watch this space.
What about Chiellini - why is he benched?
So what's the deal with Chiellini? The legendary Italian centre-back - who was actually surprised he even got the call to move to LA - has signed up for 2023 but hasn't yet made his debut.
He was on the bench for the first time during the victory over LA Galaxy and has been building up his fitness in training with his team-mates. It could be he starts on July 17 at Nashville, alongside Bale. Imagine the scenes!
Cherundolo has been suitably impressed with what he's seen so far anyway, telling reporters: "His ability to communicate on the field and his leadership skills have already been felt and already affected some of the guys.
"Any time you add players like that there's also an effect on the other players' performance and concentration levels, which have been stepped up a notch. So his impact has been great."
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