CARSON, Calif. – Steven Gerrard remembers what it was like to sign his first big contract.
The butterflies in his stomach, the sound of his heart-pounding as his pen met the paper and the smiles on the faces of his friends and family members when they heard the news.
For all these reasons and more, it was Gerrard’s distinct pleasure to be involved with the LA Galaxy Southern California Special Olympics Unified Team when they announced their roster for the 2016 campaign. Gerrard was on hand on Thursday as the 20 players signed their contracts to join the LA Galaxy organization.
“To be honest, on days like this, it’s not about us as players, it’s their big day. It’s all about them. It’s an absolute pleasure and a privilege to share their occasion with them. It’s important that they get all the attention and spotlight,” Gerrard said. “It’s a special group of players and on behalf of all the [Galaxy], we just want to congratulate them and be a support to them both on and off the pitch. It’s a beginning of a relationship because they’re signing for the Galaxy and now they become part of the family. It’s great to welcome them in.”
The 34-year-old English soccer legend was on hand to give the new signings a few words of encouragement alongside Galaxy head coach and general manager Bruce Arena at a ceremony at the StubHub Center Champions Lounge. Although events such as Thursday’s are nothing new for Gerrard, it brought back fond memories of joining the club a year ago.
“It’s always important when you get in a position like myself to try and be a role model and also try to be a support to these guys when they’re in my company and show them the way,” said Gerrard. “I remember signing for the Galaxy myself after speaking to [club president Chris Klein] and Bruce it’s a special feeling. It’s the biggest club in MLS. They should enjoy it and stick together. Hopefully, they have some fun days together.”
The team will play their first match on July 9 against Seattle Sounders FC at CenturyLink Field in tandem with the first team’s trip to the Pacific Northwest.
When the team takes the field for the first time, just what will be Gerrard’s expectations be for the squad? Have fun, win, and play well, but…maybe, not too well.
“Don’t play too well because they might take my place on the team,” he joked. “The likes of Seattle and all the other big clubs that they’re going to be coming up against are the rivals. They’ve got stick together and try to get the points. We’ll be keeping a close eye on the performances. Good luck to them.”
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog atLAGalaxy.com/Insiderand contact him atLAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com
