Since February 2018, the German record champions FC Bayern have been in close contact with MLS founding member FC Dallas. The Munich team has now announced that they will be working with another US club in the field of youth development in the future.
The Bundesliga leaders announced on Monday that they will cooperate with the reigning champions of the American Major League FC Los Angeles. A joint venture based in Munich was founded for this purpose.
“The aim of the cooperation is to train international talents, also in cooperation with partner clubs, for their own teams and for professional football,” said a statement on “fcbayern.com”.
“Football is developing very dynamically at international level, which is particularly noticeable on the transfer market. We see the partnership with LAFC as an opportunity to strengthen FC Bayern in sporting competition with the best clubs in Europe and the Bundesliga. That the football The fact that the 2026 World Cup will largely take place in the USA, where we already have an office in New York, makes Los Angeles an even more attractive location. I expect a boost in quality and young talent in Major League Soccer, which will have a positive effect on our partnership “Commented Bayern’s CEO Oliver Kahn on the deal.
LA is looking forward to working with FC Bayern
Sports director Hasan Salihamidzic emphasized the opportunity to “develop talent internationally in your own system”. The opportunities made possible by the cooperation would “make FC Bayern more attractive as a training club”.
In LA, too, it is hoped that the cooperation will bear fruit. “A partnership of this magnitude is the next step in our evolution as a club. We are delighted to be working with FC Bayern Munich to nurture young talent in Southern California and beyond. We believe this collaboration will give our players an opportunity to maximize their potential and find their way into our first teams,” said John Thorrington, co-president and general manager of the US club.
FC Bayern has established three foreign offices since 2014: in New York for the American market, in Shanghai for the Chinese market and in Bangkok for the Southeast Asian market.
The path of the two US talents Justin Che and Chris Richards shows the opportunities that a close exchange opens up. Che spent a few months on loan with FC Bayern juniors in 2021 and thus secured a chance at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim in 2022/23. Richards moved permanently from Dallas to Munich in 2019 after a loan, and in the summer of 2022 FCB sold the defender to Crystal Palace for twelve million euros.