Giovani Dos Santos’ signing reaping benefits for Galaxy from community

At El Pescador Bar & Grill in Carson, jerseys and posters line the walls. The Dodgers, Manchester United, Club America, UCLA and the Clippers are all represented. But the most common uniform is for a team that no longer exists: Chivas USA.

Four total Chivas USA kits are framed, with the centerpiece stretching across an entire booth. There are two LA Galaxy shirts, one dating back to the pre-David Beckham era, and the other signed by current midfielder Juninho.

Not a mile away, the Galaxy play at StubHub Center. Gustavo Ortiz, whose brother owns the restaurant, says when the Galaxy play, the place fills up with fans on their way to the game, and then fills up again afterward.

But on Wednesday night, the most common jersey in the place was that of the Mexican national team, and the game on all 10 televisions featured a player the crowd at El Pescador will get to see up close soon: Giovani Dos Santos.

Mexico played Trinidad and Tobago to a 4-4 draw in the final game of group play of the Gold Cup, and Dos Santos hardly played a part, contributing no goals or assists and coming off at halftime with a minor calf injury.

But though Dos Santos couldn’t help his national squad, he has already had a positive effect for his club side. Simply by signing with the Galaxy, he sparked an interest in the club from the Latino community that has long been lacking.

Ortiz and the restaurant manager, Arturo Alvarez, can remember the last great Mexican star to play for the Galaxy, Jorge Campos. That was back in 1998. In the 17 years since, only four Mexican-born players have suited up for L.A. Currently, there are no Mexican-born players on the roster, and goalkeeper Jaime Penedo is the only player from Latin America.

Mario Gonzalez was one of the fans in attendance Wednesday. His favorite club team is Chivas, the Mexican team that briefly spawned an American side. Gonzalez said he didn’t follow the MLS team, which never featured the organization’s stars and was primarily used for young players in need of experience.

But with Dos Santos now on the Galaxy, he said he will pay attention to the team. Other casual fans who were there solely to support Mexico knew Dos Santos’ name, and when they heard he was coming to a stadium just down the road, they also said they were more interested in the Galaxy.

El Pescador draws its biggest crowds when Mexico and the Galaxy play, Alvarez said. The combination of one of Mexico’s most famous stars with the local team will certainly drum up interest, he said.

Dos Santos will not make his MLS debut until Aug. 9 against a Seattle Sounders squad that unseated the Galaxy for the highest average attendance six years ago and has retained it ever since.

The gives Alvarez and Ortiz plenty of time to plan. As much as Dos Santos’ arrival will be a marketing boon for the club, they said, it will be good for the local community as well.