Galaxy Adding Machon

Major League Soccer’s most talent-rich team got considerably wealthier Monday, the Los Angeles Galaxy announcing the signing of Martin Machon, the top player on the Guatemalan national team.

In a coup certain to rankle other MLS coaches, Danny Villanueva, the team’s president and general manager, announced that the midfielder-defender had signed a multiyear contract to play in Los Angeles.

The Galaxy already has eight other national team players--Cobi Jones, Dan Calichman and Robin Fraser of the United States, Jorge Campos of Mexico, Mauricio Cienfuegos of El Salvador, Eduardo Hurtado of Ecuador, Harut Karapetyan of Armenia and Arash Noamouz of Iran.

Given that, it was considered unlikely that MLS would allow the Galaxy to add yet another marquee player, but Villanueva convinced the league that placing the Central American star here made marketing sense.

“We are committed to retaining all of our national team talent, both U.S. and foreign,” Villanueva said. “Our team largely reflects the city in which we play. That hasn’t been an accident.

“Our commitment, first and foremost, is to put an extremely competitive team on the field. We go out and seek the elements we need from a competitive standpoint. But beyond that we filter everything we do through a marketing filter.”

“I feel soccer’s biggest opportunity and objective at this point has to be to connect with the fans in a country where a number of sports have suffered unbelievable disconnect(cq) in that relationship. I think that’s our opportunity. I think that’s what’s fresh and new about soccer and the MLS in this country.

“So to the extent that we can attract players who also represent a very significant sectors of the L.A. population, it makes total sense to do so.”

Machon, who turned 24 last week, can play either in left midfield or at left back, areas that Coach Lothar Osiander said needed strengthening. Fluent in Spanish and English--and studying French until Guatemala’s untimely exit from qualifying for the France ’98 World Cup--Machon said Monday that the Galaxy had always been his first choice.

“Los Angeles was a great team [last season],” he said. “I saw some games and I’m looking forward to playing with Campos, Cienfuegos, El Tanque [Hurtado], Cobi Jones. . . . It’s a great team. Also because of all the people from Guatemala that live in Los Angeles. It was an opportunity to be part of a team where I can have a lot of people cheering for me.”

Machon, who is from Guatemala City and spent two years studying civil engineering at the University of San Carlos, has been playing professionally since he was 18.