The first time the Galaxy approached Mexican national team star Giovani Dos Santos about a move to Southern California was in 2011. The team still had David Beckham and Landon Donovan, but it also had a few million dollars it could invest on a designated player, and it wanted Dos Santos.
"He just wasn't ready to come," Galaxy President Chris Klein recalled.
So the team signed Robbie Keane instead.
The Galaxy tried again in 2013. Same result. So when Donovan retired, the team signed Steven Gerrard instead.
But this week the Galaxy's patience and persistence were finally rewarded when Dos Santos agreed to a 4 1/2-year contract reportedly worth $27 million.