Before Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thierry Henry and David Beckham, there was Lothar Matthaus.
Back in 2000, the German star made worldwide headlines by coming to MLS, joining the old New York/New Jersey MetroStars. It was the final stop in a glittering career that included worldwide fame with Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Germany’s national team.
Matthaus’ tenure in MLS was short, and sometimes rocky. But he has kept an eye on soccer’s growth here ever since. That included a visit to Philadelphia on Thursday to promote Bayern’s game with Juventus on July 25 at Lincoln Financial Field.