On January 4th, reigning Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup Champions LAFC announced the signing of free agent defender Aaron Long to a two-year contract. Having spent the past seven seasons at New York Red Bulls, the former MLS Defender of the Year chose to continue his career with the Black and Gold over multiple European and MLS offers. I caught up with Long at the USMNT January camp to ask him how he has been settling into life in Los Angeles.
Why LAFC?
For Aaron Long, it was simple; Los Angeles is home. Sure he had many reasons to choose LAFC, but growing up in Southern California, attending Serrano High School and playing four years at UC Riverside might have swayed his decision just a little. He remained reasonably close to home as he began his professional career with Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders, but since joining RBNY in 2016 he’s only seen his family on holidays. He can now raise his kids where he grew up with grandma and grandpa right around the corner. Unsurprisingly, this was very appealing to him. His family truly is at the root of his connection to the people of Los Angeles. He simply could not pass up the opportunity to play in front of local fans. “Just having that in my brain, knowing that I could have my family around and playing in front of fans that are from where I’m from, it drew me here” Long revealed.
LAFC didn’t simply luck out with geography though. The club was also rewarded for its diligent work over the past few seasons. It may seem a sudden move to many MLS fans, but this was a long-term play by General Manager John Thorrington, who had in fact been after Long for years. The clubs’ persisting interest in Long was the other key motivation for the USMNT international deciding he wanted to play at BMO Stadium.
How did they do this? “The club made me feel really wanted. Looking back they tried to trade for me multiple times, so I know that I’m a player that they value.” Long disclosed to me. I had heard rumors of LAFC’s interest in past seasons but it was never officially confirmed until now. That’s not only evident of the tight-lipped nature of the LAFC front office but also the amount of work done behind-the-scenes that may or may not result in a completed transfer. In Aaron’s case, years of chasing helped LAFC land their man, even if it took slightly longer than they hoped.
Having “Agent” Kellyn Acosta on the team also contributed to making Aaron Long feel wanted, because, as you would expect, the first thing he mentioned to me was, “Of course, I spoke with Kellyn. Kellyn was trying to get me to choose LA.”
For Club
The U.S. Men’s National Team January camp began their training at Dignity Health Sports Park on January 21st, but Aaron Long was noticeably absent. Although Long was one of only five players called into January camp from the 2022 World Cup squad, both he and teammate Kellyn Acosta opted to stay with LAFC to participate in their first preseason match of the year. Immediately after playing in the closed-door friendly against Real Salt Lake, Long and Acosta headed into camp, arriving in time for day two. “It was great.” Aaron explained, “Mixed lineups, but it’s good to just get out there in a semi-competitive match and play with the guys on a new team for the first time.” Long took these moments to begin learning the tendencies of his new teammates. He says he really felt the difference in playing against RSL compared to what he is able to gain from a regular LAFC training session. Aaron never so much as alluded to the 2-0 scoreline; the outcome is irrelevant to his focus when he steps on the pitch for a preseason game. He added, “I’m looking forward to more of those scrimmages and more time with all of these guys to kind of learn them and for them to learn me.”
That raises the question of what role Aaron Long will play at LAFC. Is he that guy or just another guy? “I’m definitely a veteran leader,” he began, “but it’s not like coming from my other club situation where I’m definitely the older guy, a guy that guys are going to look to for guidance and leadership…There’s a ton of leaders on this team.” This seems to be the perfect sweet spot for a 30-year-old MLS veteran to join a new team. He’s experienced what it means to be a leader at New York Red Bulls, bringing that confidence and maturity to a team where he doesn’t feel the same responsibility. You would expect this to allow Aaron time to focus on his play while slowly settling into the locker room. I got the feeling this was the case when I brought up potentially going head-to-head with new teammate Chicho Arango when Colombia plays the USMNT in the final friendly of the January camp. He responded, “There was some banter going on between Kellyn and Chicho. I kind of stayed away from that a little bit and watched from afar.” before adding, “I’ll be joining in soon.”
For Country
Sunday morning, Long began training with the U.S. Men’s National Team where he has a much different role. Rather than the puzzle piece he is at LAFC, at USMNT January camp, Long was expected to come in as a veteran leader, much like he was at RBNY. “There are so many young guys in this camp, we want to try to keep it as seamless as possible,” Long explained to me when I asked if things were different than at the World Cup. Despite the drama, coaching change, and the entirely new look of this USMNT camp, Aaron informed me there haven’t been any major changes. This camp is about nourishing the growing project that is the USMNT by setting a similar tone for the young guys, “getting them up to speed and teaching them the tactics,” many of whom are uncapped as senior team players. As a veteran who has been in the national team setup for over four years, Long is experienced enough to know, “We don’t want to throw a curveball into something we’ve been building for so long.” The focus is always on the future, which at this point means the 2026 World Cup will be hosted right here in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Aaron Long will be 33 by then but that’s not going to stop him, as he divulged, “Of course that would be a dream of mine to go to another World Cup and Tim Ream will be the inspiration there.”
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