Galaxy almost missed out on new signing Lucas Sanabria

CARSON, Calif. -- If there was ever a man to share the sentiment, “what a difference a year makes,” with LA Galaxy fans, it would be new signing Lucas Sanabria.

The young midfielder flourished in 2024, enjoying a meteoric rise to prominence in his first year as a professional, in which he scored five goals and added four assists. His performances ensured he’d become a central figure for his old team, Club Nacional de Football. 

He was so important to their success that he became almost undroppable for Coach Alvaro Recoba’s side, playing in 50 of 55 matches during his debut season.   

Now, after establishing himself as one of the best midfielders in Uruguay and earning an international call-up for his emergence, the Florida, Uruguay native is on his way stateside. 

After more than a month of speculation regarding his signature, Nacional announced on Thursday of this week that they’d transferred their midfield gem to the reigning MLS Cup Champions. 

“Thank you, Lucas, for defending our colors during all these years as another fan,” the Uruguayan giants wrote on X. According to their post, a deal with Los Angeles was struck for $5 Million, plus $1.8 Million in bonuses, while Nacional will receive 20 percent of any future sale of the player.

But the Galaxy very nearly missed out on Sanabria. 

Not because the 21-year-old was tempted to sign elsewhere, though there were a few suitors along the way. 

But because Sanabria very nearly quit soccer altogether before the 2024 season.

New LA Galaxy signing Sanabria almost quit soccer

Although his brother, Juan Manuel, played for Nacional as well, Sanabria did not have an easy route to the first division in Uruguay. In 2021, after having gone through Nacional’s youth ranks since age eight, the 17-year-old was still stuck in that team’s academy system.

It was then that he got a bit of luck. 

He earned a tryout with the Tricolor’s fourth team because he knew the coach, Tabaré Alonso, through his brother. His tryout went well enough to earn a place, and he spent two years there grinding before he made the jump to the third team. 

It was there that he caught Recoba’s eye, who was coaching Nacional’s third team at the time. 

Recoba wasted no time making Sanabria a centerpiece of his team for the 2023 season, where he shone for the coach who took a chance on him.

“When you have knowledge of the players' day-to-day, nothing surprises you,” Recoba explained to Uruguayan daily Carve Deportiva on the day the starlet left for the United States. 

“I saw Lucas Sanabria day by day and I knew the leap he was going to take.”

Success on the field did not translate to any perks for Sanabria, however.

All the while he was in the third and fourth teams, he would make the almost two-hour trip each way from his home in Florida, to Uruguay’s capital and home of Nacional, Montevideo. Those daily sojourns became more complicated upon finding out his partner was pregnant, and he’d become a father. 

A third-team youth salary would not be nearly enough to support his young family. So the midfielder faced a crossroads.

Take care of his family, or quit the sport and team that he’d loved since he was a child. 

Fortunately, timing is everything, and Sanabria never had to make that difficult decision.

The difference a year makes for Sanabria

On October 20, 2023, after nearly a full year under the tutelage of the former Inter Milan great, Recoba was appointed manager of Nacional.

Once Recoba officially took charge of Nacional’s first team, one of his first actions was to bring Sanabria with him, insisting on giving the player his first professional contract, which he signed on January 5, 2024. 

Just a few days later, on January 13, Sanabria made his debut. 

To his credit, the Floridian never looked back, becoming one of the revelations of the 2024 season. In just a matter of months, he went from the third team, to starring for one of the legacy clubs in the country. 

The brightest lights and the biggest stages did not seem to faze Sanabria as his performances in South America’s international club competition, Copa Libertadores, earned him admirers in Europe and MLS. 

His strong play domestically was key in making sure Nacional would win the double over archrivals, Peñarol, and it was after a Clasico victory in October where he received the news that he’d earned his first international cap to play for Uruguay’s national team.

In the span of a year, Sanabria had gone from nearly quitting his club’s third team and soccer to representing his country in World Cup qualifying. Just a few months later, he became his country’s most expensive outbound sale of the transfer window, with his deal to join the LA Galaxy being complete.

The budding star will now join an LA Galaxy side that also saw their fortunes change in a year and, as a result, aims to defend its MLS title. 

Luckily for the reigning champions, Sanabria persevered through his long stay in youth competition. It means he was in position to enjoy the breakout year that confirmed his decision to not quit soccer was justified. 

It also means that the LA Galaxy did not miss out on the next potential MLS star.