DUBLIN – Robbie Keane will always draw a crowd in his hometown, but even he has been taken aback by the reception that the LA Galaxy have received in Dublin.
Once news had spread that the Republic of Ireland captain was bringing his club team to Tallaght Stadium for a preseason friendly with Shamrock Rovers, demand for tickets was unprecedented. Then he arrived home to wild fanfare.
Since pitching up in Portmarnock Hotel, Galaxy players have been treated like rock stars, with the highlights including an audience with Irish President Michael D. Higgins, a trip to the Guinness factory, a visit to Crumlin’s Children’s Hospital, a practice with Special Olympic players and a training session in front of over 3,000 spectators.
Keane is big news here, especially in these parts as he grew up close to the South Dublin venue before moving to England as a teenager to sign with Wolverhampton Wanderers. The return of the local hero has really caught the locals’ imagination.
“The reception the team has gotten from the public has been great. To come to Ireland, so far away, and to be welcomed with open arms, everybody is certainly humbled by that,” Keane told reporters yesterday.
“It’s very exciting to be here all week, in my hometown. Certainly the players, I think, have enjoyed it. Now we’re down to the game, which is the reason why we’re here. It will certainly be a good fitness test for us.”
The game with Shamrock Rovers will be the final tuneup of Galaxy’s Irish trip and they are expecting a tough game against a team, under new management in Pat Fenlon, who are preparing for the start of their own season.
Yet the screaming fans in the sold-out game will be largely be calling for Keane. He admitted that he was surprised to see a few people wearing Galaxy jerseys around the Irish capital and so was head coach Bruce Arena.
“We’re thrilled to be able to come back to Robbie’s hometown and give us the opportunity to let you all see probably your favorite native son do what he does best and play football. So it should be a great day for the locals and I’m sure a special day for Robbie as well, we’re just very thrilled to be a part of it,” said Arena yesterday.
“I’m a little bit surprised and in some ways not surprised at all, because he’s been such a great player in his career and a class act. He represents his clubs in the right manner and his country in the right manner, so it’s wonderful for him to come back and have the opportunity to come back and play with his club team.”
Asked whether Galaxy would return to Ireland for another preseason trip, Arena joked: “Sure, we’re just going to let Robbie pay for some of it in the future, but we’ll come back.”
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Should the MLS Cup champions return next year, they are bound to have even more supporters waiting for them. It is a mark of how seriously MLS is now seen in Ireland that young players like Gyasi Zardes were even mobbed for autographs and selfies.
Before he left England to sign with Galaxy, the average Irish supporter knew little of the club other than the fact that David Beckham played there. Now, Keane says that MLS is a league that is viewed regularly and his exploits there don’t go unnoticed.
“Certainly when I came home for Christmas, after winning the championship, maybe because the game also was on at a good time for people to watch it [on TV],” said Keane. “I’ve been congratulated for the six weeks I’ve been home. I have certainly been surprised at how many people had watched the game.”
The return of the king will be heralded on Saturday, but Keane’s biggest triumph may have been turning so many Irish supporters onto MLS.
