• Loading stock data...
Monday, September 15, 2025

El Clásico Debut For U.S.’s Sergiño Dest Presents Boon for LaLiga

  • El Clásico, the famed matchup between Barcelona and Real Madrid, will get a further boost in the U.S. thanks to Sergiño Dest.
  • LaLiga North America is a 15-year joint venture started between the league and Relevent Sports Group to grow Spanish soccer.
Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

For LaLiga, El Clásico could best be described as the Spanish top-tier soccer leagues “Super Bowl,” according to Boris Gartner, the LaLiga North America CEO.

The twice-a-season league clash between long-time rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid is LaLiga’s signature match — and Gartner and his team’s most significant opportunity to grow LaLiga, its clubs and its players throughout North America.

There are some new wrinkles in that equation as well. While the first El Clásico of the 2020-2021 season comes while the pandemic persists across the globe — limiting what can be done to connect with fans around the match — it also presents one of the biggest opportunities for LaLiga North America since the 15-year joint-venture was started between the league and Relevent Sports Group to grow Spanish soccer in 2018.

Sergiño Dest, a 19-year-old defender for Barcelona, will become the first-ever American soccer player to start and play in the famed match.

“As more Americans are playing in LaLiga, when Barcelona or Real Madrid are recruiting them and when they’re starting in big matches, you’re going to build that narrative,” Gartner said. “You’ll have a connection with fans that go beyond just the ones that they already have with the clubs or with the league, and that gives us a tremendous opportunity to tell that story and position the league around it.”

Gartner pointed to the Bundesliga’s success in the U.S. in recent years, which has been strengthened by American-born players like Christian Pulisic and Gio Reyna having success in the German league.

“Separate from Bayern Munich, who have had all of this success, have played in the U.S. in the International Champions Cup and having an office here, there was not another connection point between Bundesliga clubs and the American audience,” he said. “But the fact that you have all of these players go and have success, it creates that with the regular fan — they immediately identify with the American development narrative, and Bundesliga has built that narrative in a very smart way.”

LaLiga North America has helped cultivate that sort of connection for Mexican soccer fans, thanks to the lineage of national team players who have starred in Spain such as Mexican national team captain and Real Betis midfielder Andres Guardado and Diego Lainez, the 20-year-old forward viewed by many as the future of Mexican soccer who also plays for Betis.

That has been aided by a content push coming out of LaLiga North America’s Mexico-based studio and the more than 14 weekly digital shows it produces in English and Spanish.

That is also usually supplemented by some in-person events to mirror this match’s gravitas, which is currently difficult to hold due to the pandemic.

Gartner said LaLiga North America has looked to supplement that with small-scale in-person events — they will hold a small, socially distanced event in New York City alongside the match. That also means pivoting some of that virtually, where it has been hosting fans on their computers to watch matches with LaLiga legends.

There are also other opportunities to try to make this match bigger, ranging from social media collaborations with the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins to hosting U.S soccer-focused editions of its shows, such as one with U.S. women’s national team star Allie Long.

But while LaLiga North America will look to continue to build out opportunities for soccer fans to connect with the league, the elevation of a player like Dest can take that to potentially the next level.

“To take an operation that we have in place that is humming along and working perfectly to use it around this match was always going to be a special situation,” Gartner said. “With even more people who will be glued to their screen with Dest, it’s kind of like we’ve been preparing for this moment for the last two years.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Premier Lacrosse League

‘The Circus Is Coming to Town’: Why Upstart Leagues Start on Tour

In their ambitious plans, a traveling schedule is only temporary.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 19: A detailed view of the MLB Debut patch on the jersey of Patrick Monteverde #44 of the Miami Marlins prior to game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on April 19, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The Tiny Jersey Patch at the Center of the MLB Rookie Card..

Autographed cards containing a piece of baseball history have upended the market.
Michelle Wu

Josh Kraft, Son of Patriots Owner, Leaves Boston Mayor Race After First-Round..

He challenged Mayor Wu over her support for White Stadium’s costly renovations.
opinion

19 Rising Stars in Sports Media

Who are sports media’s rising stars? Here’s an inside look.

Featured Today

Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl Rematch Could Set More NFL Ratings Records

Fox will nationally televise Sunday afternoon’s matchup.
September 10, 2025

ESPN’s ‘MNF’ Ratings Up 8% As NFL Surges to Strong Start

ESPN posts its second-best Week 1 “Monday Night Football” audience.
Sep 7, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills fans react during the fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at Highmark Stadium.
September 9, 2025

As Bills Ascend, Their Next Frontier Lies in Canada

Buffalo and the powerful Canadian entity MLSE come together in a new pact.
opinion
September 9, 2025

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from NFL’s Week 1 Broadcasts

Many viewers decried the addition of ads to “NFL RedZone.”

How Rolex Paved the Way for Luxury’s Love Affair With Tennis

“It’s almost impossible to think about tennis without thinking about Rolex.”
Athlos
May 4, 2025

Nike Wants to Pull Off the First Women’s Sub-4:00 Mile

Experts speak on whether Nike’s “moonshot” is realistic or a gimmick.
Jul 19, 2024; Phoenix, Ariz., United States; Sheryl Swoopes hosts a WBNA All-Star brunch in honor of her former teammate, Nikki McCray Penson, at Thea in Phoenix on July 19, 2024
May 12, 2025

Sheryl Swoopes: A’ja Wilson Shoe Campaign Shows Nike Sea Change

Nike released the Air Swoopes in 1995.
Sponsored

How World Series Champ Dexter Fowler Became a Premier League Team Owner

Dexter Fowler discusses navigating retirement and embracing new roles as an owner & investor.
Apr 12, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; MLB umpire Ron Kulpa (46) calls a third strike during a game between the Cleveland Guardians and the Kansas City Royals at Progressive Field
May 4, 2025

Pro Refs Get Offered Free Lasik for Better Calls. Some Took It

Some pro officials have sprung for the offer for free corrective surgery.
January 15, 2025

State Farm Cancels Planned Super Bowl Ad Amid California Fires Controversy

State Farm’s Super Bowl ad last year featured Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito.
Nov 25, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; From left: Scott Van Pelt, Ryan Clark, Jason Kelce and Marcus Spears on the ESPN Monday Night Football Countdown set before the game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium.
December 17, 2024

A ‘Wave’ of Sports Content Is Coming to TikTok

The next generation is consuming sports in a different way.
Apr 7, 2022; Augusta, Georgia, USA; Rory McIlroy (left) and Brooks Koepka set up to putt on no. 9 during the first round of The Masters golf tournament.
exclusive
November 27, 2024

PGA Tour vs. LIV Golf TV ‘Showdown’ Will Pay Out $10M Crypto..

Two golfers from each tour will face off in Las Vegas.