Unexpected Arrival of Billy Sharp Fuels LA Galaxy’s MLS Hopes with Hat Trick –

If you had asked Billy Sharp a year ago where he would be today, he probably would have said he’d still be in Sheffield, England, his hometown, playing for his boyhood club Sheffield United. Certainly, playing halfway across the world in MLS with the Los Angeles Galaxy wouldn’t have been top of mind.

But while his current situation may be unexpected, Sharp is continuing to do what he has always done: score goals. With his hat trick in a 4-3 win over Minnesota United on Wednesday night, the 37-year-old has tallied six goals in his first six games with the club, giving the Galaxy a jolt of life and rekindling the club’s slim chances of making the 2023 MLS postseason.

In the pantheon of strikers in the Championship (England’s second division), Sharp ranks among the very best. In January 2022, he passed one-time England international David Nugent as the league’s record goalscorer with 122 goals in 348 appearances. A large portion (117) of the 240 goals he scored in English league football – the highest total in the 21st century – came with Sheffield United, where he started and finished his career in England and enjoys legend status.

A year ago, before the 2022-23 season, the 37-year-old was told by Sheffield United hierarchy that he would get a one-year contract as a more peripheral player, contributing as a leader and culture-setter in the dressing room with a somewhat limited role on the field for the Blades. That season ended with promotion from the Championship to the Premier League, but Sharp would not be a part of the Blades’ return to the top division.

“I got told I was getting one more year,” Sharp tells The Athletic. “I wanted to go into the Premier League with everybody knowing it was my last year, and then it was up to me whether I’d retire after that. I had my heart set on coming back to play the Premier League and committing to playing whatever minutes it would be. When that opportunity didn’t come, it was difficult to digest.”

Arguably, his most notable contribution in his last season with Sheffield United came in the FA Cup, scoring the winner deep into injury time to knock Wrexham out and thus ending their fairytale run to the Fourth Round.

Sharp then made headlines for his involvement in a confrontation between both sets of players in the tunnel after the full-time whistle and for comments regarding the refereeing, which he later apologized for. With the corresponding episode of “Welcome to Wrexham” set to air soon, Sharp is looking forward to watching the show unfold.

“If they want to put me in the documentary, go ahead,” he said. “I think people in Los Angeles probably know me now for scoring goals rather than knocking (Wrexham) out of the FA Cup. People don’t even know the real story. Wrexham will put out what they want to on their documentary, and maybe I’ll put out my own and tell them what really happened.”

So, what really happened?

“I scored the goal, which knocked them out, and a little scuffle happened in the changing room,” he said. “I don’t really like their manager anyway from past experiences, and he probably doesn’t like me. It’s just one of those things in football where it sometimes gets very overheated…I know what they’re going to do; they’re going to show the clips that make me look like a baddie. That’s fine. I’ll wait to see what happens and have my say afterwards. The record book says we beat them in the FA Cup, so they can have a documentary about it if they want.”

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With his future in doubt, Sharp was visibly emotional in the promotion parade as he came to terms with the prospect of not retiring at Bramall Lane. He had several offers on the table from Championship and League One clubs but started the European season unattached as he waited for a situation that fit his aspirations.

“Playing for someone else in English football was always going to be the hard part for me,” said Sharp. “The opportunities just were not exciting me…Then this opportunity came along, and playing abroad is something I’ve always wanted to do. It’s not something I thought would come around at this stage of my career – I was jumping at the chance to come here, and my family were on board as well, and they’re really enjoying it.”

Away from football, Sharp has settled into life in Southern California like a duck to water. He bounced into the interview room with a strawberry and banana smoothie in his hand after spending an evening at Dodgers Stadium for his first baseball game, something he is keen to take his family to again. A trip to Los Angeles Zoo is the only time he has been recognized outside the perimeter of Galaxy’s home stadium, a welcome relief for Sharp and family, who could barely walk ten meters in Sheffield’s town center without someone stopping him for a picture or an autograph.

On the pitch, the transition could not have gone much better, either. After signing a short-term deal until the end of the season, Sharp opened his MLS account on his debut, tucking away a 90th-minute penalty after entering the field as a second-half substitute in a 3-0 win over the Chicago Fire. He added his second to equalize against Western Conference leaders St. Louis City in a 2-2 draw and won his first start in a defeat to LAFC last weekend, where he scored his third goal. Then, Wednesday’s hat trick.

“As a striker, you want to hit the ground running with that first goal,” said Sharp. “Riqui (Puig) gave me a penalty in my first game, which he usually takes, which was nice of him, so I owe him one for that. I’ve had a few issues getting up to speed because I haven’t had a proper pre-season, and these boys are mid-season, so I’m taking the time to get up to 90 minutes (fit).”

Sharp’s goals will be essential if the Galaxy are to qualify for the postseason. The Galaxy are without club captain and designated player Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez, who has been placed on the season-ending list after suffering an ACL injury. Serbia international Dejan Joveljic, the club’s other first-team striker, has struggled to impact games from the start, so head coach Greg Vanney is expected to lean on Sharp’s experience in leading the line as his fitness improves. As are the fans, who have shown their appreciation for the 37-year-old with a chant to the tune of “Baby Shark”, a catchy children’s song that took the world by storm during lockdown.

But what does he think of it?

“I don’t understand it,” said Sharp. “I’m sure the tune of the song that Sheffield United fans used to sing was an American song (Give it Up by KC and the Sunshine Band). If that’s what they want to sing, that’s fine. They’ve been really supportive of me. I don’t think they really want to sing that because it’s kind of half-hearted. They’re just trying to get behind me, which I’m obviously thankful for. It did happen in England, but it soon stopped. Listen, I’m not overly fussed, but if they sang the other one… yeah.”

In MLS and Los Angeles specifically, much of the inspiration for how American soccer fans experience the game comes from south of the border in Mexico and South America. Sharp experienced the noisy North End in LAFC’s BMO Stadium during last weekend’s disappointing 4-2 defeat at the hands of the MLS Cup champions, and the Galaxy’s supporters’ groups often chant in Spanish. Galaxy’s dressing room is no different – 10 of the 18 players in the defeat to LAFC are Spanish-speakers. This led to some awkward early exchanges for Sharp, whose Spanish is basic, as he navigated the dynamics during his first few sessions.

“It’s a bit like when I was at Southampton; it was quite South American in the changing room then,” laughs Sharp. “I can’t speak Spanish, but I understand some of the words and their jokes. One of the first times I sat down to eat my lunch at one of the tables, it was just all Spanish. They asked me, ‘Do you want us to speak English?’ and I replied, as a joke, ‘No, I understand what you’re saying.’

“They’ve all been great. That was one of the things for me: going into the changing room was weird because I’d had it the same for eight years, and I was the captain. It took two or three days, but a lot of things are the same: the talk and the banter.”

Naturally, given the esteem he holds in England and, particularly, with Sheffield United, a career in coaching feels like an obvious next step for when he finally hangs up his boots. He completed his UEFA A License coaching qualification in England and coaches his son’s local club in his spare time, something he enjoys and takes seriously.

Still, he’s not ready to call quits on his career yet. He’s scoring goals at an impressive rate, and the prospect of beating LAFC and facing Inter Miami, potentially both at the Rose Bowl, motivates him to earn a contract for next season.

But, Billy, when you do retire, whenever that may be, what are you going to do?

“I’ll probably become Wrexham manager when (Phil) Parkinson gets the sack,” he said with a laugh.

 (Photo: Shaun Clark/Getty Images)