CARSON, Calif. – Marcelo Sarvas knew he'd played his last game with the LA Galaxy as he paraded the trophy around StubHub Center following their MLS Cup triumph over New England seven weeks ago.
The Brazilian midfielder, traded last week to the Colorado Rapids for allocation money and the No. 3 spot in MLS's allocation ranking, has cherished memories of his three seasons in Southern California but says it's a good time to move on to a challenge he's already embraced.
“The main thing is I've been here for three years,” Sarvas said Thursday. “I think I'm leaving the Galaxy at the right moment, because I'm going to look back, it's only good things, good memories. And the people also going to look to me in the same way, as a champion.
“So now it's time to go to another place and fight for that club. That's why I've very [much at] ease to leave and very happy to leave. It's not that I'm happy to leave the Galaxy, but the situation I'm in, I think, is the best.”
Sarvas, who had never spent more than two years at his previous stops, was a fan favorite with the Galaxy, for whom he anchored the central midfield next to his countryman Juninho. A defensive mid with bite and range who loved to roam forward, Sarvas contributed 11 goals and 21 assists in MLS play – with 13 assists last season, including on the decisive strike in the overtime win in the title game – and played huge roles in LA's championship runs in 2012 and 2014.
He says he'll most cherish the championships, “especially the last one.”
“And the people that you meet, the friends that you have,” he added. “Those are the things that stay forever. The feeling from the fans, that's very beautiful and lovely to see, especially about the reaction when the Galaxy announced that I was leaving. That make me feel good, because it means I did my job, you know? That's everything I'm going to leave with. And my [championship] rings.”
Sarvas says he knew several MLS teams wanted his services. He returned to Los Angeles from Brazil on Wednesday to collect his belongings, say goodbye to former teammates, coaches and LA's office staff, and “put everything in place” for his wife, Camilla, who is seven months pregnant with the couple's second child and will remain in Southern California until the delivery.
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He heads to Denver on Sunday, and on-field preparation for the next season with the Rapids begins Monday.
“It's a challenge for me,” Sarvas said. “It's everything that I'm used to, a new place to feel challenges, you know? I think Pablo [Mastroeni, Colorado's head coach] is the one to fight to have me over there.
“We played together in 2013 [with the Galaxy], and we said a lot about soccer at that time, and our thoughts about soccer is almost the same. So I think I'm going to a place that my style and the way I am on the field is going to be very helpful.”
