LOS ANGELES — Throughout his soccer-playing life, Cristian Arango saw himself reflected in the fictional exploits of Tsubasa Ozora.
And for the past 12 months, Arango has repeatedly delivered his best Ozora impersonations while playing forward for the Los Angeles Football Club.
Regardless of where in the world people have been exposed to Ozora, whose rise from Japanese elementary school soccer prodigy to international superstar is foretold in the opening theme song to “Captain Tsubasa,” a globally distributed anime series that was adapted from a set of manga books first published in 1981, the eager-to-shine protagonist has inspired many players.
Hey, look a bit over there! The ace is coming!
He’s so spectacular that the whole city cheers him!
A butterfly samba
A zigzag samba
A lot of rumors were spreading on him!
And we also followed it!
This ball which was spinning on itself!
Dash! Dash! Dash!
Kick and dash!
One day, I’ll score with a lightning shot!
At that time, I’ll be a super hero!
Dash! Dash! Dash!
Kick and dash!
The fiery youth is running on the grounds!
For soccer-loving people from Latin America, like the 27-year-old Colombian forward, Ozora is better known as “Oliver Atom” on the Spanish-dubbed “Supercampeones,” a Saturday morning TV institution that is among the numerous localized versions of the story that was created by Yoichi Takahashi.
“The series marked me as a kid,” said Arango, whose 12 goals pace LAFC this year.
After debuting in Major League Soccer on Aug. 8, 2021, Arango scored 20 times in his initial 34 regular-season matches, including 14 during 17 games last year, making him one of two players in MLS history, alongside Ivorian legend Didier Drogba, who scored that many in the equivalent of their first full season’s worth of games.
All told, after 42 league matches, Arango’s 26 goals are tied with 2021 MLS Golden Boot recipient Valentin Castellanos for the most in the league over that span.
“As a fellow Colombian I’m very happy for the season he’s having and his success,” LAFC center back Eddie Segura said. “He’s made a great impact on the team with all the work that he’s doing. I hope that Chicho continues on the path that he’s on and we continue to see great things. I think Chicho will continue to surprise us.
“Chicho has grown over the year he has been here. What he has been doing since his arrival is always going to help him grow. I think keeping a certain level of quality and performance is a sign of growth in itself, being able to maintain that. Everything that he’s done is not only providing success for himself but also provides success for the team.”
Showcasing a nose for the goal, Arango’s regular contributions yield sublime Ozora-infused moments as well as the least attractive workmanlike finishes the game can produce. But for LAFC they count just the same, and regardless of how he beats goalkeepers Arango’s end product, which includes five assists this year, has made it very difficult for Coach Steve Cherundolo to remove him as a staple of LAFC’s deep and prodigious attack.
Arango’s current campaign was slow to start as he dealt with injuries in the preseason and the demands of the new coaching staff following Bob Bradley’s departure after four years at the helm. Cherundolo expects his attacking players to defend, too, and Arango said the way in which the first-year head coach speaks with him has been critical to evolving as an all-around contributor.
“The way he has proposed and asked for things and the way he communicates what his needs are for the team” is important, Arango said. “At first, it was difficult because I wasn’t physically well to handle the demands but now that I’m fully healthy, I continue to work to try and deliver what he needs.”
Over the club’s last 13 regular-season matches, Arango has landed in the starting lineup a dozen times, helping LAFC (18-4-3) improve its league-best points total to 57 with an 11-1-1 record by scoring 10 goals and adding three assists. As Cherundolo explained, Arango’s less notable work also makes him an instrumental figure for the Supporters’ Shield leaders, who are on a club record seven-match winning streak.
“He’s been very effective and he has understood what we’ve asked him to change in his game at the beginning of the season,” Cherundolo said. “He has made those adjustments and has continued to score, so now not only is he effective personally with scoring goals but also for the team with his defensive work and setting up other players and his movements and occupying certain spaces we want him to occupy. It’s been a pleasure coaching him so far this year, and I still think there’s room for improvement like all the guys.”
As the monthlong transfer window played out from July to August, rumors swirled regarding Arango’s future. The response from supporters was that the club needed to avoid temptation and decline offers to sell Chicho, whose status has grown as his mannerisms on the field include a palpable joy and rabid competitiveness that would fit well into any episode of “Captain Tsubasa.”
“When a guy has a stadium chanting his entire name when he comes off, it’s evident what he means to the fans,” said Will Kuntz, LAFC’s senior vice president of soccer operations and assistant general manager. “The connection he made, it seems crazy he’s only been here a year, but I think obviously his record speaks for itself. I think any time you have a goal scorer who is producing and is part of a good team there’s going to be interest. I think the level of interest was commensurate with the way he was playing, but when you talk about was it close or not we always said this team is better with Chicho on it.”
Arango also brings a split personality to the field, alternating between the soccer-loving Atom and the warrior he was pushed to be by his family in Medellin, Colombia, and it has worked so far.
“My dad and my brothers have always instilled the notion of being a different forward, not only one that can score but being one that fights to help the team and can be the difference to impose the team,” Arango said. “I have always enjoyed fighting for each ball. I think that’s contagious for myself and my teammates.”
Sporting a large tattoo of Oliver Atom across the expanse of his back and another on his right leg before he made his debut for LAFC in San Jose last year, Arango plans on adding two “Supercampeones” pieces to his skin before he’s done. Borrowing from his favorite anime character, Arango’s two-finger goal celebration resembling a peace sign represents another aspect of why he has resonated with LAFC fans, especially the young ones.
“It makes me feel really, really happy when the kids do it,” said Arango, who usually adds a personal touch by sticking his tongue out at the same time. “Being an example for the kids is something that I’ve always desired since I was a teenager, not only for the kids but for football in general, I want to be a good example. The celebration is something that’s very important to me, so it’s very special to have that connection.
“I got to experience interactions with football players in Colombia when I was a kid. Some players had that connection with kids and others weren’t. I wanted to be a positive impact for the kids and inspire them. Make them feel like this is something they can achieve as well. More than anything just be welcoming and my mentality is the kids always come first.”
As the club attempts to extend its winning streak on Saturday night against the downtrodden Earthquakes (5-11-9, 24 points) and move two victories away from the league record since the MLS expanded to a 34-match season, Arango’s stellar play makes his return to the place he started with LAFC (during a failed push for a playoff berth) a meaningful bookend to his first full year with the club.
“I set a goal that I would surpass my goal-scoring record from last season and as a group effort we wanted to win the Cup,” Arango said. “Right now I’m enjoying football.”
LAFC AT SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES
When: Saturday, 7 p.m. PT
Where: PayPal Park
TV/Radio: KCOP (Ch. 13), Estrella TV 62/710 AM, 980 AM
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