Giorgio Chiellini, Federico Bernardeschi lead MLS Italian renaissance

LAFC fans are lucky to have European champion Giorgio Chiellini on their side, but to hear him tell it, that luck is mutual.

"I was lucky to find a club like LAFC who wanted me, a very organized club with first-level ownership and management and last but not least a very good team that could help me win other trophies," he told Forbes. "For sure, this experience will stay with me for the rest of my life."

The 38-year-old Italian defender scored his first MLS goal on Saturday in a wild 3-2 victory over the Portland Timbers, LAFC's Western Conference challengers and fierce rivals. 

"Best player on the field tonight," LAFC coach Steve Cherundolo said of Chiellini after the game, per the Associated Press. "A step ahead of everyone else. It's fun to watch and a privilege to coach."

Chiellini's rebirth in MLS has been a sight to behold for longtime fans of the Italian. He's a fascinating player, equal parts aggressive and composed, and his stellar distribution from the back has been the key to LAFC's recent success. 

His late-career resurgence in MLS isn't an outlier. Several members of Italy's 2021 European Championship team are playing the best soccer of their careers in North America.

Federico Bernardeschi is one of them. He came up with Chiellini at Juventus, serving as the attacking midfield partner to Chiellini's defensive grit. He got lost in the shuffle in Italy and took a chance on a foreign placement at Bob Bradley's Toronto FC.

Bernardeschi's countrymen Lorenzo Insigne and Domenico Criscito moved to Toronto, too, and the three of them spent 2022 bringing modern Italian flair to the Eastern Conference. Toronto found its footing toward the end of the season and have started 2023 with a bang, scoring twice against a hyped DC United squad and drawing 1-1 with title favorites Atlanta United.

Who scored the goal that forced Atlanta to share the points? Bernardeschi, of course.

MLS's Italian renaissance shows that the league can be accommodating of foreign players at different stages of their journeys, from mid-career stars such as Bernardeschi and Insigne to late-career veterans such as Criscito and Chiellini.

MLS's financial stability and in-game competitiveness can be a breath of fresh air for foreign athletes stymied in Old World sporting systems.

"There are very good things in this league," Chiellini said. "The environment is very good. It's a different way of life. I've really loved every day I've spent in the USA."