During the off-season, the New York Red Bulls acquired an internationally renowned player: Mike LaBelle, who played striker at McMurry University in Abilene, Texas. The 6-foot-1 Houston native was being courted by many teams — including European clubs — but ultimately chose New York and relocated to Jersey City, NJ, in December.
But the 28-year-old won’t actually be taking the field when the season kicks off in March.
LaBelle’s contract with the soccer team is to play “FIFA 18,” the massively popular video game. This past Friday, Major League Soccer announced it was forming a “FIFA” league with each team picking up their own star competitor to represent them in the race for the eMLS Cup, which will take place in April.