April 13th’s California derby between Los Angeles FC and the San Jose Earthquakes turned into a historic occasion for Adrian Wibowo, as the young striker became only the second player of Indonesian descent—and the first Indonesian-American—to appear in a Major League Soccer match.
With LAFC cruising to a 2-0 lead late in the game, Wibowo made his long-awaited debut in the 89th minute, coming on for none other than legendary French forward Olivier Giroud.
Although the Earthquakes managed to pull one back in the dying moments, the Black and Gold held on for a 2-1 victory, moving up to seventh in the Western Conference standings.
Wibowo’s time on the pitch was brief, but memorable. The 19-year-old had the chance to share the field with global stars such as Hugo Lloris, Denis Bouanga, and Cengiz Ünder, while also squaring off against the ever-dangerous Josef Martínez.
A wave of excitement has surrounded Wibowo following his standout performances in last season’s MLS Next Pro, where he tallied nine goals and six assists in 23 appearances for LAFC’s reserve side—form that earned him a call-up to the senior squad this year.
Though he has previously represented the United States at the U-17 level, Wibowo remains eligible to play for Indonesia through his father, who hails from Surabaya. The young forward has expressed interest in donning the red-and-white jersey of Timnas Garuda in the future.
Wibowo thus joins FC Dallas goalkeeper Maarten Paes as the only players of Indonesian heritage to feature in MLS—remarkably, without yet holding an Indonesian passport.