[Japanese Interviews: Life in LA] Kent Hayashi : The Challenge of Global Sports Agent — Soccer Gave Me My Life — Passing It On to the Next Generation

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■ The Challenge of Global Sports Agent Ken Hayashi

Behind the world’s biggest stages, there are always “bridge-builders” who quietly open new paths.

The skies over Los Angeles feel unusually open. In the soft sunlight carried in from the ocean breeze, Ken Hayashi sits at a local café, moving between his laptop and smartphone as he communicates with clubs and players around the world. Based in Southern California, he works as a sports agent and club representative for players such as Miki Yamane of the LA Galaxy. He supports Japanese players in transfers to overseas clubs, negotiates sponsorship deals, and even assists with their lives on the ground in a foreign country.

He never steps onto the pitch himself, but his work has a direct influence on players’ careers—and sometimes even match outcomes.

“I am who I am today because of soccer,” Hayashi says. As a child, he moved from California to Japan, and it was soccer that helped him overcome the barriers of culture and language. The “perseverance” he built through high school club football has continued to shape his business career after retirement from playing.

Looking ahead to the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, Hayashi continues to travel the world, connecting players to their futures and giving back to the sport that gave him everything.

■ A Childhood Shaped by Two Cultures

Hayashi’s origin lies in being a “mix.”

His father is Japanese and his mother is American. The two met and married while studying at a university in Los Angeles. During his childhood, Hayashi moved frequently across the United States, including California and Ohio. This was a time when soccer was far less popular than it is today, and he actually grew up playing baseball.

A turning point came in sixth grade, when his family moved to Japan due to his mother’s work. He suddenly found himself in a completely different language and culture, and culture shock was inevitable. Yet Hayashi smiles and says he doesn’t remember it as a difficult experience. The reason was soccer.

“I joined a local team in a soccer-rich area, and some of my classmates were there too. We quickly became friends. When you’re working toward the same goal, the distance between people naturally shrinks.”

Looking back, Hayashi says that growing up between two cultures laid the foundation for his current career.

“When you understand multiple cultures, you can understand other people’s perspectives and work in harmony with them. That’s an essential skill in business.”

■ The Discipline Built in High School Football

In junior high school, Hayashi played as a defender for a strong team that finished third at a national tournament. His coach regularly brought in high school players for training sessions, always ensuring a high-level environment. Those early “success experiences” pulled him deeper into the world of soccer.

He went on to attend Takigawa Daini High School in Hyogo, a school known for its strong athletic programs. His life became fully dedicated to soccer.

“School ended at 2 p.m., and from then until around 8 p.m. we had team training and individual practice every day. It was tough, but looking back, they were happy memories.”

His team reached the top 16 nationally. More than the results, however, it was the “grit” he developed there that still supports him today.

“Because I went through those intense training sessions, I now have the confidence that I can get through anything difficult. I won’t say I don’t feel anxiety, but I tend to think things will work out somehow. And I usually find myself enjoying the challenge more than worrying about it.”

While many of his teammates aimed for professional or university football careers, Hayashi began to think about going to the United States after graduation to pursue his next step.

“I never really considered another path. I naturally decided that I would take my chance in America.”

■ Taking on America

After graduating high school, Hayashi joined Utah Blitzz, a USL professional team based in Salt Lake City, introduced by his former coach.

The squad included many international players, including Argentinians, and the level of speed, physicality, and technical ability was extremely high. Through training and matches, he began to realize that he did not quite possess the physical dominance and competitive intensity required to succeed as a top professional.

“I started to think it might be better not to just let time pass as a player, but to find another way to be involved in soccer. Soccer had given me friends all over the world, and I felt welcomed wherever I went. That made me think about how I could give back to the sport—and how I could help grow the industry.”

From there, he shifted his focus away from coaching or training and instead chose to enter the business side of soccer. He realized that growing the sport required bringing in external capital—from sponsors and companies beyond the traditional soccer ecosystem.

■ Learning Global Sports Business

After retiring as a player, Hayashi enrolled in a university in California, majoring in sports business while also playing for the university soccer team.

In his senior year, he had the opportunity to intern with the LA Galaxy of Major League Soccer (MLS), one of the league’s most iconic clubs, whose stadium is located on campus. At the time, global superstar David Beckham was on the roster, and both the team and the league were undergoing major transformation.

Through this internship, Hayashi experienced firsthand the influence of world-class players and observed how MLS was growing through long-term strategy.

“MLS has developed through a long-term vision. The timing of signing major stars is carefully planned, and I think we are now seeing the results of those decisions.”

■ Building a Career in Japan

After graduating, Hayashi returned to Japan and joined a company that supported foreign firms establishing Japanese subsidiaries. There, he learned back-office operations such as accounting, HR, and budgeting.

He later moved to an advertising agency with a Los Angeles branch, working on sports sponsorships for Japanese companies. This brought him back into the sports world.

After returning to Japan due to family circumstances, he joined Red Bull Japan, working in sports marketing. He was involved in athlete management, event operations, sponsorship acquisition, and brand strategy—experiencing the front lines of how athletes and teams engage fans and sponsors.

“I realized that without understanding both the sponsor side and the athlete side, I wouldn’t be able to run a club in the future. That thinking eventually led me to become an agent.”

■ 2024 MLS Champion Trophy – Player Yamane and Me

■ The Changing U.S. Soccer Market

In 2018, Hayashi joined a sports agency and obtained his FIFA agent license. As he negotiated contracts and managed transfers, he began to see the growing potential of the U.S. soccer market.

“The soccer market in the U.S. has grown dramatically. It is completely different from when I first came here 20 years ago. Now there is a system and network where I can immediately introduce clubs to players. MLS clubs that once cost a few million dollars are now valued at around $50 billion. The league is becoming a fully established business, even growing faster than the NHL.”

This summer, Son Heung-min—who became the first Asian top scorer in the Premier League—joined LAFC for a record MLS transfer fee of approximately $26 million, symbolizing this momentum.

“The arrival of world-class players like Son will encourage more players to consider MLS, improving the competitiveness of the league,” Hayashi says.

He also notes that Son’s commercial influence is comparable to Shohei Ohtani, who also plays in Los Angeles, and suggests future collaboration possibilities given their shared agency connections.

With the 2026 World Cup (hosted by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico) and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics approaching, he felt the timing was right.

■ Unlocking Player Value

At the end of 2022, Hayashi moved with his family to Irvine and founded MXTO LLC, a sports agency. The name “MXTO” comes from his mixed background—culture, environment, and nationality.

His work goes beyond contract negotiations. With a small roster of six clients, he provides close, personalized support covering everything from daily life to media relations, ensuring players can perform at their highest level.

“We are a boutique agency, so we can communicate closely with each player and provide detailed support.”

This summer, he also served as a coordinator for Urawa Red Diamonds during the FIFA Club World Cup, supporting operations behind the scenes at the request of FIFA.

■ Bridging Japan and the World

Two years after founding his company, Hayashi continues to build his role as a connector between Japanese and global soccer.

He is involved in discovering Japanese-American players, supporting Japanese companies expanding overseas, and helping foreign clubs enter the Japanese market. He is also exploring initiatives aimed at improving youth development in the U.S., concerned about the national team’s performance.

“I’ve worked in sponsorships, player representation, and many other areas, but to me it still feels like I’m in the middle of my career journey. There are still so many things I want to do, and I’m learning through all these experiences.”

Soccer opened his life. The cross-cultural perspective he gained between Japan and the United States, and the ability to bridge different worlds, have become his greatest strengths. Today, Ken Hayashi continues to travel across the globe, working tirelessly for the players and the sport that shaped him.