Resign Their Top Star
Carlos Vela is a soon to be free agent and it is unclear whether LAFC will re-sign him or let him go somewhere else. Currently there are reports coming from the sport site Sabah Spor in Turkey, stating that Trabzonspor are very interested in signing Vela. They even state that they are willing to match what Vela makes, roughly around 6.3 million dollars per year. We saw throughout the 2021 season how much this team missed Vela’s creativity and explosiveness. At times looking flat with no idea of how to attack the opposition. Vela had such an impact, 2019 was no fluke. Vela was the man for LAFC, the player you could go to and he would resolve the game for LAFC, whether it be with his goals or assists. He was unstoppable and the numbers proved it, 35 goals and 16 assists. Vela’s departure would be a tremendous blow for this team and the city of Los Angeles.
Strengthen the Defense
Another glaring issue that reared its ugly head at the end of the season was LAFC’s defending. They had to rely on an 18 year old kid to be solid in the back. While Mamadou Fall had an outstanding offensive display he would commit some errors that led to goals and dropped points. One game where the defense showed weakness was the August 15th game vs Atlanta United. Where there would be a miscommunication between the defenders on a LAFC corner kick. Allowing the Atlanta United player to steal the ball at midfield and drive all the way to goal and force the keeper out and he would pass to Josef Martinez, having a simple tap in. They are desperately missing a leader back there, someone like former player Laurent Ciman. No doubt Mamadou Fall can be that leader, however he is still just a kid and that kind of pressure isn’t the best for his development. Let’s hope LAFC can go back to the version it was in 2019.
