The LAFC Rebuild Begins

The 2021 LAFC season has come to a close.

As the offseason soon begins, let’s look at three things that the team must deal with as they look to rebuild for a better 2022 season.

LAFC and Bob Bradley Part Ways

Bob Bradley’s tenure with LAFC has come to an end. With LAFC and the former coach mutually agreeing to go separate ways. Bradley leaves LAFC after a four-year tenure where he led the Black and Gold to a 58-34-32 record and a total of 206 points for LAFC. Bob Bradley will now be in charge of Toronto FC, as he has agreed with the club to be their new head coach and sporting director.

We wish Bob Braley the best of luck in his new chapter and thank him for his professionalism with LAFC. After losing at home in the western conference final in 2019 and in other big games LAFC needed to win, it was clear it was time to move on. The question now is, who will lead LAFC directly.

Who Should Replace Bradley?

At the moment, there is no clear frontrunner for who will be the new LAFC coach, with reports linking former Club America coach Antonio Mohamed, who has not coached since 2020, to the club. Others who might be in line for the position include Kenny Arena, Ante Razov, Steve Cherundolo, Jason Kreis, and even Landon Donovan. I believe that Mohamed is the best option for this team if they are able to keep Carlos Vela.

As his style will work with players, who are already established. However, if they are focused on the future, then they should take a chance on any of the other candidates. LAFC has a really strong squad, and they have the opportunity to challenge for MLS CUP and other trophies. So it’ll be crucial to see who LAFC appoints as their new manager for the upcoming season.

Chicho Wins Prestigious Award

On the bright side of things, for LAFC, Chicho Arango has won the award for Newcomer of The Year. Beating out Ryan Gauld and Javier Eduardo Lopez. This award is awarded to a first-time player joining the MLS from an outside league and having a breakout season. Chicho became a critical player for LAFC scoring 15 goals in 17 appearances since joining halfway through the season.

With the acquisition of Chicho, he was a crucial player for picking up the offense when Vela was out with an injury. Chicho joins an exclusive list with previous winners being such as Zlatan Ibrahimovich, Miguel Almiron, Sebastian Giovinco, and Diego Valeri. Chicho’s accomplishment brings good light to a somewhat dark and unfortunate season for LAFC.