New York Red Bulls Visit LA
LAFC took on the hot and surging New York Red Bulls this past weekend in a very enjoyable match. However they could not create clear chances in the first half and saw them go tied at 0. The second half saw the Red Bulls trying to take an initiative but they would only come close to target once. From there LAFC would regain the dominance it has been keen to show this season. A pair of substitutions in the 63rd minute saw Kellyn Acosta and Chicho Arango take the field for some action. Four minutes later an extraordinary pass from Vela put Chicho in an immaculate position. From there he would then go on and open up the scoring for the Black and Gold. Two minutes later a miscue from the Red Bulls defense allowed Brian Rodriguez to swoop down the right flank. He would go all the way down to the 18 yard box and here he played a pass to Diego Palacios. Where he would fake out one opponent and then get a shot across and make it 2-0. They would defend the lead and ultimately would get the shutout making it a great day at the Banc.
Gareth Bale is Black & Gold
This past weekend LAFC made the official announcement that they had signed Gareth Bale to a year long deal. The five time Champions League winner will join the club after his second stint with Real Madrid has come to an end. He is an explosive player and has shown throughout his career that he can compete with the best. Bale has had some controversy especially in this recent stint with Real Madrid. He has been seen as someone who can be problematic and not care about the game. Yet his talent and what he can do on the pitch is more than enough to brush off some of the other issues. The Welshman is also looking to stay in form after having played a huge role in helping his country qualify for the World Cup. No doubt this signing adds excitement and now two huge stars have joined this season. Both Chiellini and Bale are set to become available after the first of July and could possibly debut at home in El Trafico against their rivals the LA Galaxy.
Vela Inks an Extension
On top of the additions of Bale and Chiellini, LAFC Finally made it official that they had re-signed Vela until the 2023 season. Carlos who has been here with the club since the start, was the 2019 MLS MVP. In that season he scored 34 goals along with 15 assists for a whopping grand total of 49 goals. Unfortunately a major trophy has eluded Vela during his time in LA. Stating he would love to win a title with the club. However he has had these past few seasons plagued with injury. He has slowly begun to find his old form in this 2022 season but still at times has had to slow it down. Vela in his extension conference stated that he had offers to go to Liga MX but ultimately declined. His focus was mainly staying in LA but was also open to going back to Europe and lastly would be a move to Mexico. It is great news to have Vela back for at least one more season! Hopefully he can help bring a MLS title back to Los Angeles.
