Article by Matt Lichtenstadter
If form is truly fallacy, then what happens in April in the long Major League Soccer season should be seriously considered as smoke and mirrors. But that soccer adage has holes in it, even in a league where being in the basement in July means very little. Definitive statements about any MLS season in April are difficult to make, but there is one we can make with some certainty now: LAFC is the league’s best team and is until further notice.
Their game against DC United was billed a clash between the best teams from each conference in the early season, and a win could define either as the best team in the league at present. LAFC made that statement clear with an emphatic 4-0 win, which could have even been worse if not for a missed penalty. 2019’s LAFC are being compared to 2018’s Atlanta United and the comparisons are coming more into focus every day. If they hold, LAFC might be holding the Cup in November.
Every MLS team has a hole on their roster thanks to the league’s structure, especially at this point in the season. Bob Bradley’s LAFC might not. Their biggest hole, Walker Zimmerman’s partner at centerback, seems to have been filled with ease by the Colombian Eddie Segura, who has been calm and collected all season. The double pivot of Mark-Anthony Kaye and Eduard Atuesta has been adept at both shielding LAFC’s back four and providing the attacking impetus in possession and on the counter. And that front four, even with injuries affecting multiple positions is still terrifying.
Carlos Vela is the early runaway favorite for league MVP, and with seven goals and five assists already, it will take a herculean effort from someone else to catch him. While the headlines of Bob Bradley telling Vela to be “like Messi” from the recent documentary “We Are LAFC” might be a touch misleading, Vela’s play this season is Messi-esque. He is the focal point of everything they do going forward; creating, occupying opposing defenders and becoming an instant threat every time, he touches the ball. That left foot of his also looks quite a bit like that little magician now, doesn’t it? Defenders slouch when Vela gets it on to his left foot because they know they’re in trouble, and very few players in the world have that heft and power.
No player in MLS history has ever notched a 20/20 season, and at this pace, Vela will do it with games to spare. He’s never been one to want the spotlight, but even in his reluctance to grab it, he has done so with room to spare in a league brimming with other stars. He may have even stolen a little of Zlatan’s thunder in Hollywood too. Bob Bradley does not make empty statements as a manager, and his Messi comparison for Vela is looking more and more apt with each passing game.
Even if Vela was taken out of LAFC, they’d still have one of the best attacks in the league. They possess depth everywhere with Diego Rossi, Latif Blessing (who has been amazing in a central role after coming to LAFC as a pacey winger and even playing as a fullback this season), the injured Lee Nguyen and Andre Horta, not to mention depth at striker with Adama Diomande and Christian Ramirez. GM John Thorrington’s roster build has been less flashy in many ways that Atlanta’s, but it has been more impressive considering the depth they’ve assembled at many positions. There is a chance they have even more to come with newcomers Alejandro Guido and Rodolfo Zelaya having not even played yet.
Because of the way LAFC have used their assets, they can make one more impact signing this summer to add further to depth, and central midfield is probably where they could stand to be a little bit deeper. If fitness and form hold, LAFC might run away with the Supporter’s Shield and be the runaway favorite for MLS Cup, even in a conference with a resurgent LA Galaxy and Seattle nipping at their heels. A better season than last year’s 70-point Red Bulls team isn’t even out of the question with the way they can muscle out results when not at their best and cast aside any opposition when they are.
Definitive statements in MLS are hard to make at any time during the season, especially in April. But this statement is an easy one: LAFC are the league’s best team right now, and they don’t have much competition for it.
