09.11.2020
01:08
The Mexican forward’s team drew 1-1 with the Portland Timbers, in the last game of the regular phase in the US league; will play the playoffs with the Seattle Sounders
November 9, 2020 Share on FacebookShare Share on TwitterTweet Share on WhatsAppShare
Vela scored when he was only six minutes on the court (Photo: Gary A. Vasquez / USA TODAY)
Vela returned from his injury and played for the first time as a starter this Sunday in MLS . Five minutes were enough for the Mexican forward to score a goal in a shot that the Portland Timbers goalkeeper failed to stop in the 1-1 draw of his team, Los Angeles FC.
Vela’s goal, the only goal of the first half and his team, served the Los Angeles team in any way, which qualified for the American League playoffs in seventh position and will play in the next round against the Seattle Sounders .
Not counting Vela’s great goal, the rest of the regular time, the game entered a not very dynamic rhythm. The LAFC adopted a defensive strategy and the Timbers didn’t seem to put them in much trouble . The only notable thing were the fouls: the referee drew five yellow cards, of which four were for Portland players. The good performance of Vela and his team was overshadowed by a goal in the 92nd minute, scored by Jorge Villafaña.
Vela is one of the stars of MLS (Photo: Kirby Lee / USA TODAY Sports)
The draw in this game puts LAFC in a difficult situation. They will have to face, on the road, last season’s MLS champions, the Seattle Sounders, who are currently ranked second in the Western Conference table.
Of the last four meetings between these teams each won two . Therefore, an extremely close match is expected. There is still a long way to go in the qualifying process for the most recognized soccer tournament in the United States. The return of Captain Vela, however, could be what the team needs to overcome the slump and bring the league trophy home.
Carlos Vela is one of the most recognized Mexican players in contemporary soccer. He was born in Cancun in 1989. He is 31 years old and his home club was the Liga MX Chivas . Later, already in the First Division, he played for multiple European clubs, including Arsenal and West Beomwich Albion in England; and in Celta, Salamanca, Osasuna, and Real Sociedad in Spanish soccer.
Vela and LAFC both shined in MLS in 2019, although they failed to win the league title (Photo: Gary A. Vasquez / USA TODAY Sports)
As of 2018, he arrived in Major League Soccer with the Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) shirt, of which he is now its captain .
In 20019 he had a great season; won the MLS Golden Shoe and broke the record for most touchdowns in a season with 32 goals . As a result, he was voted the Most Valuable Player (MVP).
However, this year it had a less favorable performance. He was absent from several games due to the birth of his first child and injured his knee in August during a classic against city rivals the LA Galaxy . After two months of inactivity, he returned to the team facing the same contender, sealing a 2-0 victory in second-half stoppage time.
Vela’s LAFC will face one of the favorites for the MLS title (Photo: Reuters)
LAFC, for its part, is a team with a very recent but successful history . He entered MLS in 2014, filling the void created by the demise of Chivas USA.
Along with Vela, the team had an outstanding season in 2019, winning the Western Conference league (Western Conference) and the Supporters Shield , a trophy awarded to the team with the best performance in the league statistics. regular phase of MLS.
The 2020 season has been less successful, both for Vela and for the team in general. They qualified in seventh place in the Western Conference (which has a total of 13 teams).
