The league announced on Wednesday that Major League Soccer would return to play July 8th. This is positive news for soccer fans, as well as sports fans since this is the first major sport to return since March.
About two weeks ago, it was reported that LAFC star, Carlos Vela may not make the trip to Orlando because his partner is pregnant. This would be a substantial loss for LAFC as Vela is the anchor for LAFC. Although LAFC played just four games in total during the 2019-2020 season, Vela had four-goal in those four games. They played two league games and two CONCACAF Champions League games.
Last season, Vela had 34 goals and ten assists in 31 games during the regular season. Without Vela, LAFC lost to Minnesota United 2-0 in September. This had critics calling LAFC an average team without Vela.
If LAFC is going to succeed in this tournament without Vela, Diego Rossi, Latif Blessing, and Eddie Segura must step up and lead the team. LAFC is in Group F with archrival LA Galaxy, Houston Dynamo, and the Portland Timbers. LA Galaxy may be without Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez, which could be beneficial for LAFC. The biggest threat to LAFC is LA Galaxy if Chicharito plays. If he doesn’t play, the biggest threat will be the Portland Timbers.
If Vela does end up playing in this tournament, LAFC should be able to breeze past Group F and possibly win it all.
