5 LAFC questions for 2021
The Los Angeles Football Club has been a force inside Major League Soccer since its debut in 2018.
Entering year four, expectations are understandably high for a club that has scored in bunches while earning a must-watch reputation in American professional soccer circles.
Captained by the league’s top player, Mexican forward Carlos Vela, LAFC is aware that sustained regular-season success doesn’t guarantee postseason celebrations, and the answers to these questions could go a long way in determining its level of success in 2021. CAN THIS TEAM DEFEND WELL ENOUGH? » The decision to trade central defender Walker Zimmerman prior to the start of the 2020 season still looms large over LAFC.
After conceding the fewest goals and establishing an MLS record goal differential in 2019, LAFC struggled to regain that form in league play last year.
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Year campaign with Nashville SC served as an appropriate coda for Zimmerman’s missing presence compared to LAFC’s struggles keeping opponents at bay.
Last year the club allowed two more goals from its 2019 total in 12 fewer matches and tied for last in the league with three clean sheets.
LAFC’s defense didn’t firm up until its CONCACAF Champions League push in December, when the Colombian connection between Eddie Segura and Jose Murillo seemed to gel.
Ecuadorian winger Diego Palacios and Tristan Blackmon also stepped up to make major contributions.
COULD THE SUMMER TRANSFER WINDOW BRING BIG CHANGES? » The pandemic pushed off several significant roster moves LAFC expected to make last year, so the summer transfer window from July 7-Aug. 5 heralds a busy and potentially season-defining period.
Diego Rossi and Eduard Atuesta, who were scouted and signed by the club four years ago, have developed and matured to the point where they “have great potential and values overseas,” said John Thorrington, “so we’re looking at what makes the most sense for the players and the club, and I do think that will be a very busy window for us.
“We just need to make sure that we’ve got all sorts of contingency plans in place when these sales do take place.”
ITS OPEN DESIGNATED PLAYER SLOT? » Unless a perfect opportunity presents itself — a player is available on loan, for instance — the club is unlikely to make a DP move until Brian Rodriguez’s status is sorted out this summer.
Rodriguez is currently on loan to Spanish club UD Almería but until a transfer is made permanent or the loan expires don’t expect LAFC to risk being stuck with four designated players on the roster and falling out of compliance with MLS rules.
HOW WILL LAFC MANAGE ITS DEPTH? » LAFC has assembled the kind of quality and depth across the roster that it planned for from the start.
This, as they say, is a good problem.
Despite being eligible for just two competitions in 2021 (MLS play and the U.S. Open Cup tournament), a congested second-half schedule and the physical toll of the season should provide opportunities for numerous players to contribute.
CLAIM THE JOB? » Neither Pablo Sisniego nor Kenneth Vermeer solidified their role as LAFC’s go-to goalkeeper in 2020, and both enter the new season vying for that role.
Following the club’s two preseason matches, Bradley noted that Sisniega and Vermeer are “pretty even.”
Each has their own strengths, Bradley continued, and decisions on their first-team inclusion will be made as the regular season unfolds.