The aqcuisition of Lee Nguyen is expected to bolster LAFC’s attack while filling the void left behind by Marco Urena’s absence.
By Ivan Yeo
Talk about putting out a potential fire rather quickly.
LAFC responded swiftly to the loss of Marco Urena with two key additions on Wednesday, first by making a trade with the New England Revolution to acquire Lee Nguyen, then signing forward Adama Diomande from Hull City.
The need to bolster its attack became crucial after it was announced yesterday that Urena will undergo surgery to repair facial fractures sustained in Sunday’s match against Seattle. Urena is expected to miss at least four weeks, when he will then be re-evaluated.
Though he has yet to score, Urena has still proven himself to be valuable to LAFC’s offense. Aside from his five assists, Urena’s pace and timely runs opened up space for the likes of Carlos Vela and Diego Rossi to operate effectively. Also, LAFC is expected to be without some more players, particularly Vela, who is expected to be called up to the Mexico squad for the World Cup.
LAFC moved quickly to fill the void, especially with the international transfer window set to close. LAFC sent $350,000 in general allocation money plus another $350,000 in targeted allocation money to New England for Nguyen. The midfielder arrived in MLS with the Revolution in 2014 an immediately established himself, scoring 20 goals in all competitions and helped the Revs reach the MLS Cup Final that year.
“Lee has been one of the most creative and dynamic players in the league since his arrival in MLS,” said Vice President of Soccer Operations and General Manager John Thorrington in a statement. “His versatility and ability to score and create goals will certainly benefit our team. We look forward to his immediate contributions on and off the pitch.”
Nguyen scored 51 goals and assisted 49 others in 191 matches, but hasn’t played a match this season as he demanded a trade during the offseason due to his unhappiness with the front office and first-year head coach Brad Friedel. Now Nguyen joins an LAFC side with a wealth of attackers and gives head coach Bob Bradley options in terms of roster selection and formations.
“I’m looking forward to working with Lee again,” Bradley said. “He’s a talented player that will fit in with the football we are building at LAFC.”
Later in the day, LAFC announced the signing of striker Adama Diomande from Hull City. Diomande struggled to make a name for himself at Hull City, but is certainly hoping for a turnaround now that he has been re-united with Bradley, who coached Diomande when the two were at Norwegian side Stabaek. Diomande had a stellar 2015 season under Bradley, as he scored 25 goals in 26 matches that season.
“Adama is a quality goalscorer who brings the experience of playing at a high level in Europe,” said Bradley. “We believe he will have a strong impact in MLS.”
Diomande will report to LAFC pending the receipt of his International Transfer Certificate (ITC) and P-1 visa. Nguyen however could be available sooner, quite possibly this Saturday against FC Dallas.
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