Carlos Vela made his presence felt for LAFC in return to the LAFC lineup on Saturday night.
It has not been the kind of start you expect from Carlos Vela and LAFC.
The season itself got off to a kind of weird start for both Vela and LAFC. In the opening match against Austin FC, Vela pulled up lame and was subbed out in the 20th minute, much to the surprise of Vela, as he felt fine enough to continue, even though the substitution had already been made. The injury was serious enough for Vela to miss the three games after that, a stretch in which LAFC went 0-2-1. Vela made his return to the first team last week against Seattle as a sub, though the Sounders were well ahead 2-0 by the time he came into the match and eventually sent LAFC to its second loss of the season.
On Saturday night against the Colorado Rapids at Banc of California Stadium, Vela was back in the starting lineup, wearing the captain’s armband and his influence was stamped on this match in the 60 minutes he spent on the field. Despite not scoring himself, Vela’s presence made LAFC a much different team than the one that was treading water over the previous four matches. Diego Rossi provided the firepower with a brace and LAFC got back to its winning ways with a 2-1 win over the Rapids.
“When you watch us play, our ability to play from inside to outside and then outside to inside, whether it’s with passes or dribbling from outside to inside, is a big way that we find spaces and openings and Carlos [Vela’s] ability to do that from the right is so important in the way we attack,” LAFC Head coach Bob Bradley said.
LAFC edged ahead in the 15th minute. Eduard Atuesta played a ball to Baird just outside the penalty area, Baird dribbled around the top of the penalty area, then sprung Rossi with a ball into the box, Rossi then took a shot that deflected off Rapids defender Keegan Rosenberry and into the back net.
LAFC doubled its advantage in the 34th minute. Vela received a ball from Triston Blackmon, dribbled towards the penalty area, fought off a challenge from Sam Vines, then played a ball to Rossi, who then touched into the penalty area and blasted a shot past keeper William Yarbrough into the back net.
“We were able to get into the middle-third and then spread them out and then come from the outside-in and find some of the right passes,” Bradley said.
LAFC took the lead into the locker room, but Colorado got themselves back in the game in the 50th minute. Rosenberry played a long ball that was headed away by Diego Palacios, but it went to the Rapids’ Diego Rubio, who then sprung Michael Barrios who had gotten past Palacios, sprinted into the penalty area and slotted the shot past keeper Pablo Sisniega to get the Rapids on the board. LAFC however was able to hold off the Rapids the remainder of the match.
“The most important thing was to win,” LAFC defender Jose Cifuentes said. “We always have to maintain our game. This game was important and the locker room is happy with the win. This was an important win and we were able to demonstrate what we wanted to do.”
Despite the slow start to the season, with Vela back in the lineup and LAFC turning in a vintage performance against a Rapids team that had had won three straight matches and were in the top seven in the Western Conference heading into Saturday’s match, LAFC hopes Saturday’s win is the start of better days ahead.
“Anytime you get a win there’s a feeling in the group, and especially right now, we have to keep this momentum going,” LAFC defender Triston Blackmon said. “We’re a good team. We’ve shown it on many days, and this definitely pushes us in the right direction.”
LAFC will be back home for its next match, this time for a Saturday afternoon matinee with New York City FC.
