Carlos Vela is not concerned about one-upping himself in 2020. Following a record-breaking year with LAFC in 2019, the prospect of surpassing a 34-goal, 15-assist campaign has not preoccupied him during the offseason.
Instead, the 30-year-old Mexican striker is focused on achieving the one thing that has eluded him throughout his career.
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“I want to be a champion,” Vela said. “I’ve never been a league champion. It’s something that, as the years go by, as your career develops, not having lifted a trophy it’s like… what do I have to do to win one? That’s the most important thing inside my head right now.”
Before he earned MLS MVP honors and shattered the league’s scoring record, Vela’s career included two World Cup appearances and time in the Premier League with Arsenal and West Brom. But some of his greatest personal success came during his six seasons with Real Sociedad, where he was named to La Liga’s best XI alongside Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in 2014. The year prior, Vela joined Ronaldo and Diego Costa as the the league’s top overall strikers.
His decision to leave Europe for LAFC coincided with his chase for that elusive league title. With LAFC already positioning itself to be a perennial title contender after just two seasons of play, it is here in MLS that Vela believes he will finally earn a winner’s medal. It’s the only thing missing from his short, yet spectacular MLS tenure.
Vela has proven to be a massive signing for the league and he is an ideal fit for LAFC manager Bob Bradley’s tactical system. Ignacio Ambríz, whose Liga MX side, Club León, recently defeated LAFC in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions League duel, said that Vela is still Mexico’s top player. And he continues to headline sports talk television in Mexico. From a strategic marketing perspective for MLS, Vela appeals to first- and second-generation Latinos, as well as bicultural Latinos — all of which are increasingly important demographics for the league. It was Vela who was chosen to represent the league for its new sports drink sponsor BodyArmor, alongside American sports stars like Megan Rapinoe, James Harden, Mike Trout and Mookie Betts.
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With his many responsibilities both on and off the pitch, and after waltzing through MLS in 2019, the expectations for Vela are extremely high in 2020. But he says that the team’s success remains his sole focus.
“There’s no pressure (on me) at all,” Vela said. “I want to contribute more every season, and not just with goals. I want to make my team better and win titles. The numbers and individual records are great. And that motivates. But the main objective is to be a player that elevates his team and leads them to a title. That’s the type of mentality that I try to maintain on a daily basis. I can’t get complacent and say ‘I already have the record so I’ll take it easy this season.’ I want to get better every day. I want to show that (last season) wasn’t a (fluke).”
LAFC is at the point in their short trajectory where the burden of having an empty trophy case is steadily increasing. The club has outfitted its roster with a tremendous amount of attacking talent, and all-star defender Walker Zimmerman’s recent trade to Nashville SC has put added pressure on the club that their model can both yield immediate results and sustain long-term success. Perhaps unintentionally, Zimmerman’s departure places that onus for success squarely on Vela and LAFC’s attack.
Vela leads a young group of hybrid attackers who can each play across the front line of manager Bob Bradely’s 4-3-3 formation. Uruguayans Diego Rossi and Brian Rodriguez are expected to make sizable jumps in production this season, and behind them sits a talented midfield trio of Eduard Atuesta, Mark-Anthony Kaye and Latif Blessing that filters play through Vela. Additionally, LAFC has added Uruguayan Francisco Ginella, 21, who has a similar profile to Atuesta, but with a bit more defensive presence, and 20-year-old Ecuadorian José Cifuentes.
The latter did not feature in LAFC’s 2-0 loss to León. However, Cifuentes adds a much needed degree of bite to LAFC’s midfield. The U-23 standout also represents the type of signing whose aim is to allow Vela to play with an increased level of independence.
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“(Cifuentes) has a high work rate and will add a lot of physicality and box-to-box abilities,” Vela said. “He’s the type of player that can turn up anywhere. Those types of players are needed on every team. Personally, it’ll help me have the freedom to find the spaces on the pitch that I’m supposed to be in. I think those are the types of players that we’ve tried to bring in. Hopefully he breaks through because it’ll be good for him and for the team.”
Ginella started and played 90 minutes against León. With Atuesta rested, Ginella was thrusted into a high-pressure situation right away by Bradley. According to Vela, Ginella’s first taste of international club soccer is part of a developing LAFC ethos that places more accountability on younger players.
“We don’t have a lot of history yet,” said Vela. “Each day we’re trying to write something new and something positive. And it’s complicated to grow as a team and become a championship club overnight. I think it’s part of a process. Obviously we’ve seen that in these two years we’ve come close, but we’ve lacked the experience that other clubs have. We have to take a step forward. Our younger players have to take on more responsibility. The most important thing is to win a title and hopefully that happens this year.”
Vela said that LAFC’s offseason moves have made the team stronger, and he guaranteed that the the players will always “give maximum effort, score goals and play good football.” LAFC’s No. 10 has been fundamental to the club’s exciting brand of soccer. As he has said previously, Vela is happy in Los Angeles, but one guarantee he could not give is whether he will finish his career in black in gold.
“I’m not opposed to anything,” Vela said. “Obviously I’m not looking right now. But I’m always open to something or some place that would be important for my career and for my family. If I end up staying (in LA) for the rest of my career, then great. I’d love that. If something better presents itself or if I have to move on, I’ll do that, too. I’ve spent my entire life bouncing around from one place to another. One more change isn’t going to kill me.”
In Los Angeles, Vela has the opportunity to become a transcendent figure in a city that reveres its sports stars. The tragic death of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and the other victims of the Calabasas helicopter crash united the city and showed the world how impactful a professional athlete can be. Vela witnessed the grief firsthand. He may be keeping his options open, but Vela understands the responsibility that he and his teammates have to the LAFC badge.
“You can see how elite athletes are able to connect with Los Angeles,” he said. “You think, I want to be important. I want to leave something behind when I retire — that the city remembers you for the good that you did. That’s what we all work for. To be able to say ‘I gave everything.’ Hopefully I can impact future generations. You want to be part of something like that. I think we are all on the right track to be able to leave a legacy at the club and in the city.”
(Photo: Leopoldo Smith/Getty Images)