Carlos Vela: “I Want to Be The MLS MVP”

The LAFC notched their second straight win and remained perfect after beating the Portland Timbers last night, 4-1.

Somewhat more than 22 thousand spectators, saw an interesting game, full of goals and excitement, and also witnessed Carlos Vela’s magnificent performance.

The Mexican playmaker is the cornerstone of this franchise, and the fans expect from him and coach Bob Bradley to make something notable this season.

Last night against the Timbers, Vela scored a goal and had two assists beside that, orchestrating the midfield and the attack of the LA team.

According to the player, this is just a beginning, and his team did nothing unusual, let alone something which might make them content at the moment. They have a long way to go, and the season only started for that kind of thinking.

“We’re just starting,” Vela, former Arsenal, and Real Sociedad player stated after the game. “We can’t get too high on ourselves. We’ve won two good games, but we have things to work on.”

LAFC controlled the game very well. After his corner in the 14th minute, the hosts scored the opening goal. Mark-Anthony Kaye made a perfect header past Jeff Attinella who couldn’t do anything about it.

Jeremy Ebobisse leveled the score with one minute before the half-hour mark, after Diego Valeri’s free kick, which eventually ended on Ebobisse’s head.

When most of the fans thought that this would be the result of the first 45 minutes, Christian Ramirez brought back the edge to the hosts.

Coach Bradley’s decision to bring in Adama Diomande, turned out to be a perfect one because the striker scored less than two minutes since he stepped on the pitch. Vela made a nice assist from the right side, and the Norwegian didn’t have too many troubles while executing.

Just two minutes after that, Vela himself netted, wiping all the hopes of the guests for at least one point.

After last year’s performances, the leader of this team has a clear vision of what he wants from this campaign.

“Every day I try to be a better player, better teammate, and in the end, I’m working to be the MVP of the league,” said Vela at the press conference, “If I want to do that I have to show every game how good I am.”

In order to so, his level of play needs to be at the same level throughout the whole season. And for his LAFC to record good results.

That might be the problem, because he is often on the first name on the list of opponents’ defenders, and in the first two games, the Mexican found himself on the ground a lot. In those 180 minutes, five rival players received yellow cards after tackles on him.

But that is just the necessity of the job for this guy, and he is perfectly aware of it.

“It’s my work,” he said. “It’s why I come here.”

Bob Bradley was delighted after the match, both with the win and with Vela’s performance. One of the best American coaches, if not the best, emphasized Mexican’s attitude towards the training and the rest of the teammates, saying that he always brings positive vibes with him.

“You want guys to still enjoy and appreciate training,” began Bradley. “I think that when your best players come in and know on certain days what training is going to be about, and they set the example for everybody, then that’s important and Carlos has done that.”

“He’s so positive when he shows up and is good with his teammates,” added the former US national team coach.

LAFC has a big game coming up next Sunday. They are flying over to the Atlantic Coast, in New York, to meet with NYC FC, who is desperate for a win after two draws. Still, the rival shouldn’t present some impossible task to handle, and the boys from LA have a nice chance to start the season with three straight wins.

After that event, they will host Real Salt Lake.