Carlos Vela returns as LAFC lose second match in a row
The ‘Black and Gold’ lost to the Seattle Sounders 2-0 on Sunday night in the last game of week 5 of the 2021 Major League Soccer regular season.
Los Angeles FC lost their second away match in a row after losing 2-0 to the Seattle Sounders on Sunday night at the CenturyLink Field. With this result the ‘Black and Gold’ dropped to last place in the Western Conference with five out of a possible 25 points and a record of 1-2-2 (W-D-L).
After a scoreless first half, Seattle took control of the game in the second 45 minutes. The home team took the lead in the 57th minute with a goal from Xavier Arreaga off a corner kick and later, Brad Smith put the Sounders 2-0 up in the 73rd minute, smashing in a close range header from a counter attack.
Carlos Vela made his second appearance this season
In the 2021 MLS season opener against Austin FC, the 2019 league’s MVP was substituted in the 22nd minute after suffering an injury and what seemed like a miscommunication between the player and the manager Bob Bradley. In that game, Los Angeles FC managed to win 2-0 with Corey Baird (61st minute) and Eduard Atuesta (90th minute) scoring for the home team.
Life without their captain
Vela missed the next three games and LAFC couldn’t win during his time out. The ‘Black and Gold’ would have consecutive 1-1 draws against Seattle Sounders (week 2) and Houston Dynamo (week 3) and lost 2-1 on week 4 against city rivals, Los Angeles Galaxy, at the Dignity Health Sports Park.
After reaching full-fitness the Mexican international returned during the second half against Seattle, but little could he do to prevent his team from leaving with the points and the victory. The captain of LAFC played 20 minutes to get some minutes under his belt and manager Bob Bradley talked about his return.
“It is important to get Carlos back on the field. We saw some good touches, but we didn’t get a chance to see him in a dynamic role against Seattle in terms of taking off and getting behind people. But at that point of the game it was difficult because the Sounders were trying to protect the 2-0 lead,” Bradley said during the post-game press conference.