Eduard Atuesta savors LAFC return: "I love the club"

In 2018, Eduard Atuesta arrived in Los Angeles like so many do. He was young and uncertain, but optimistic about his future, looking for a big break. He didn’t know what LAFC would become when he left Independiente Medellín in his native Colombia for the then-expansion team.

Quickly, as the Black & Gold established themselves, Atuesta became a fan favorite and a key contributor. After spending the inaugural 2018 campaign on loan, he signed a three-year contract with the club.

Atuesta moved on to similarly bright lights in 2022, joining Brazilian giant Palmeiras. There, he won six trophies and finished second at the FIFA Club World Cup. But after suffering an ACL injury, he found himself wanting to return to the place he again calls home: LAFC.

“LAFC, the 3252 [supporters’ union] and I, we grew up together. We were formed together,” he told MLSsoccer.com. “Since the first year when I came to LAFC, all those new things I experienced, they experienced too.

“They know how much I love the club because of everything we’ve been through – defeats, victories. They know what Eduard Atuesta is able to do for the club. It’s a love that’s mutual. The love they show me at every moment is the same as I’ve had for the club since the start. The feelings I have for the club are very strong, and I think the fans feel the same things toward me.”

Homecoming

The 3252 have plenty of reasons to love Atuesta, who returned on loan in February. The hard-working midfielder became a club legend for helping the team to the 2019 Supporters’ Shield and other memorable moments.

Now, he enters Wednesday’s showdown vs. Real Salt Lake (10:45 pm | Apple TV - Free; FS1) with 2g/4a in 20 starts. He also has 156 passes into the final third, putting him second behind LA Galaxy playmaker Riqui Puig, and boasts his typically high number of recoveries and interceptions.

The season has gone better than the midfielder expected, especially amid uncertainty around LAFC’s direction. Fresh off reaching MLS Cup 2023, LAFC said goodbye to another fan favorite on the inaugural roster: longtime captain Carlos Vela. Legendary center back Giorgio Chiellini also retired, and several other starters exited.

“It’s not so easy when you arrive and have to integrate with a team. They were suffering a lot of changes, too,” Atuesta said. “After coming from two consecutive finals, one title won and one title lost, mentally it’s tough to have lost a title, so it was about connecting with them, helping where I can, but everybody has helped me. I have the advantage that just by arriving I had the feeling that I’d never left.”

That’s how Atuesta felt off the field as well. He likes to take his family to a relaxed Southern California beach on his off days, but also enjoys exploring various Latino communities around LA, especially the largest group.

“The Mexican culture is really strong here, which makes me feel comfortable because I love everything that has to do with Mexican culture,” he said. “It makes me feel at home. I feel really good and enjoy the food, the culture, the people and the music a lot.”

Colombian journey

Of course, Atuesta said, he and his family also spend time with fellow Colombians. That provided joyous moments this summer with Los Cafeteros making a run to the Copa América final. In the process, Colombia set the mark for their longest-ever unbeaten stretch – manager Nestor Lorenzo engineered a 28-match run from February 2022 to Sunday’s extra-time loss to Argentina.

While Atuesta has enjoyed watching the run from afar, occasionally passing on best wishes to teammates, the 27-year-old is hoping to edge his way into the squad as the 2026 World Cup approaches. He appeared in a pair of friendly matches in 2022 during that streak, but a torn ACL in February 2023 put his national team dreams on hold.

“I was in the process with profe Nestor at the start with this team before the injuries I had. It’s a joy,” to see them make the Copa América final, Atuesta said. “Hopefully, I can be with them soon. This year, I started playing again, I’ve been competing again. That’s my goal: Play and play and play for my level to go back to where it was before I got hurt and to be able to be with them as quickly as possible.”

Coming back to LAFC, where Atuesta feels comfortable, has been key to his recovery. Not only has he gotten minutes from manager Steve Cherundolo, but he also says LAFC’s training staff has helped him feel stronger each day and get closer to feeling like he’s back to his absolute best.

Similarly, LAFC feel a few steps away from reaching their potential. Forward Denis Bouanga and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris were recently named MLS All-Stars, and French striker Olivier Giroud arrives soon after he scored 15 goals in 35 matches for AC Milan last season.

Trophy dreams

There are plenty of similarities between Atuesta’s first four years at the club, but things are different with personnel and Cherundolo’s style of play.

“I think we’re more diligent tactically now,” Atuesta said. “The LAFC I was part of with Bob [Bradley] was an LAFC that probably was much more about having the ball, possession, we had a lot of control of the game because we had the ball. One way was keeping the opponent down with the ball, the other being hardworking and then being dangerous when it’s time to counter-attack or create and be more vertical. Those are the differences I’ve found.”

Otherwise, it’s the same LAFC he knows and deeply loves. That is life in the big city. Things are always changing, but some things are always the same.

While Atuesta knows he has grown from the 20-year-old who turned up to play for an expansion team in 2018, the end goal remains the same.

“I came here when I was really, really young, but had the desire to learn as much as possible, learn from the veterans and understand quickly how the league works, how I could adapt as quickly as I could,” Atuesta said. “I’m now a player with more experience, more titles and with a desire to keep winning a lot, a lot of trophies with LAFC.”