Carlos Vela has been off to a stellar start to the 2019 MLS regular season, but after outdoing himself with his first career MLS hat trick, the LAFC star continues to rake in the honors.
Vela was voted MLS Player of the Week for Week 5 after scoring three goals and assisting on a fourth in LAFC's 5-0 road win over the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday.
The Mexican scored the first goal early, as a goalkeeping gaffe from Daniel Vega allowed Vela to essentially walk the ball into the net in the 8th minute. In first-half stoppage time, he scored his second off a tap-in from Diego Rossi's centering cross.
He saved the best goal for last, as Vela hit a trademark looping left-footed curler in the 66th minute to complete the hat trick. Two minutes later, he returned the favor to set up Rossi's goal.
With the win, LAFC remain unbeaten (4-0-1) to begin the season and Vela leads the Golden Boot presented by Audi race, with six goals. He's also tied for the league lead in assists with three. This is also his second MLS Player of the Week selection of the season, as he also took honors in Week 2.
“When I was in Spain you had Messi and Ronaldo, it was impossible to be the best. But here, I feel like I am at a good level and I know I can be one of the best in this league,” Vela said after the win.
The MLS Player of the Week is selected each week of the regular season through both media and fan voting in a process conducted by MLS Communications. A panel of journalists from the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) comprises 75 percent of the vote, while a Twitter fan vote represents the remaining 25 percent of voting. NASR consists of members of print, television, radio and online media.
