Carlos Vela is back to his dominant self – and he has a Player of the Matchday presented by Continental Tire award to prove it.
LAFC's Mexican superstar won top individual honors for Matchday 8 thanks to a vintage two-goal, one-assist performance in Sunday's 3-2 El Trafico win over LA Galaxy.
Vela participated in all three Black & Gold goals, opening the score 22 minutes into the match with a stunning left-footed curler to the far post. He then buried a crucial penalty kick in the 68th minute and just two minutes later provided the corner-kick service for Ryan Hollingshead's game-winning header.
With this latest output, the 34-year-old Designated Player reached 10 regular-season goals (12 overall) against the Galaxy to surpass Zlatan Ibrahimović (eight) as El Trafico's all-time leading scorer. The win was also LAFC’s first at Dignity Health Sports Park since entering the league in 2018.
Vela's brilliant display comes a week after teammate Dénis Bouanga took home Player of the Matchday accolades for a hat trick against Austin FC in Matchday 7. The Gabon international had shouldered much of the offensive load this season for the 2022 MLS Cup-Supporters' Shield winners, with Vela himself saying earlier this month he wasn't playing up to his usual high standards.
But after a midweek brace that booked LAFC's spot in the 2023 Concacaf Champions League semifinals, followed by Sunday's El Trafico exploits, LAFC captain is looking as dominant as ever as he adds a ninth MLS Player of the Matchday award to his personal collection.
LAFC, Major League Soccer's lone remaining undefeated team, are back in action Saturday night with a Matchday 9 visit to Nashville SC (8:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass).
The MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Continental Tire is selected each matchday 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.
