Kellyn Acosta, Maxime Crépeau, Diego Palacios and several other key pieces are out the door for good. The future of Carlos Vela, the face of the club, remains up in the air. Potential wantaway Dénis Bouanga is a late arrival, and Hugo Lloris will be, too.
In cold, hard mathematical terms, LAFC’s offseason exodus is daunting: 16 players out the door, or at the very least out of contract, and only two new additions.
That leaves the 2023 Western Conference champions with just 17 first-team players under contract for the opening days of preseason this week. Yet the paucity of signings up to this point does not correlate to a lack of activity, co-president & general manager John Thorrington told reporters on Thursday. Far from it.
“Ironically, despite saying we still have some signings to do, this has been – not even close – by far the busiest offseason I have ever had,” Thorrington said during an information-rich media availability at the LAFC Performance Center.
“It has been absolutely nonstop, and I think that work is paying off. What's difficult, I think, from the outside, is people on the outside can't see what's around the corner. I can, our staff can, and I know we're really excited about this season.”
New acquisitions are imminent, he hinted, and the decks had to be cleared before they could touch down in Los Angeles.
“You will soon see we're going to be adding some very exciting talent. I think we will add some experience and we feel like the players we have, particularly the new ones that we brought on last year, will take a big step forward,” said Thorrington.
“I'm talking about [Timothy\] Tillman, I'm talking about [Mateusz\] Bogusz, I'm talking about Aaron Long, I'm talking about Sergi Palencia, talking about Kike Olivera. And I think also, when you think about homegrowns\] [Érik Dueñas and Nathan Ordaz, we're expecting a big step up.”
Bouanga update
He and his staff would surely prefer that their biggest transfer drama of the winter be one that doesn’t happen – Bouanga’s much-discussed interest in a return to Europe.
The French-Gabonese striker’s status has been a concern since the aftermath of their narrow cup final loss in Columbus, when the 2023 MLS Golden Boot winner dropped hints about a potential departure that he subsequently fanned further in remarks to the French media in his homeland. Bouanga’s late arrival at camp would thus naturally prompt concerns about his commitment to the LAFC cause, amid reported interest from clubs in France, England and Saudi Arabia. Yet Thorrington tamped down any suggestion of drama or conflict between player and club.
“He, unfortunately, got sick before planning to come back, which we understood, and obviously granted him time to be well enough before flying,” explained the executive, later adding that the illness had affected Bouanga’s ears/nose/throat such that a pressurized aircraft cabin on an intercontinental flight could inflict additional pain.
“But Dénis is coming back, as I think we expected all along, unless we had a transfer that has not materialized. And so Dénis is motivated and excited to come back and help us win more trophies.”
As uneasy as their expectant fanbase may be, the awkwardness of LAFC’s transition is a direct result of their sustained success. Preseason begins a week or two later for the Black & Gold than most of the league, thanks to their run to the MLS Cup final less than two months ago, which necessitated extra recuperation, particularly given the length and intensity of their 2023 campaign as a whole, which began with a spring run to the Concacaf Champions Cup final.
“Some players needed a break,” said Thorrington. “We played a year-long season, we had more games than anybody's ever had. I think the mental and physical toll demanded that some players needed a longer break. So we were flexible with certain players to allow them that adequate rest, but not that we're doing so to compromise where we think our team will be in February. So the players that we have coming back, they know our system.
“For a player like Dénis, who's been here now for a year and a half, who needed a little bit of a break – he wants to be here, he couldn't. But Hugo Lloris is also finalizing everything, his matters in the UK; he will be here this weekend.”
Acosta, Crépeau & Vela
And Thorrington, like head coach Steve Cherundolo often has, noted how MLS rules can introduce challenges in roster building. While LAFC continue to negotiate with Vela and his representatives on a new contract, his fellow free agent Acosta won’t be returning, with Chicago Fire FC, Sporting Kansas City and Colorado Rapids among those reportedly vying to sign him.
“We are in a very disadvantaged position when it comes to negotiating with free agents, because the last two years, the value of our players has risen because of their success here,” Thorrington said. “As we have success, things – I'm not going to get into rules and things, but managing a salary cap gets incredibly tight.
“So you combine the value of those players going up, you combine our money shrinking, in effect, and it makes it really difficult for us to compete for free agents. We're always successful at attracting the free agents. What's difficult is keeping them.”
Lloris coup
The same dynamics, he added, prevented the club from keeping hold of Crépeau, the Canadian goalkeeper who recently signed with the Portland Timbers. Here LAFC’s competitors would surely point to the advantages afforded by the Black & Gold’s SoCal location and ambitious reputation. Because how many MLS clubs could hope to turn to a French World Cup-winning ‘keeper – Thorrington himself called it “a miracle possibility” – as a fallback option?
“Our plan and intention going into the offseason was to keep Max. Max is a phenomenal person, player,” said Thorrington, noting his relief that Crépeau’s ‘23 form proved to potential suitors that he’d recovered from the nasty leg break he suffered in LAFC’s 2022 MLS Cup victory.
“It quickly became apparent that it was going to be a challenge for us to keep Max and we understand that Max earns the right, as a free agent, to have that agency to go where he chooses … The opportunity for Lloris had come up months prior, but that was not in our plans. But then when we had this big hole to fill at the goalkeeper position, I then reached back out to see what was possible. I spoke to Hugo, met with his family, really got an understanding of what he's looking for in this next step of his career.
“Tottenham were fantastic throughout. They let us go and watch him train, meet with the coach, see exactly where he's at physically, mentally, everything. And then we were able to secure that signing, which is a huge coup for us.”
Multiple outlets report Lloris arrives on a team-friendly salary figure thanks to his desire for a new experience and environment. LAFC’s relationship with Italian legend Giorgio Chiellini – who recently hung up his cleats and took a coaching position at the club – provided the luxury of another voice for consultation and recommendation, as well as a case study of the value of a world-class veteran presence.
“A player of that experience, quality human being, excellent goalkeeper – we're certainly really excited to welcome him and his family in the coming days,” said Thorrington. “I had the opportunity to go to London for his farewell match, and it's similar to Giorgio.
“Obviously it's not lost on us that Giorgio was leaving and now we have another person with similar experience, similar success coming into the club, because we've seen that value. But similar to Giorgio, the level of praise that people went out of their way to talk to tell me about Hugo, it was at a Giorgio level.”
More to come
This ‘24 edition of LAFC remains a work in progress, but its chief architect asked for a bit more time before judgments are rendered. Given his track record, it’s hard to quibble with that.
“I share the fans’\] frustration; I wish it was done as well,” acknowledged Thorrington, recognizing a Feb. 24 opener looms vs. [Seattle Sounders FC at BMO Stadium (4:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass, FOX).
“But as I said, there are reasons for it. It's not because we're not working. It's not we don't want them now. But I think the judgment should not come today. It should come in fact at the end of February, when you see the exciting team that they'll have on the field to cheer on.”
