Los Angeles FC – MLS Team Preview 2019
Los Angeles FC - MLS Team Preview 2019
Los Angeles FC are coming into their 2nd season, after finishing 3rd in the West last season and 5th Overall. With the 5th spot finish, Los Angeles just barely missed out the top 3 finish, which would ultimately get them qualified for the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League. Still, it was their 1st season and a really good one.
Head Coach: Bob Bradley
Robert Frank Bradley is an American soccer coach, who has a long coaching career behind him which started in 1981 when he was in charge of Ohio Bobcats. Ever since he coached 10 teams and played a role as an assistant in 3. His biggest achievements as a coach were; MLS Cup and 1998, U.S. Open Cup 1998 and 2000 with Chicago Fire, CONCACAF Gold Cup title in 2007, runners-up in 2009 as well as 2011 and FIFA Confederations Cup runners-up in 2009, all with the United States team who he coached from 2006-2011. Bob Bradley is considered one of the best coaches in MLS, which is not surprising if we take into consideration his experience and achievements throughout his career. As an interesting fact, Bradley became the first American coach to manage a team in European first division with Stabæk in 2014. He then became the first American coach to manage a Premier League club when he moved to Swansea in 2016.
Transfers
| Date | Name | Moving from | Moving to | Mode of Transfer |
| January 20, 2019 | Nicolás Czornomaz | Los Angeles FC | Mitre | Free |
| December 12, 2018 | Marco Ureña | Los Angeles FC | Chicago Fire | Waiver Draft |
| January 11, 2019 | Benny Feilhaber | Los Angeles FC | Colorado Rapids | Free |
| December 11, 2018 | João Moutinho | Los Angeles FC | Orlando City | Trade |
| January 23, 2019 | Calum Mallace | Los Angeles FC | Austin Bold | Free |
| December 14, 2018 | Eduard Atuesta | Independiente Medellín | Los Angeles FC | Transfer |
| January 30, 2019 | Rodolfo Zelaya | Alianza | Los Angeles FC | Transfer |
| January 11, 2019 | Peter-Lee Vassell | Harbour View | Los Angeles FC | Loan/Super Draft |
| December 11, 2018 | Mohamed El Monir | Orlando City | Los Angeles FC | Trade |
| December 12, 2018 | Ricky Lopez-Espin | Real Salt Lake | Los Angeles FC | Waiver Draft |
| February 16, 2019 | Pablo Sisniega | Real Sociedad B | Los Angeles FC | Transfer |
Expectations for the 2019 season
What was impressive last season was LAFCs goal scoring. With 68 goals scored in 34 games, LAFC were the 2nd most successful offensive team. Why am I telling you that? Well simply because I believe LAFC will end up the 2019 season as the top scoring team and here are my 2 reasons why. Last season-best scoring team; Atlanta lost their coach (Gerardo Martino) which they replaced with Frank De Boer. The decision behind that is… interesting, and while we could discuss why they decided to do so, let’s just say it will surely affect the way Atalanta will approach their opening matches. Shocking right? Let me elaborate. While it’s possible De Boer will keep Atlanta at the top of the league, there is a certain transition period that they need to go through, which usually translates into low scoring matches. With their impressive 1st season, LAFC are among the favourites to go on and win this season. With an exceptional coach and players like Carlos Vela and Walker Zimmerman in addition to millions of dollars invested into the franchise, LAFC has got the foundation and potential to make it big in 2019 season.