It has the feel of a Plan B or C where we tried to sign a guy like Muñoz but couldn’t do it. I watched Vela play a bit last year and he didn’t seem all that useful and didn’t look real fit. He has a bit a developing paunch. He had 7 assists last year but I think I could have had 7 assists last year with LAFC. Just pass to Bouanga and let him do his thing. Only positives for me are that we know what we’re getting and that he should be able to be integrated into the team fairly quickly. I guess I’d try playing him as a 10 but best of luck with the defense.
2023 Vela was very good as well. As was 2022 Vela. It’s interesting that every other source of quakes media seems to have fans incredibly excited about the move…except bigsoccer. Probably the biggest signing in club history
Are you aware of the passage of time? There's a big difference between Vela in his prime and Vela on the verge or retirement. Quakes fans first wanted Carlos Vela in 2018, when he was 29 years old and coming from La Liga. That would have been an A+ DP signing. But the Quakes didn't sign him. It's now 2024, 6 years later, and he's 35 years old, and slowed down the LAFC attack last year. At this point he would be an A as a TAM signing but a D DP signing.
Leitch is supposed to be building towards an mls cup win in 2026. signing players who are 35 and 33 now (both Morales and Pellegrino are coming up fast on 34) doesn't fit with that plan at all. You sell fans (who've been waiting forever for a competitive roster) on a multi-year rebuilding path to glory, and then make moves like these...it looks like he's just fumbling around and there's no method to what he's doing beyond the short-term sugar high of oh boy, look!, we got LAFC's aging superstar as he's about ready to retire.
Only other positive spin I can put on it is that the Quakes are looking at Medina as the CAM in 2025/2026, and Vela can be a mentor for a year?
As of now Cruz Medina hasn't even been a difference maker in MLS Next Pro, we're handing him the starting CAM job a year from now in the hopes that he will lead us to MLS Cup in two years?
Next year might be a transition year where he starts to get more minutes but not “handed the starting job”. True though he hasn’t even excelled in Next/Pro so it’s a pretty big leap of faith. Still holding out hope that Leitch follows up the prospective Vela signing with at least one good U22 attacker signing. Vela’s a free, so we haven’t wasted $ on a transfer fee that could be applied to a U22. Again I’m reaching for positives.
Yes, disappointing and infuriating. Why in the hell would you bring in someone who plays the same position as your best player? This move would fill none of the real holes we have in our roster. How stupid! This is either a desperation move because they couldn't cross the finish line with one of the younger players they wanted, and/or just pandering to Mexican fans.
I guess that would be the only logical position for him, but, I don't see him tracking back defensively at all, and won't be a 90 minute player.
Kip Colvey was fine for a 1st year player making $50k. Vela is likely a DP making in the neighborhood of $3M. Can anyone spot the difference? I know Vela was once a great player, and maybe he has something left in the tank but "once" doesn't help us *now*.
For us, with how we're set up and with the personnel we have, it (#10) is the thing that makes the most sense. He's a good passer and dribbler and shoots well from distance, so it's not a bad fit. The question is speed / mobility at this point. Going to be rough on Yueill / Gruezo to hold down the defense in central midfield. Also, of course if Espinoza ever gets injured (knock on wood) he'd be a fit for that spot as well.
I mean it could help us a little now, and with this being the big 50th anniversary year, might help the Quakes not fall flat. But for ‘26 when Leitch said he expects for us to win it all, really hard to see how such a move helps us then.
I'm still holding out hope that we also sign at least one U22 attacking player. At least we are not paying transfer fees to get Vela. So we might have some $ left over to pay transfer fees for a U22. I'm not a fan of signing Vela but it doesn't necessarily preclude us building towards 2026, such as it is. We could be grooming Medina for the spot, we could sign a U22 or two, we could sign another DP CAM next year if Vela is on a 1-year., etc. There are lots of ways it plays out.
It depends on the contract, but this is about butts in seats and adding much needed savvy and intelligence to a team that sorely needs it in the attack. He would make our attack better...and imo, he would basically have a free role as ACM or drop forward whatever you want to call it. Yes, that will limit some pressing opportunities, but his skill level will get stuff done, maybe not as much as before but he will add to our woeful attacking numbers. It just depends if he wants to play ball, if his motivation is there, he will do positive things. For all we know things potentially might not have been exactly rosy with LA. But if Vela is truly interested this will be a solid add...if he isn't motivated this would be a large amount of money to eat...wouldn't be the first time for the Quakes...but I think this is a gamble worth taking. He's one of the most intuitive players in MLS...
I'm hoping for a 1-year contract, but I think it's possible it's 2. FWIW I think Vela is a good guy and will be a good locker room presence, and could be a good mentor as well. But as you say, a lot depends on motivation. He didn't look super fit last year. If he wants to stick it to LAFC in some way all the better.
Theoretically you could overhaul the roster after ‘25 and have a decent team…we’ve seen it a bunch of times including with LAFC who finished 3rd in the west their first year, 1st in the league their next year (‘19), with Vela scoring 38 times! But I’d like to see us making better use of our DP slots by bringing in younger players with a future here, 3-4 year guys who can build chemistry playing together as a group. But I’ve felt like we need to make better use of our DP slots since quite literally 2008.
You can make signings for '25 and for '26. So there's time. But you're right. We don't have a lot of "pipeline" players right now - guys that are already pretty good and young and expected to get better. We have mostly aging veterans, some young unproven prospects, and then kind of "tweener" guys - 27-28 year olds who will still be viable in 2026 but maybe just starting to hit the downside of their careers (e.g. Jackson Yueill). We still have 3 open U22 slots, so hopefully we fill them all with good prospects by 2026.
We'll see what happens, but to me this has the potential to look like a Cerritos role, granted a much higher price, but a really savvy creator set up role with the ability to also bag goals...and provide intelligent stability upfield. I hope it happens and I hope he wants to stick it to both LA teams.
He will always be an LAFC guy, he was their first DP signing, he’s been there for all their success, it’s a love-fest.