LAFC: Carlos Vela may not be David Villa, but he can be similar

LAFC are the new kids on the block, which can be intimidating, but Carlos Vela may be the exact replica of another fantastic guiding hand on the other coast.

MLS has been the beneficiary of more and more former international stars and superstars, all of whom looking for a new place to ply their trade. Gradually, those stars are getting younger and younger as they come over, and they aren’t novelties anymore. LAFC capitalized on this trend by snagging 29-year-old Mexican international Carlos Vela to be their hit man.

You never want to expect too much out of a player, or place expectations too high, but LAFC are putting their eggs in the right basket with the former Real Sociedad man. I say this mainly because he comes in the same vein as David Villa, who even at the young age of 36, is still captaining and guiding New York City FC to improvement after improvement.

Carlos Vela is not David Villa. He never has been and, chances are he won’t ever be. Villa is a legend from a Spanish footballing powerhouse and Vela has always fallen more or less short of the mark before finding his strike at Real Sociedad.

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But all of that is moot when you come to MLS. This is a fresh start, a fresh style, and whole new ballgame. And that is why there is this lingering potential that Vela could be just as special to LAFC as Villa was and still is to New York City FC.

In Villa’s last three or so years before coming to America, his involvement in La Liga dropped, and his goal production followed. That production turned right back towards the top when he came to New York.

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With his undying effort and ridiculously soft feet, he’s been the ideal captain for a club trying to find their way in the American soccer-scape.

Vela was starting to see his goal production top out, despite his minutes remaining the same. He needed a change of scenery, a new challenge to push himself, and he will find that in Los Angeles.

He plays similarly to Villa, with soft feet, a clever touch, and an ability to finish that, while not Villa-material, is reliable enough to churn out 15 goals on a consistent basis while simultaneously providing the type of leadership an expansion club desperately needs.

Not everyone is blessed with the undying legs of Villa, but Carlos Vela is coming much earlier than Vela, and believing that he can give LAFC at least five years is perfectly reasonable. He has experience in the best leagues in Europe, his play-style suits MLS and as we saw with David Villa, a fresh start can work wonders.

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Vela wore the armband in preseason and it wouldn’t be the worst idea to follow the Villa model and let his experience lead from the front.