LAFC: Time to shine for Brian Rodriguez

LAFC’s newest acquisition, Brian Rodriguez, has an opportunity to be a key component in the club’s MLS Cup quest. It is his time to shine.

Brian Rodriguez has burst on to the scene for Los Angeles FC since joining the club in August. The 19-year-old Uruguayan has been celebrated as the club’s next big star, given first-team minutes right from the start of his tenure with LAFC.

And with Rodriguez scoring his first goal for Uruguay during the international break, the confidence level has been high entering the final stretch of the regular season.

At 19, he’s handled himself very well in his first few appearances for LAFC. Called upon to give the league leaders a boost as they make the push to the MLS Cup playoffs with little time to adjust to life in a different league, not to mention the unfortunate absence of Adama Diomande which has left a void in the LAFC attack, Rodriguez has delivered.

Carlos Vela and Diego Rossi will be looked upon to score the majority of the goals during the postseason, but without Diomande, who voluntarily entered the Substance, Abuse and Behavioral Health program earlier in September, that attacking responsibility must now be more evenly shared. This is where Rodriguez will be asked to step in as the third option to aid in the attack.

We’ve already seen his ability to shoot from outside the box and the blistering pace of his long-range strikes has caused trouble for the goalkeepers he’s faced. But the opportunity is now at hand for Rodriguez to make an even greater impact for LAFC in the coming weeks.

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Having just arrived, he can solidify the notion that he is one of the top under-20 players in MLS. He may even perhaps be regarded as one of the top acquisitions of the season if he can deliver in the looming postseason.

Being thrown right on to the scene for LAFC is no easy task. The club has set a huge precedent this season. You have to step up to meet their expectations. This season, the goal has always been to win MLS Cup. Rodriguez is now going to see playing time as his team looks to attain that very goal. How he performs will give the LAFC front office a glimpse of what to expect from the young forward in the coming years. With Rossi appearing to be on the way to one of the big European leagues, the stage has been set for Rodriguez to being his journey by following in the footsteps of his fellow countryman. And now he must deliver.

After the Andre Horta signing did not pan out, LAFC are going all-in on Rodriguez being the next big player to come out of the club. If he is to deliver on that potential, he must perform in the playoffs, just when it matters most.