Mexicans making their mark in MLS

With the international break upon us, we at El Tri Online thought it would be a great idea to recap the 2019 performance of the 3 most prominent Mexican players that play in the MLS. Each player has brought a unique element to their teams, with all successfully translating their talents from other leagues and making their mark in MLS.

Carlos Vela

What else could be said about Carlos Vela that hasn’t already been said? The Mexican striker came to the league in 2018 with many skeptics disappointed that he chose to come to MLS instead of seeking a stay in Europe. Since then, Vela has become arguably the league’s best soccer player. In his debut MLS season, he scored 14 goals and helped lead LAFC into the playoffs but would bow out in the first round.

In the 2019 season, Vela doubled his goal output with more than 5 games left to go in the regular season. He has scored in 16 of the 21 games he’s started, scoring multiple goals in five of those games. He’s on pace to break the all-time record for goals scored in a single season, which would put him in the pantheon of the MLS greatest players in only his second season in the league.

One of the true testaments of Vela’s impact is that LAFC is 4-3-1 when Vela doesn’t play, and 31-10-13 when he does. Vela is the heart and soul of the attack and LAFC severely miss him when he is out of the lineup.

Time will tell if all the record-breaking will lead to a championship for LAFC, but in the meantime, we can appreciate Vela’s goal against San Jose on August 21st. Arguably one of the top goals of his career.

Jonathan Dos Santos

The 2018 World Cup left a bitter taste in Jonathan Dos Santos after only playing 35 minutes during the tournament. This has led him to have resilient performances in the 2019 Gold Cup, scoring the deciding goal in the final, and having one his best seasons as a professional with the LA Galaxy.

Dos Santos’ abilities to set the tempo with intelligent movement and distribution has fueled the Galaxy’s attacking machine. He has played in 24 games this season, contributing 2 goals in the season. While the Galaxy’s season has had its ups and downs, Dos Santos’ attitude and determination has never wavered.

 Mike Gray, of SB Nation’s Los Angeles Galaxy blog, wrote that Dos Santos has been the Galaxy’s MVP of the season. Gray writes “A more underrated component to his game this year? His attitude, his quiet resolve and steely determination to give everything to the crest. Beneath his athletic gifts and technical dexterity lies the attitude of a winner.”

That winning attitude is something the Galaxy will need as they are currently on the bubble to make the playoffs. With the season winding down, Dos Santos and company will have to fight for a few more wins and a spot in postseason play.

Marco Fabian

Marco Fabian became the highest-paid player in Philadelphia Union’s franchise history when he signed on a free transfer from Eintracht Frankfurt in February. His 2019 season got off to a rocky start but has now become a key piece in the Union’s fight for first place in the Eastern Conference.

Matthew McClain, lead writer for the Philadelphia Union for Philly Sports Network, stated the following.

“In my opinion, Fabian has been a crucial part of Philadelphia’s success despite appearing in just 19 games and starting only 14 times to date.

One main criticism – and perhaps it’s unfair – is his early injury struggles. He came to the club physically unfit given the differences in schedules between the two leagues. The injury piled onto a slow integration into the lineup.

From April 13th to July 3rd, Fabian didn’t play in 8 matches watching from the bench as an unused sub. His injury at LA on April 13th started the stretch of bench appearances. During that same stretch, Fabian started once playing just 58 minutes and entered as a sub 4 other times. Through the first four months of the season, Fabian only played in 9 matches, tallying just two goals.

But dating back to June 29th, Fabian has appeared in all of Philadelphia’s last 11 matches earning eight starts. Fabian has tallied four goals and an assist during that time as well.

His most notable performance to date came in DC when he scored two and helped on another in what was an impressive 5-1 road Win for Philadelphia. Fabian created a goal in the fourth minute and scored one of the more impressive goals for Philadelphia of 2019 right before halftime that night.

With 6 goals and 1 assist and five games remaining in the regular season for Fabian and Philadelphia, it is still possible that Fabian could become the team’s second double-digit goal scorer on the year.

Perhaps some with an outside perspective on the Union May says Fabian hasn’t produced as expected. But those people also don’t have the opportunity to see the other positives Fabian brings to the club. His experience, personality, and willingness to go the extra mile for his teammates makes him valuable in the locker room. His friendship with team captain Ale Bedoya has flourished into what seems to be an unbreakable bond (one that began as roommates down in Florida at training camp). Both Bedoya and Fabian can be found after practice working with young midfielders Anthony Fontana and Brenden Aaronson – both of whom have taken huge strides in their pro developments this season as a result.

And lastly, Fabian brings game-changing skills that are tough to find in MLS. With a few movements, Fabian can navigate through dangerous areas of the pitch or find a teammate on a run. He’s technically gifted and it shows. Fabian will be a CRUCIAL piece to Philly’s hopeful playoff run.