Carlos Vela is exactly what LAFC always hoped he would be

Carlos Vela is making his case as, if not the best current MLS player, the most efficient and important.

If Major League Soccer as a central entity keeps a shopping list of players it desires, Carlos Vela was surely near the top of that list for a long, long time. More illustrious names have been targeted – Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Wayne Rooney were once on it before being eventually lured last year, while Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are still cataloged – but the striker was seen as perfect for North American soccer.

And so it has proved. Vela’s appeal to MLS clubs always centered around his nationality and his status as a Mexican soccer icon, with North American soccer all too keen to…