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 tap into the thirst for the game south of the border, but the 30-year-old has exceeded all expectations in terms of what he might offer on the pitch.