When the expansion Los Angeles Football Club signed Carlos Vela as its first designated player last summer, the team expected him to become the face of the franchise. What the team might not have expected, however, was for that face to come creased by a smile.
"The way he brings people together in the locker room, his easy-going nature, he fits in perfectly."
How that plays on the field remains, like many things with an expansion franchise, a work in progress. But then the game has never been the problem with Vela.
He has long been among the brightest baubles in Mexico's golden generation, starting in 2005 when he scored a tournament-high five goals to lead El Tri to the under-17 World Cup title.