LAFC has never started an MLS season without Carlos Vela on its roster.
That could change Saturday afternoon when the reigning Western Conference champions face the Seattle Sounders at BMO Stadium since Vela, the team’s longtime captain and all-time leader in goals and assists, remains unsigned.
But there’s still hope. Because not only has Vela failed to move on, he hasn’t even moved out.
“He still has his locker there with all his stuff,” defender Aaron Long said Thursday at the team’s training site. “Maybe there’s something that can get worked out.