Los Angeles FC's visit to Audi Field to take on D.C. United was billed as a potential MLS Cup final preview, but it was more a chance to find out which team, and which star player, could make the strongest claims to being the best in Major League Soccer.
LAFC and Carlos Vela provided emphatic answers to those questions, with Vela's squad rolling to a 4-0 domination of a previously-unbeaten D.C. United side that came into the match having had allowed just one goal.
Vela outperformed fellow superstar Wayne Rooney, who left Saturday's clash early after drawing a straight red card for a studs-up challenge in the second half, but the match's outcome was already decided by then, with LAFC holding a 3-0 lead by the time the English legend was issued his marching orders.