The Offseason So Far: We are, at this point, only fractionally done with watching Bob Bradley put together the roster for LAFC's debut season. Right now there are two DPs, a few defenders, a young-but-talented goalkeeper, and tons of expectations. I can look at this nascent group and talk myself into an eventual 4-3-3, or a 4-2-3-1 or a 3-5-2 (which might be the best bet given Bradley's past and Carlos Vela's future). Read my full take on LAFC.
JAN. 2 UPDATE: The acquisition of Jordan Harvey at left back now gives LAFC a very plausible 4-3-3, and I am close to fully convinced that LAFC will be playing some strain of that formation with Carlos Vela inverted on the right and Diego Rossi inverted on the left. In a lot of ways that makes sense (lots of attacking talent on the field, y'all) and in other ways it's a risk (Vela ain't gonna defend, y'all).
Regardless, it's clear that one spot on the roster has been neglected thus far: midfield. Whether it's a 4-3-3 or a 3-5-2 or a 4-4-2, LAFC have basically nobody in the engine room or as a playmaker, and it's obvious that those are the next big moves to come. I think Sacha Kljestan would be the first one through the door, but Sacha's headed to Florida instead.
Does that mean they're more likely to do most of their shopping overseas? Almost certainly. And there's reason to believe the first and most expensive stop on that shopping spree will be in Portugal.
JAN. 24 UPDATE: So about an hour after I wrote the above blurb, LAFC got Benny Feilhaber for a very reasonable amount of TAM ($400,000). That's their playmaker. And then they went out and added Steven Beitashour in free agency, which means they have an experienced right back as well as an experienced left back. Then they signed Calum Mallace, who should give them depth in central midfield, and took a pair of fullbacks – left back Joao Moutinho and right back Tristan Blackmon – with the first and third picks in the draft. They also got Aaron Kovar (a player I like quite a bit) on loan from Seattle, and signed Honduran 'keeper Luis Lopez.
These are all good, solid moves. Feilhaber, though aging, was better than his boxscore stats indicated last year and Lopez should be one of the better 'keepers in CONCACAF for the better part of the next decade. LAFC look solid.
There is a growing frustration that they haven't done "spectacular" since the Vela transfer, and have now opened preseason without depth at center back or in central midfield. There are moves that need to be made, and I get the sense that it's all hanging by this particular thread:
I have no idea if this is actually going to happen, but I've had a suspicion it will happen for months now. West Ham are battling some injury issues at the moment – issues that make it hard to part with the Little Pea – but LAFC can and probably should be patient here. Chicharito is one of the few players in the world who would move the needle in this country, and if you're playing in downtown LA you probably want that needle to move a lot.
They'll have to figure out how to stock the midfield and add defensive depth in the meantime. I really am surprised they've moved so slowly (or maybe just under the radar?) on that.
