The Mexican Carlos candlestriker for Los Angeles FC, has recovered from some knee discomfort and will challenge Argentina’s Gonzalo Higuain’s Inter Miami this Saturday, in a third round of MLS in which another Mexican star, Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandezwill try to maintain the full victories of the Los Angeles Galaxy in the visit to the Seattle Sounders.
After retiring at halftime from the last LAFC game, tied 1-1 against the Portland Timbers, due to a knee problem, Vela has returned to training and will be part of his team’s expedition to Miami.
“We have had a good week of training and I was able to recover several guys who were injured. Carlos, in particular, trained and will be with us in Miami”reported coach Steve Cherundolo at a press conference.
The Mexican, a former Arsenal or Real Sociedad player, opened his season with a fantastic hat-trick against the Colorado Rapids on matchday one and will look for another great performance to return the victory to LAFC after the last draw against the Timbers, rescued in the stretch final.
His team will face an Inter Miami that is still looking for its first victory of the year, after a start far from expectations.
England’s Phil Neville’s side started with a goalless draw with the Chicago Fire, but collapsed completely in the visit to Austin, which ended with a resounding 1-5.
Higuain assisted Ecuadorian international Leonard Campana in that loss, but is still looking to break his scoring tally in MLS this season, having scored twelve goals last year.
Very different is the situation of the Galaxy of ‘Chicharito’. The Los Angeles team, which seeks to return to the “playoffs” this year after falling out of the top eight in his conference last season, he started with six points from six.
They won 1-0 against New York City, with a great goal from ‘Chicharito’ and acted as a spoiler during their visit to Charlotte FC, when fellow Mexican Efraín Álvarez silenced the 75,000 spectators who attended the Bank of America stadium for the home debut of the North Carolina team.
He counts his games by victory and has not conceded any goal in this unbeatable start to the campaign.
Their rivals will be the Seattle Sounders, MLS champions in 2016 and 2019. The team based in the state of Washington paid heavily for the loss due to injury to Peruvian international Raúl Ruidiaz and lost their first two games of the year.
The Atlanta United of Venezuelan Joseph Martínez, who still hasn’t scored this season, is also looking to open his locker of victories in the duel against Charlotte of Spanish coach Miguel Ángel Ramírez.
For its part, the Orlando City of Peruvian goalkeeper Pedro Gallese will receive Cincinnati, in an attempt to keep a clean sheet for the third consecutive game.
Program of the day:
1:00 p.m. New York City v CF Montreal
Columbus Crew-Toronto FC, 1:30 p.m.
1:30 p.m. Inter Miami vs. Los Angeles FC
3:30 p.m. Seattle Sounders vs. Los Angeles Galaxy
6:30 p.m. Houston Dynamo-Vancouver Whitecaps
7:30 p.m. DC United v Chicago Fire
7:30 p.m. New England Revolution vs. Real Salt Lake
7:30 p.m. Orlando City v Cincinnati
7:30 p.m. Philadelphia Union vs. San Jose Earthquakes
8:30 p.m. FC Dallas vs. Nashville SC
9:00 p.m. Colorado Rapids vs. Sporting Kansas City
10:00 p.m. Portland Timbers-Austin FC
Sunday March 13:
Atlanta United v Charlotte, 4:30 p.m.
7:00 p.m. New York Red Bulls-Minnesota