When LAFC superstar Carlos Vela exited at halftime of last weekend’s 1-1 draw with the Portland Timbers, the alarm bells noticeably escalated in and around Banc of California Stadium.
But head coach Steve Cherunoldo cooled the panic meter ahead of Saturday’s game at Inter Miami CF (1:30 pm ET | Univision, TUDN, Twitter), noting the 33-year-old forward has rejoined training and will travel after knee troubles.
“We had a good productive week of training, able to get a few guys back as well from injury,” Cherundolo said. “Carlos, most notably, trained and will be with us against Miami.”
Vela spent significant portions of the 2020 and 2021 seasons battling injuries, featuring in a combined 27 matches. Those hamstrung years followed the single-best individual campaign in MLS history, when his 34 goals and 15 assists in 31 matches made him the runaway 2019 Landon Donovan MLS MVP award winner.
That single-player swing regarding the Black & Gold’s fortunes has already surfaced this season, with Vela netting a hat trick in Week 1 before his premature Week 2 departure.
“Carlos was feeling something in and around his knee,” Cherundolo said. “Nothing serious. He’s back on the training field after a few days. It was good news and bad news at halftime. So, nothing serious but he recovered very quickly and he’s fine.”
How much Vela could feature will be revealed Saturday at DRV PNK Stadium, though Cherundolo noted he won’t risk anyone's health – especially with just 6% of the regular season completed.
“When we put players on the field they’re at 100% and there is no experimenting going on,” Cherundolo said. “We’re not starting players who could possibly be pulled out after a few minutes. It’s a long season and it’s too early in the season to be gambling like that.”
Another factor to watch is Vela’s expiring contract this summer, leaving co-president and general manager John Thorrington with a massive decision to make regarding their inaugural Designated Player.
