Bob Bradley weighs in on Vela's buildup to Russia, possible Chicharito move

Chicharito - Mexico - close up

LAFC coach Bob Bradley doesn't have any news to share about the possibility of Mexican striker Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez joining the expansion side.


But rest assured, Bradley quipped on Nacion ESPN, there's room for him.


Since fellow Mexican forward Carlos Vela became LAFC's first marquee signing last summer, Bradley's squad has been seen as a potential landing spot if a long-rumored MLS move for Chicharito ever materialized. At one point during an interview last year, comedy star and partial LAFC owner Will Ferrell even turned to the camera and playfully begged Chicharito to sign on to LA's newer club.

But Bradley is mum on whether such a move is in the works.


"That one is left with the ownership," he said to Nacion ESPN Thursday with the hint of a grin. "From the standpoint of the manager, Chicharito is a big player, big personality, great goal scorer. So if Will Ferrell, the rest of the ownership can bring that commitment, I can figure out a way to get him on the field and help him score goals."


Has Vela himself been angling for a club reunion with Hernandez or other Mexican internationals?


"He recommends me all sorts of players," Bradley deadpanned.


Bradley also asserted his belief that Vela's move from Real Sociedad in La Liga to LAFC would help his World Cup preparations as El Tri compete in a seventh straight finals, in Russia this summer.


"He’ll finish with Sociedad, we’ll give him a little bit of time off, and then when we start our preseason the end of January," Bradley said. "Everything in terms of his responsibility and what he has to do for us to be a top team, will fit well to have him ready for [Mexico coach] Juan Carlos Osorio and Mexico."