Diego Rossi, LAFC’s sparkling South American talent to set MLS alight
As Major League Soccer’s newest expansion franchise, Los Angeles Football Club, or simply LAFC, have plenty to be excited about as they prepare for their inauagural campaign at their state of the art ground, Banc of California Stadium. But, beyond the beautiful aesthetics of the 22,000-capacity soccer-specific stadium they call home in the Exposition Park neighborhood of Los Angeles lies a hungry, and incredibly ambitious, project lead by former USMNT Head Coach Bob Bradley that is centered around a collective blend of veterans with heaps of international experience and several talented young footballers likely to be at the heart of the organization for many years to come.
Last summer, there was plenty of speculation surrounding LAFC’s first big-name Designated Player. From Mexican international Andres Guardado to the treble-winning Dutch attacking midfielder Wesley Sneijder, and even ‘the Big Swede’ Zlatan Ibrahimovic, eventually the front office led by executive vice president and general manager John Thorrington handpicked Carlos Vela to lead MLS’ 23rd franchise into 2018.
The 28-year old Cancun-born forward checked off all the boxes for LAFC and their vision with the project; a marketing dream on the West Coast, a decorated Mexican international with a wealth of European success on his CV at La Liga club Real Sociedad and perhaps more importantly, a desire to be the man to spearhead one of the game’s most intriguing projects. Vela is, and shall remain, the driving force in Los Angeles’ quest for bragging rights with rivals LA Galaxy in year one, but beyond him are several others who will have a stake in what the new club aspires to achieve in its first year; Egyptian defender Omar Gaber (on loan from Basel), U.S. centre-half Walker Zimmerman, Benny Feilhaber and Belgian Laurent Ciman.
Yet, with the wave of South American talent taking North America by storm recently, you can’t help but gravitate towards LAFC’s Uruguayan import Diego Rossi, and the allure behind his arrival.
The 19-year old from Montevideo, Uruguay became LAFC’s second Designated Player last December after making an estimated $4 million switch from Peñarol where he appeared 47 times for the 2017 Primera Division champions since breaking into the first-team in April 2016.
A vital component to ‘La Celeste’s’ Under-17 and Under-20 side which lifted the South American Youth Championship last February, and with the technical means to be a top player in MLS, it’s clear why LAFC are thrilled to have him in their setup.
“Diego is a young and exciting attacking player,” said Bradley upon welcoming the gifted attacker to his team. “His experiences at Peñarol and his ability fit perfectly with our vision of the team we are building at LAFC. We believe Diego will mature into a top-class player.”
Before striking a deal for Rossi, Thorrington and Bradley headed out to Montevideo to get a eyewitness view of his abilities, and a temperature on whether he fit the billing as an LAFC player. Sure enough, the two left convinced Rossi was a must-have, but they didn’t just stumble upon Rossi and snap him up from the competition. To find coveted young talent like Rossi, Atalanta United’s Miguel Almiron and many others, you need to cast a wide net and expand with a broadened scouting network that has their pulse on the targeted area you wish to tap into; LAFC did and it’s perhaps why they beat competitors to the punch.
“A lot of credit has to go to our scout on the ground in Montevideo who’s known Diego since he was 13,” Thorrington said over the phone (h/t MLSSoccer.com).
“The first time our scout and Bob [Bradley] sat down in person and we were having the discussion about the players that fit the mold of LAFC, his eyes automatically lit up, he said ‘I’ve got your guy.’”
LAFC’s widespread adoration and overwhelming excitement over Rossi is reflected in their words, and Bradley understands he has a jewel in the youngster who has a bevy of skills in his arsenal.
Initially deployed as a striker at various youth levels, Rossi eventually shifted out as a winger when his former coach Leonardo Ramos believed his skillset would offer more in a wider position without having to sacrifice any of Peñarol’s main forwards in the starting XI.
Explosive, quick, and technically-sound, the 5' 7" Rossi began taking up a playmaker role of sorts, acting almost as an attacking midfielder with the opportunity to get on the ball often, dart towards goal himself or pick his pass for a teammate on a bending run.
Shiftiness, balanced in his movements, and equipped with blisering pace, Rossi is a forward player capable of evading defenders with ease, and can create space for himself to approach the final third with an eye on net. Speaking purely on technique, the U-20 talent is skilled enough to wreak havoc in the final third on his own, especially with Benny Feilahaber meeting his runs with splitting through-balls from the midfield, but his selflessness to aid in the collective cause of positive results should make adapting to whichever shape Bradley elects to go with painless.
Indicative in his impressive offensive outputs from last season (10 goals, 9 assists), Rossi quite cleary has the technical and physical means to play anywhere across the front line for Bradley, and depending on the personnel rounding out the final squad for April, maybe slide in as a number 10. Understanding that MLS can be a bit physical and offensively-driven, Rossi could quite easily capitalise on the re-occurring defensive lapses we see on a regular basis, and replicate his exploits from back home here in the U.S.
Initially, soccer pundits and observers will attempt to compare Rossi to any one of his countrymen, including Barcelona’s Luis Suarez who Uruguayan football expert Martin da Cruz insists share a common joy in taking on defenders, or former Torino and Genoa forward Carlos Aguilera from the famed Italia 90 years with his diminutive stature and finishing ability. With all this being said, if Rossi can take just a bit of the two and blend it with what he already possesses in a compact frame, rest assured he will be just fine.
In LAFC’s first pre-season friendly at the UCLA campus against reigning MLS Cup champions Toronto FC, Rossi showcased all he has to offer on the left side of Bradley’s 4–3–3 and was every bit as advertised, channeling his unerring drive to take defenders on and beat his marker, while also showing the ability to retain possession with a delicate touch and impressive ball control in close quarters. He also assisted Costa Rican Marco Ureña’s first of two goals.
On the current roster, Bradley has several attacking options to work with; Vela, Marco Ureña, Latif Blessing, Rodrigo Pacheco and of course Rossi. At no slight to the others on the roster, it would come as a surprise if the Uruguayan’s talents fail to shine through and convince Bradley of handing him a starting spot for the season opener on March 4th at CenturyLink Field against 2017 MLS Cup runner-up Seattle Sounders. He is that good, and soon that will be proven true on the pitch in black and gold.
Rossi, the second-youngest DP in league history after Fabian Castillo (FC Dallas), is backed by the entire LAFC organization and their supporters to maintain the evolving trend of South Americans to erupt in North America— and set Major League Soccer alight like no other in 2018.
