Carlos Vela´s contract renewal: How much will he earn in LAFC in 2022?

Carlos Vela finally knows that he will stay another season in Los Angeles. LAFC decided to pick up its short-term contract option on former MLS Most Valuable Player. The 32-year old player will be playing his fifth season after arriving in the 17/18 season.

The Mexican player has scored a total of 67 goals and assisted 29 times for Los Angeles FC, highlighting the 2019 season where he scored a record of 34 goals that helped the team reach 49 points. Even though, Carlos Vela has not been able to become a champion in the MLS Cup. In the last season, Carlos Vela appeared in 20 games, scoring 5 times and providing the same number of assists. 

Carlos Vela´s Contract

Vela´s option extends to next summer. According to ESPN, Carlos Vela accepted a salary reduction of at least 30% of what he was earning with LAFC. It is worth remembering that the former Real Sociedad player was one of the highest-paid players in MLS, earning US$6 million per season.

In other words, Vela would go from earning  US$6 million per season to receiving approximately $4.2 million per season. It is still a not-insignificant salary for the Mexican, but at the end of the day, a reduction in what could be his last year in MLS.

LAFC

LAFC also exercised its options on forward Danny Musovsky, the midfielders Eduard Atuesta and Bryce Duke, and the defender Sebastien Ibeagha on Wednesday. LAFC currently has 25 players under contract for 2022, after exercising five-player options and declining three for next year.

The club declined the contract options of goalkeeper Jamal Blackman, midfielder Danny Crisostomo, and defender Alvaro Quezada. Crisostomo, Blackman, and Quezada will be eligible for the MLS Draft re-entry process.

LAFC´s decision to keep Vela is quite surprising due to the performance of the player who has gone from strength to weakness. Injuries have dramatically limited Vela´s effectiveness in the past two seasons. He scored only four goals while appearing in just seven games during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, and he made only 15 starts for LAFC this year, scoring a meager five goals.

Carlos Vela included in LAFC renewal

Right now the club is undergoing a significant reboot because they failed to qualify for the playoffs by finishing ninth in the Western Conference with 45 points, which cost coach Bob Bradley his job.

Although Vela's future seemed to be far from Major League Soccer and there were talks about a possible move to Liga BBVA MX with Rayados or Chivas, “El Bombardero” as he is named in México, will remain with LAFC for one more season. The Mexican striker will have his revenge to lead the California team to important stages. 

With six months remaining on his contract, if any other club would like to acquire the services of the Mexican striker in the current winter market and negotiate a sale, they will have to pay the established transfer fee to the LAFC. This is, of course, the club's best interest.