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Los Angeles FC

With Player of the Week, Rossi recognized for break out performance

After a standout showing in the team’s 5-1 route of Real Salt Late, Diego Rossi was named the MLS Player of the Week for the league’s second week of play. Rossi has become the leader of an explosive offense in Los Angeles, affecting each of the six goals of the club’s young history with three scores and three assists. Despite the expectation that he would play a supporting role behind stars such as Carlos Vela and Benny Fielhaber, Rossi is already proving himself as a leader for the team.

“What makes Diego a special player is his ability to make daring and darting runs,” defender Walker Zimmerman said. “As soon as we get people on the ball, facing the goal we are attacking, he immediately makes these incredibly explosive runs behind the line. So he’s had a great start to 2018.”

After LAFC fell behind early on Saturday, Rossi’s first goal leveled the score in the 30th minute. The 20-year-old burned a defender, sprinting into open space in the box to bury his shot and bring the score to 1-1.

Rossi then set up a sequence of passes to give Latif Blessing his first goal of the season only three minutes later, and again set up a scoring sequence in the 47th minute to set up Fielhaber for a nutmeg shot on the goalkeeper. He added his first brace of his career with a flashing run on a counterattack, dashing by three defenders and cutting in a shot from the top of the box to give the team a 4-1 victory.

Two games into the season, Rossi now leads the MLS in goals and assists as his team sits atop the Western Conference with a 2-0-0 record. His performance against Real Salt Lake was close to historic — with two goals and three assists, he joins a club of only five other players to post such high stats in an MLS game. His success came from speed both on and off the play, creating elusive runs that carved major seams into the Salt Lake defense.

“Have you seen him run?” teammate Steven Beitashour said. “He’s quick with the ball. He’s quick without the ball. He punishes people with even a half yard of space. He’s very difficult to mark.”

Other LAFC notes:

  • Along with Rossi, Carlos Vela and Steven Beitashour were added to the MLS Team of the Week. Vela earned a spot on the Starting IX after notching a goal and an assist against RSL, while Beitashour earned a bench spot with his two assists in Salt Lake.
  • Mark-Anthony Kaye and Dejan Jakovic were called up to the Canadian national team’s roster for a March friendly against New Zealand. Jakovic is a experienced in international play, appearing in 40 matches and scoring one goal for Canada. Kaye has earned five caps, including play in the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
  • Vela earned a call-up to the Mexican national team on Wednesday ahead of the World Cup in Russia. The team will face off against Iceland on March 23 in Santa Clara, then head to AT&T to face Croatia on March 27. Vela was also added to the FIFA 18 Team of the Week after his performance in Salt Lake City.