With the road trip to Colorado looming large for fans — many of whom are hopeful that LAFC can clinch a playoffs berth with a win this weekend — the third-to-last week of the regular season has been a busy one for the young club. Between practices and training sessions, the team has been celebrating a variety of success on and off the field.
LAFC rolls out new merchandise, including “Icon” cap
As the season continues to rumble on, LAFC is continuing to produce new gear for fans to share their love of the team. This week, the club announced two new pieces of merchandise — an LAFC pop socket to attach to the back of a cellphone, and a new hat produced by New Era.
The new cap is branded as the “Icon,” sporting the team’s simple black and gold “LA” logo. The New Era model will serve as the signature hat for the team in seasons to come. New Era is an important part of Los Angeles fashion, representing a unique brand of culture surrounding style in the city.
The first line of the cap was rolled out at a special event at the LAFC store in the Banc of California stadium, with fans lining up to purchase one of the first edition versions.
“This hat doesn’t just represent the club, it doesn’t just represent all my friends and family from the @LAFC3252. It represents the entire community of LA.”
Family. #LAFC x @NewEraCap
💻 https://t.co/Q2CgEQfAwn pic.twitter.com/ssBMqdKunK
— LAFC (@LAFC) October 2, 2018
Rossi’s stunning volley earns a Goal of the Week nomination
Although it was too little, too late to fend off Chicago last weekend, Diego Rossi earned an MLS Goal of the Week nomination for his strike in the 73rd minute to erase the Fire’s clean sheet. To set up the score, Rossi passed to Lee Nguyen, then slipped behind two defenders to set himself up for the pass. Nguyen chipped the ball neatly toward’s his teammate’s left foot, and Rossi volleyed the ball on a curling path up, around and over the keeper’s gloves.
This was Rossi’s tenth goal in the black and gold so far this season.
Diego… ROSSI!!!
Vote Diego Rossi's stunning volley for @MLS Goal of the Week 🎯
🗳 https://t.co/5ImYq56pTV pic.twitter.com/EBshTdo61P
— LAFC (@LAFC) October 1, 2018
López gets the call up for Honduras
Goalkeeper Luis López got the call from the Honduran national team this week, and he will join the team in Spain for a friendly against the United Arab Emirates on Oct. 11. Lopez has spent most of this season rehabbing a stress fracture in his leg that he suffered back in February, but he saw his debut as a starter in goal against Sporting KC in the team’s only home loss in August.
López has previously played for the Honduran U-20 and U-23 teams, and made his national team debut as the starter for the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup. He was on track to start as the team’s keeper for the World Cup, but was forced to sit out due to his injury. The keeper is now looking to make his return to the starting position with a full recovery.
Injury updates on Silva and Blessing
Although defender Danilo Silva and forward Latif Blessing both missed the trip to Chicago, the future is looking bright for the pair of injured athletes. Silva is still nursing a hamstring strain, but he returned to training this week and looked sharp enough for head coach Bob Bradley to give the green light for availability in Colorado.
Although Blessing is “not quite ready” for full-on training due to soreness in his hip flexor according to Bradley, he is working on the sidelines with the training staff and is hoping to see the pitch again by the end of the season in three weeks.