Ties between the Los Angeles Dodgers and LAFC of the MLS were apparent again Monday morning when Fernando Valenzuela attended a special ceremony at Banc of California Stadium to present the Landon Donovan MVP trophy to forward Carlos Vela.
Vela received over 69% of the weighted vote to capture the top individual honor in MLS among players. Zlatan Ibrahimovic of the L.A. Galaxy was a distant second in MVP voting at 14.11%.
Vela broke multiple records in what was just his second year in MLS, including setting a new scoring mark by putting in 34 goals in 31 regular-season appearances. Vela’s 1.10 goals-per-game average ranks No. 1 all-time in MLS history among players with at least 15 goals in a single season.
The 30-year-old additionally placed third with 15 assists this season. Vela’s 49 combined goals plus assists set a new MLS for a single season. LAFC as a team had 72 points to earn the Supporters’ Shield, and tied the single-season mark for goals by a team with 85.
Vela became the first Mexican player to win MLS MVP, which made Valenzuela presenting him the trophy an appropriate honor.
From one LA legend to another.
Take a bow, @11carlosV. #LAFC pic.twitter.com/VqF2J09Ccc
— LAFC (@LAFC) November 4, 2019
Dodgers Spanish-language broadcaster Jaime Jarrín visited with fellow Ecuadorian native Diego Palacios prior to LAFC facing the Galaxy in their highly-anticipated playoff matchup. LAFC notched their first-ever win in the “El Trafico” rivalry.
However, LAFC’s season then came to an end with a loss to the Seattle Sounders in the Western Conference Finals. Prior to that match, Dodgers co-owner Magic Johnson served as the honorary falconer. Former Dodgers teammates Adrian Gonzalez and Joc Pederson were also in attendance.
Last season, Pederson and Clayton Kershaw took in an LAFC playoff game at Banc of California stadium.
The Dodgers’ ties with LAFC extend to Nomar Garciaparra, Peter Guber, Johnson, Tucker Kain, Lon Rosen and Jason Sugarman being members of the football club’s ownership group.
Garciaparra of course is an analyst for SportsNet LA, while Guber and Johnson are part-owners of the Dodgers. Kain is the Dodgers’ president of business enterprise and managing director of Guggenheim Baseball Management, Rosen is the team’s chief marketing officer, and Sugarman is an investor in Triple-A Oklahoma City.
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