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LAFC honors Carlos Vela, beats St. Louis City

March 15, 2026

LOS ANGELES — Before retiring from professional soccer last spring, Carlos Vela was responsible for many “firsts” in Los Angeles Football Club history.

Somehow, his list of honors doesn’t include being the first player to transition into an ownership role.

Vela, 37, became the second LAFC player to make that switch, the club announced this week, joining former Black & Gold man Giorgio Chiellini, who came aboard in 2025.

Saturday at BMO Stadium, LAFC’s newest high-profile owner took his place among a group approaching 30 names involved in private equity, sports, and the entertainment business, flashing that thousand-watt smile while expressing satisfaction in what he helped build from the ground floor.

“I feel really good about all my work, all my effort, and everything I put into this club,” Vela said.

“Hopefully they can bring more trophies than I did,” he added.

Nine seasons into its existence in Major League Soccer, LAFC is on the hunt for a second MLS Cup and more under the direction of head coach Marc Dos Santos, plus another generation of stars, namely Denis Bouanga and Son Heung-min.

With their former captain Vela watching from the stands, Dos Santos’s group took the field against St. Louis City, attempting to become the first LAFC team to win four straight league games to start a season.

For more than an hour, LAFC and St. Louis played a choppy, difficult contest, but Mathieu Choinière’s score in the 73rd minute broke the game open.

The Canadian added a second goal in the 81st minute to nail down a 2-0 win, giving LAFC 12 points out of 12.

Both of Choinière’s shots beat Swiss goalkeeper Roman Bürki low and to the right.

A giveaway in the middle of the field by St. Louis (0-3-1, 1 point) midfielder Daniel Edelman put the ball on Choinière’s feet with room to roam.

The 27-year-old midfielder from Quebec dribbled straight away and from the top of the semicircle finished for his first of the season.

Choinière’s brace, the first multi-goal game for him since 2023, came from a similar distance just further to the right. The shot was pure, skimming atop the grass to nestle inside the far post.

The win sends LAFC (4-0-0, 12 points) to Costa Rica on Tuesday for the CONCACAF Champions Cup Round of 16 second leg in good spirits.

LAFC battles LD Alajuelense after drawing them 1-1 at BMO Stadium earlier in the week as it seeks to stay alive and win its first international tournament.

In 2020 and 2023, Vela’s LAFC teams finished runner-up.

“Since the first day we had something really special with all the fans in the stadium and in the city,” Vela said before the start of the match in front of an announced crowd of 22,266. “Now they can see as part of the ownership group. I think it’s something they will feel is special. They will feel a part of that. Let’s keep going. Let’s keep enjoying this club.”

Orange County Register

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LAFC honors Carlos Vela, beats St. Louis City

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