Their first Designated Player signing was well-known among soccer fans in the US, but LAFC's second DP presents more questions.
On Thursday, LAFC announced the acquisition of Uruguayan forward Diego Rossi, who joins Mexico international Carlos Vela in the attack for the expansion club. Rossi joins Vela on LAFC, along with recent pickups Walker Zimmerman, Laurent Ciman, Latif Blessing and Marco Ureña.
Uruguayan international and Seattle Sounders midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro gave his opinion on Rossi to FutbolMLS.com last week:
"Diego is a great soccer player, with a lot of talent and a bright future," Lodeiro said. "He’s a young striker with a lot of speed and good technique. Honestly, he is an all-around player, who is living a great moment in his career, scoring a lot of goals and I’m also very happy for the fact that more Uruguayans players are coming to the league. I’m always trying to help them, but without a doubt, he’s going to do well because of his quality and also because I know he’s an excellent person, which is the most important thing to me, so let us welcome him here."
MLSsoccer.com reached out to ESPN Deportes journalist Marcelo Masanti, who has been covering Peñarol for over a decade, to learn a little more about the young attacker.
History
"Since [Rossi] started playing 'baby futbol' at age 5, in the city of Solymar, playing with the little school El Queso, you knew that this boy had everything to shine. In 2012, he scored 42 goals in the seventh division in 27 matches, which is a record for the academy."
Playing style and fit with LAFC
"[Diego] can run, define, it's a nightmare for the defense because he can play as a forward or as winger.
"Although you cannot say much about a team under construction like the LAFC, it is clear to me that Diego has everything to be a star in MLS, as a great attacker in the league; he is barely 19-years-old and his versatility to hit the ball, as to assist his teammates, makes it a very dangerous weapon."
Potential
"He is a born goalscorer. But at the same time, is very young. He can be a star with the right guidance. The good thing is that he’s coming to MLS as a champion in Uruguay. Those are good credentials, because he is a winner, and that is what he’s bringing to this club. We are going to see a Rossi, running the whole field, with a lot of explosiveness."
