LAFC’s Carlos Vela finalist for MLS MVP; Bob Bradley MLS Coach of the Year finalist

Major League Soccer released their 2018 awards finalists on Wednesday, and two Los Angeles Football Club personnel were among those included.

Forward Carlos Vela is a finalist in two awards: MLS MVP and MLS Newcomer of the Year. Vela, 29, had 14 goals and 13 assists in 28 MLS regular season appearances, leading LAFC to a playoff berth in their first season. The Mexican international also missed several games this year to play for his country at the World Cup, where he scored a goal in El Tri’s run to the Round of 16.

Vela is a finalist for MVP alongside Atlanta United duo of Miguel Almiron and Josef Martinez, D.C. United forward Wayne Rooney, and LA Galaxy forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

He’s a finalist for Newcomer of the Year with Ibrahimovic and Rooney.

LAFC head coach Bob Bradley, meanwhile, is a finalist for MLS Coach of the Year, alongside Gerardo Martino of Atlanta United and Sporting Kansas City’s Peter Vermes. Bradley has won this award twice previously, with the Chicago Fire in 1998 and Chivas USA in 2006. Curiously, both of those times he won the award he did it in his first season with those teams.

The winners of the respective awards will be announced over the next several weeks. Congrats to Carlos and Bob, and best of luck to them.

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