Brian Rodriguez officially returns to LAFC — is everything resolved for now?

The latest chapter in Brian Rodriguez’s professional soccer career came on Thursday, when LAFC announced in a release he has officially returned to the club after his loan stint at Spanish second division side Almería and international duty with Uruguay.

Notably, the release from the club included a quote from the player himself.

“I am excited to be back in Los Angeles and to get back on the field with my teammates,” Rodriguez said. “I am ready to play in front of our incredible supporters and I am looking forward to helping our team win.”

So, is the apparent rift between the player and his wantaway desires from LAFC over? We’ll see.

Head coach Bob Bradley talked about Rodriguez’s return with reporters on Thursday, before the club’s release came out, and in a series of questions about the Designated Player, defended the attacker’s perceived shortcomings, confirmed he didn’t just test positive for COVID last fall but actually got sick from the virus, said he hadn’t had much of a chance to talk to the player after his arrival because he came in the middle of training, explained Rodriguez needs to get back up to match fitness after not playing much at the Copa América, and reiterated his interest in reintegrating Rodriguez into the squad.

Obviously, it’s still possible there could be a transfer offer made for Rodriguez in the coming weeks and this could be a short stopover, but it sounds like LAFC and Rodriguez are prepared to work together again. Given his loan spell in Spain didn’t go off as he or LAFC had likely hoped, they all have few choices but to give it another go, and hopefully they can help each other.

I won’t predict there won’t be any more bumps along the way concerning Rodriguez, but I think it’s certainly plausible he’s willing to buckle down and do his part for the team now that he’s had a few immature outbursts in recent months. We’ll see what happens but get ready for the next phase of Rodriguez’s tenure with LAFC.

What do you think? Leave a comment below.