Mexico international Carlos Vela has said that he is content plying his trade for Los Angeles FC amid the recent speculation linking him with Spanish giants Barcelona. The experienced forward was recently associated with the Catalan giants, who were searching for a back-up option to Luis Suarez but ultimately they signed Kevin-Prince Boateng from Sassuolo instead.

When asked on the speculation, Vela highlighted that a deal never materialised between Barcelona and Los Angeles or else he could have found it hard to turn down advances from the reigning Spanish champions. The former Real Sociedad man added that he is content with his association with Los Angeles and he is hoping to guide the team to league glory in the forthcoming 2019 campaign.

Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde has refused to rule out a potential move for Carlos Vela during the ongoing transfer window. The Mexico international has been linked with a surprise switch to the Blaugrana over the past weeks amid suggestions that Valverde is looking into a potential back-up option for Luis Suarez upfront.

Speaking in a news conference, Valverde praised the qualities of the former Arsenal graduate but refused to confirm whether the club are interested in acquiring the player’s signature, he said: "He's a great player. He's played in our league but we don't normally talk about players from other clubs. A lot is said about every name that comes up. I can understand, being Mexican, why you are interested but he plays for another club."

West Ham United attacker Felipe Anderson has said that Javier Hernandez has played a key role in him settling to the new surroundings. The Brazilian became the club’s record signing after joining from Lazio during the summer and of late, he has picked up form with Hernandez leading the line for the east London outfit.

Speaking to the club’s official website, Anderson said that he has a good relationship with Hernandez on and off the pitch and this has translated into the recent upturn in form for both players, who were struggling to deliver during the opening stages of the campaign, he said: “Since I arrived, Chicharito always treated me well. He gave me his trust on the pitch, he always let me know that I could count on him to finish my moves and like that we developed a good feeling and that has been important. And also we have a very good relationship off the pitch.”

Los Angeles FC have been able to agree a three-year contract with Canadian midfielder Mark-Anthony Kaye. Crucially, the club have the option of an additional year in the contract. Mark-Anthony Kaye was able to start 20 regular-season matches for LAFC in the inaugural MLS campaign. The 24-year-old finished the season with five assists and two goals. His salary was a relatively mediocre $75,000 in the 2018 campaign. After the conclusion of the campaign, it appears that manager Bob Bradley was extremely pleased with the contribution of the midfielder.

After announcing his new contract, Bradley said that the role played by Kaye in the 2018 campaign was extremely crucial along with players like Carlos Vela, who had come up with plenty of important goals. The manner in whichKaye was open to the ideas put forth by the manager and was ready to implement the same with every training session appears to have endured to the manager. Aside from his stellar presence with the LAFC outfit,Kaye has also been key for the national team after making six appearances. Prior to his switch to LAFC,Kaye was part of the Louisville City FC, York University and Toronto FC 2.

The Ballon d’Or is the most prestigious award in football, given to the greatest player in the world every year. There has never been a Mexican winner of the coveted trophy, and for the last ten years, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have dominated.

With the Argentine and Portuguese a step above the rest, it has been hard for any other player to break through. But now the careers of the two superstars are winding down, the contest could be more open in the future. Hirving Lozano is a player with great potential - could he be the first ever Mexican to lift the Ballon d’Or?

PSV Eindhoven attacker Hirving Lozano has revealed his ambition of playing in the Premier League at a particular stage on his professional career. The Mexico international has been a revelation for PSV since joining them from Pachuca nearly 18 months ago but he is still said to harbour the ambition of featuring for a Premier League outfit.

Speaking after the Champions League defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, he said: “I hope that God, some day, gives me a shot at playing in the Premier League. I like it very much. I think the Premier League is great. I think that it would be fabulous to play with any of the clubs, but I would love to play for one of the big clubs. I hope that God gives me the chance.”

Los Angeles FC were able to secure a play-off place after managing a 3-0 victory over Colorado Rapids during the weekend. Bob Bradley’s team came into the game as one of the top teams in the 2018 campaign. Not many expected LAFC to make a major impact in their debut campaign in the MLS, but players like Carlos Vela have helped them achieve some incredible results. The club came into the weekend’s match against Colorado Rapids with a need to recover quickly from the recent defeat against Chicago Fire – the first defeat for the club in eight games.

The match began well for Bob Bradley’s men as they scored in the 15th minute through Walker Zimmermann. Adama scored either side of the break to put LAFC in a commanding position and they never relinquished this spot until the end of the match. As a result of the victory, LAFC are now level on points with Sporting Kansas City going into the last three matches of the campaign. There is a significant possibility of LAFC finishing in the top two places of the Western Conference. Bradley claims that the team are excited to reach the play-offs in their debut campaign and expect them to push forward.

Los Angeles FC were able to secure a play-off place after managing a 3-0 victory over Colorado Rapids during the weekend. Bob Bradley’s team came into the game as one of the top teams in the 2018 campaign. Not many expected LAFC to make a major impact in their debut campaign in the MLS, but players like Carlos Vela have helped them achieve some incredible results. The club came into the weekend’s match against Colorado Rapids with a need to recover quickly from the recent defeat against Chicago Fire – the first defeat for the club in eight games.

The match began well for Bob Bradley’s men as they scored in the 15th minute through Walker Zimmermann. Adama scored either side of the break to put LAFC in a commanding position and they never relinquished this spot until the end of the match. As a result of the victory, LAFC are now level on points with Sporting Kansas City going into the last three matches of the campaign. There is a significant possibility of LAFC finishing in the top two places of the Western Conference. Bradley claims that the team are excited to reach the play-offs in their debut campaign and expect them to push forward.

Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa does not have any plans of retiring from international football despite El Tri’s struggles at the recent World Cup. The North American nation bagged one of the shock results of the campaign after beating holders Germany but they thereafter experienced an old fate as they were ousted at the round of 16 stage for the seventh straight edition.

Since then, El Tri have witnessed the departure of head coach Juan Carlos Osorio at the expiry of his contract but Ochoa has continued to remain under national team reckoning under caretaker Ricardo Ferretti. Speaking to Goal.com, the Standard Liege goalkeeper highlighted that he is not planning on giving up on the number one role anytime soon and he is looking forward to representing the nation at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Carlos Vela claims that he may even consider the prospect of returning to the Liga MX with the view of retiring even if he has taken extremely well to the league. The striker made the switch from Real Sociedad to LAFC in the last few months. His arrival has produced a major impact at LAFC, who have been doing well in the MLS despite being a newly formed a franchise. The striker may not think about the possibility of retirement as of now, but it appears to have certainly crossed his mind. He is at the peak of his career at 29 years of age, but majority of his career has been spent in European football.

The immense talent possessed by the Mexican international was spotted by Arsenal back in 2006. He moved to the English Premier League club back in January 2006 for around € 3 million. After spending several seasons – without actually playing much – at Arsenal, he made the permanent switch to Real Sociedad in 2012 for around €14 million. The move transformed his career as he benefited from regular football but he shocked many by making an early return to North American football. Now, he has opened up on the possibility of ending his career in the Mexican league rather than in the MLS. Vela is expected to be the centre stage for LAFC at least in the next few years.