Head coach Rémi Garde and Carlos Vela’s UEFA Champions League clash
You may be asking yourself why on earth the beautiful city of San Sebastián, in Spain’s Basque Country, is mentioned in the title. Home to Real Sociedad, currently playing in La Liga, it also was once upon a time the home of Carlos Vela. The Mexican international spent close to six seasons with the club before joining the Impact’s upcoming opponent, this Friday at 10:30pm EDT at Banc of California Stadium, Los Angeles FC (TVA Sports, TSN, 98.5, TSN 690).
It was during this time that Impact head coach Rémi Garde, then at the helm of Ligue 1 side Olympique Lyonnais, played against Vela for the first time.
“I know him very well, and he’s probably playing his best football at the moment,” said head coach Rémi Garde. “When he was playing with Real Sociedad in Spain, I had the opportunity to face him during a Champions League qualifying game. His team beat us, and I think he scored twice in the game at their stadium. He was young at the time, playing with Antoine Griezmann.”
Garde is referring to the return leg, when Vela took the game by the scruff of the neck, scoring twice in the second half to give his team a 2-0 victory over the French side. Six years later, both are finding success across the Atlantic with their respective clubs after having joined MLS around the same time, before the beginning of the 2018 season.
“I think he found the right place to express his talent and at the moment, he’s very confident,” added Garde. “It’s always nice to have this type of player on the field. It’ll be difficult for us to cope, not only with Carlos Vela, but the entire team.”
Vela and LAFC are off to a flying start in this 2019 campaign, leading the league in points without having lost a game at home yet. Vela, on his end, leads the league in goals and assists, with 14 and seven respectively. That being said, Garde knows the team will be able to hold its own against such an opponent.
“We have proven in the recent past that we can get results on the road. We aren’t going there to be beaten, but to play a good football game with the quality we have on our team.”
