Player Spotlight: Vera the Imperious! Brayan Vera the Hero in LAFC Stalemate

Vera the Imperious! Brayan Vera the Hero in LAFC Stalemate

Real Salt Lake 1 : 1 Los Angeles FC

Wed., July 17, 2024; BMO Stadium; LOS ANGELES, California

Real Salt Lake (12-4-8, 44 points, t-2nd West); Los Angeles FC (13-5-5, 44 points, t-2nd West)

What Happened?

In what was billed as a titanic matchup between the West’s top two teams, Real Salt Lake survived the potential disaster of another unfortunate early concession to display its steely resolve and earn a hard-fought, come-from-behind 1-1 draw away against LAFC at BMO Stadium on Wednesday night.

Colombian defender **Brayan Vera** netted RSL’s only goal of the tense, cagey affair, with a powerful left-footed freekick from 30 yards out, sizzling through a crowded box and taking a deflection en route to tucking inside the left post, cancelling out Cristian Olivera’s fortuitous fifth-minute opener for the hosts.

The result was RSL’s eighth draw of its 2024 MLS campaign - including seven on the road - and places the Claret-and-Cobalt into a second-place tie in the Western Conference standings, level on points with LAFC, and two points behind LA Galaxy (with a game in hand on the 1996 originals).

Man of the Match: Imperial Vera the Goal-Scoring Hero

Wednesday's Man of the Match? Really doesn’t need asking, does it? This author, for one, doesn’t think so.

Brayan Emanuel Vera. Need we say more? On the back of this performance, we certainly shouldn’t have to.

RSL’s swashbuckling, commanding, marauding, domineering defensive behemoth. Oh, how we’ve missed you, our Colombian towering titan.

Vera the Imperious, the Indomitable, the Assured. A defensive colossus. The superlatives know no end, and words fall disappointingly short, yet the praise must go on all the same. Indeed such a performance, in fact, demands it.

The 25-year-old proved to be RSL’s unlikely goalscorer from defense with a fiercely struck freekick just past the half-hour mark. In the 33rd minute, and with the team already a goal down, RSL’s titanic defensive lynchpin stepped up to take a free kick. Standing from about 30 or more yards out, the second-year defender rifled home a powerful low left-footed rocket that took a deflection before nestling into the bottom left corner past Hugo Lloris, silencing the home crowd and sending the visiting supporters into ecstasy.

You don’t often see a center back stepping up for set-piece duties, indeed such a sight isn’t exactly commonplace in this sport. But then again, Vera isn’t just any typical centerback, is he? Certainly not! And to even suggest so should be labeled an abomination!

His game and qualities are defined just as much by his offensive abilities, particularly his qualities on the ball and ball-playing abilities, as they are by his defensive ones. And make no mistake, he is a towering titan of a defender.

And yet, his goal was merely the icing on the cake on another solid, assured, imperious defensive performance.

RSL’s defensive record had taken a beating these past few games. The team had struggled at the back recently, but much of that owed to the Colombian’s absence and then gradual reintegration back into the team, and the 25-year-old erased any doubts about his importance to Pablo’s team with a masterful performance on Wednesday night.

A defensive colossus, and yet an attacking maverick. Rock solid in defense and yet brilliant in attack. A true non-conformist. Cue Sergio Ramos

But that’s our Brayan Vera. Worth his weight in gold and then some. Certainly the best in his position in the country, and dare we say, the world. Critics might disagree, but we should think he’s certainly closing in on that echelon of players if he can keep pulling out performances like this.

Throughout his 90 minutes played, Vera completed a total of 45 successful passes from his center-back position, with a percentage accuracy of 80.4 percent, including five total shots, one on target, and a crucial game-tying goal.

RSL’s Colombian defensive enforcer has certainly caught the eye with a series of impressive performances this year. The 25-year-old has recorded one goal and two assists, including 22 tackles, 54 clearances, 18 blocked shots, and 10 interceptions in what has been a hugely impressive personal season for him so far, and will be looking to continue his stunning form as one of the first names on Pablo’s roster as RSL head into the business end of the 2024 season.

Did You Know?

Wednesday night's result extends Pablo’s record of games played whilst avoiding defeats in consecutive games. RSL have now suffered defeat in back-to-back games on only nine occasions throughout Pablo’s 125-game tenure at the helm of the Claret-and-Cobalt. Amazingly as well, four of the nine back-to-back losses occurred in the first month following metronomic midfielder **Pablo Ruiz**’s mid-August knee injury last year.

This bounce back resilience has continued this season with the 1-1 draw on Feb. 24 against St. Louis following the season-opening loss to Miami, the March 23rd, 2-1 win in Vancouver following the rare home loss to Colorado on March 9, the July 3rd, 3-2 win at home against Houston Dynamo following the 1-0 home loss against LA Galaxy on June 22, and last night’s 1-1 draw following last weekend’s 3-0 away loss to Portland. Every defeat this season has been met with a response in the next game, with two wins and two draws in matches following a loss this year. This despite being shorn of the services of MLS Golden Boot leader, **Chicho Arango**, and young attacking phenom, Andres Gómez for Wednesday night’s game. Mentality monsters!

The result also places RSL in joint second, just one point behind the league leader, displacing the Claret-and-Cobalt from the top of the West table for the first time since mid-March. RSL first assumed the top spot in the West this season four months ago and held firmly onto the position until last night. We did it before, and you best believe we can certainly do it again.

First-time All-Star, homegrown defender, **Justen Glad** also marked his return from injury on Wednesday night, following a six-game absence, coming on as a 90th-minute substitute for **Matt Crooks**. The 27-year-old will now be expected to be in starting contention for Saturday night’s Rocky Mountain Cup rivalry showdown with Colorado Rapids.

What Comes Next/The Bigger Picture

With ⅔ of its difficult road trip navigated, RSL now conclude the final part of the gantlet with a tantalizing Rocky Mountain Cup rivalry thriller against Colorado Rapids on Saturday, June 20, at DSG Park. Kickoff is at 7:30 PM MT.

Pablo and the boys will be hoping to replicate the 5-3 win over the Rapids on May 18 earlier in the season and round up its most recent road gauntlet with a much-needed boost of a rivalry win.

The 2024 Leagues Cup is here! And following the road trip, RSL will kick off its 2024 Leagues Cup campaign on Thursday, August 1 against Atlas FC (Liga MX) at America First Field.

Important Facts

• In yet another “bounce back” performance for RSL, Pablo Mastroeni’s side earned a point after Saturday’s 0-3 debacle at Portland. In 125 games at the RSL helm since August, 2021, the Club has experienced consecutive losses just nine times in the Mastroeni era, with four of the nine coming after Pablo Ruiz’ knee injury last August, starting with a Leagues Cup loss at LAFC
• First-time All-Star, homegrown center back Justen Glad made his return to the lineup following a six-match injury absence. The appearance comes as Glad’s 16th appearance of the campaign (first substitution).
• Fan-favorite central defender Brayan Vera notches his first goal of the 2024 MLS season with an impressive long-distance free kick. The goal stands as Vera’s third goal contribution of the year (two assists). Vera now stands at four goals in his MLS career, all with RSL since joining in 2023.
• The lone point drops Real Salt Lake out of first place in the Western Conference for the first time since mid-March, nearly four months ago. The Club now sits tied for second place, alongside LAFC, two points behind LA Galaxy but with a match in hand.