LAFC announced on Friday the addition of retired MLS striker Juan Pablo Angel to the staff as a technical consultant.
Angel, 42, will remain based in his hometown of Medellin, Colombia and will work to "help ensure that LAFC is establishing the most efficient infrastructure in South America."
“This is a massive and important addition to our Soccer Operations staff,” LAFC general manager and executive vice president of soccer operations John Thorrington said in a team statement. “Juan Pablo brings the perfect combination of expertise, knowledge and background in the region to our club, and he will make sure we are laying the right foundation to place us in pole position for top talent in South America whom are the right fit for LAFC.”
Angel most recently worked on the technical staff of his hometown club, Atletico Nacional, where he began his career in 1993. He played for Argentine powerhouse River Plate from 1997-2001, then in the English Premier League for Aston Villa from 2001-07. In 2007 the Colombian international moved to MLS, joining the New York Red Bulls and becoming the team's all-time leading scorer while he was there. He moved to the LA Galaxy in 2011, but a logjam of Designated Players led to his trade in the middle of that season, to Chivas USA, where he spent a season and a half, before concluding his playing career back at Atletico Nacional. All told, in MLS Angel scored a combined 75 goals between the MLS regular season and postseason in 160 appearances.
“Juan Pablo will play an important role for us as we look to build and grow our talent network in South America,” LAFC head coach Bob Bradley said. “He brings a deep understanding of the game and I am looking forward to working with him.”
“I am excited to be a part of the process of building LAFC,” Angel said. “The vision and investment of this club to find players in South America is impressive and shows that LAFC is committed to doing things differently in order to be successful.”
LAFC will play their inaugural season in 2017, and will take the next step in building their roster on Tuesday with the MLS Expansion Draft.
