Diego Rossi, 22, is one of Major League Soccer’s best players and youngest talents. He is the leagues leading goal scorer at 12 goals and has been one of LAFC’s most consistent players since signing from Peñarol in 2018. If the rumors are true, he is set to become the next big money outgoing transfer.
After LAFC coach Bob Bradley and General Manager John Thorrington spent time in Uruguay scouting players, Rossi came under their radar and immediately pushed to sign the young Uruguayan international. He was sold to LAFC at a reported $3 million transfer fee and was set to become Carlos Vela’s go-to wingman up front.
When Vela did not participate in the MLS is Back tournament for personal reasons, Rossi put the team on his back and shined like no other player on the roster. He scored 7 goals in the tournament and while LAFC was knocked out in the Quarterfinals, one thing was for certain, Rossi had ascended from young prospect to a bonafide star in MLS. That star power and goal scoring have not gone unnoticed where he is now being integrated into the Uruguayan National Team.
Rossi in LAFC
In just three years in Major League Soccer, Rossi’s numbers are quite impressive, he has 40 goals in 81 matches for the club. He has systematically improved year after year, going from 12 goals in 2018 to 16 in 2019 to 12 in the current season, after only 15 games.
In 2018 he was considered MLS’s third-best prospect under 22. He scored the Los Angeles clubs first-ever goal in team history against the Seattle Sounders and has enjoyed an incredible run of good form in the last 3 years. He is slated to become the next big MLS outgoing transfer as LAFC is not willing to listen to offers under $20 million. He has drawn interest from clubs like Fiorentina, RB Leipzig, and an unnamed Bundesliga team.
Rossi and Uruguay
On the international front, Diego Rossi has worked very hard to get into the Uruguayan National Team. While Uruguay head coach, Óscar Tabárez, is heavy on patience and process, Rossi has been in the mix since he was 13, he has played on every Uruguayan National Team youth team, where he scored 28 goals from 82 matches, before his recent first call-up for 2022 World Cup Qualifying.
Tabárez is not known for giving first call-ups minutes immediately, but clearly, he is on the radar and is a part of the coaches youth movement plans to find adequate replacements for Luis Suárez and Edinson Cavani for the 2022 World Cup. Rossi's stock is rising, and it looks like he will be a feature for the national team in the months to come.
