LAFC PICKS IN 2019 MLS SUPERDRAFT
LAFC Selects Peter-Lee Vassell With No. 40 Overall Pick In 2019 MLS SuperDraft
With its first selection in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft, LAFC went its own route.
After trading its first-round pick to FC Cincinnati two days before the draft, LAFC selected Peter-Lee Vassell with the 16th pick in the second round. What makes Vassell different from the other 205 young players available in this year's SuperDraft? Well, he didn't play a single minute of NCAA or NAIA soccer for one.
Vassell comes to MLS by way of Harbor View FC in Jamaica's top division. The midfielder took part in the MLS Caribbean Combine in October, winning MVP honors at the event held in Kingston, Jamaica back in October of 2018. That earned Vassell a spot at the 2019 MLS Combine presented by adidas in Orlando.Â
In addition to his success at the Caribbean Combine, the 19-year-old has excelled at all levels for the Jamaican National Team. Making appearances in the U17, U20, and U23 squads, Vassell has also been capped eight times for the senior squad. With Jamaica, the midfielder has five goals, the most recent coming in a 6-0 win over Bonaire in a Concacaf Nations League qualifier in October.
LAFC Selects Javi Perez & Kevin Mendoza On Second Day Of 2019 MLS SuperDraft
LAFCÂ selected two players on Day 2 of the 2019 MLS SuperDraft presented by adidas.Â
With the 64th overall selection in the third round, the Black & Gold drafted midfielder Javi Pérez from the University of Pittsburgh; and selected midfielder Kevin Mendoza out of Liberty University with the 73rd overall selection in the fourth round.
Pérez, 22, spent the last two years at the University of Pittsburgh, starting all 35 games he appeared in. As a senior in 2018, he ranked second on the team in points (11), goals (4) and assists (3). A junior transfer from Spain, Perez was a two-time captain for the Panthers, earning USC All-South Region Third Team honors in 2018 and Second Team All-ACC in 2017-18.
Prior to Pitt, Pérez spent 15 years in the youth ranks of Spain’s La Liga club Valencia CF, serving as the team’s captain for 12 of those years, earning MVP honors at the Historics Tournament.
Mendoza spent the past four years at Liberty University, earning all-conference honors all four seasons, including first team accolades from 2016-18. A two-year captain for the Flames, Mendoza finished his collegiate career with 32 goals and 15 assists.
The 25-year-old midfielder graduated from Colegio de Bachilleres in his hometown of Mexico City, while also playing for Cruz Azul’s U-17 and U-20 squads.
TRANSACTION: Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) selects midfielders Javi Pérez (64th overall) and Kevin Mendoza (73rd overall) in Day 2 of the 2019 MLS SuperDraft presented by adidas.