Leo Walta is influencing the Los Angeles Football Club’s fortunes right now.
Any longer than that will be determined when the 23-year-old Finnish attacker’s loan from Swansea City of the English Championship expires at the end of the season.
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LAFC has the option to make the move permanent, and three games into his MLS experience, Walta checks all the boxes as an every-game starter.
“Playing inside in the pocket, he creates a lot of situations,” interim LAFC head coach Xavi Tamarit said. “He’s a player who has an incredible delivery in the set pieces, but he’s also a very dynamic player. Good passes. Good crosses. I think he has good shooting from out of the box. He’s giving us something that is so, so good. So important. And I think in that moment it’s very good news for us to have Leo Walta.”
Shortly before halftime against New York City FC last weekend at Citi Field, Walta hovered over the spot where Son Heung-min had been fouled. As one of the best direct-kick takers in the game, a centrally situated chance from 30 yards was undoubtedly Sonny territory.
Last year, 24 yards out and a bit to the left of where Walta stood, the South Korean star unleashed the MLS Goal of the Year. Son did it again in a high-pressure moment at Vancouver during the MLS Cup playoffs.
Despite Son’s bona fides, Walta requested the shot then and there. Playing in the only match of his life on a converted baseball diamond, Walta indicated that had a good feeling about going deep.
“I told [Son] that and he understood it and let me shoot,” Walta said. “I’m thankful for that.”
Staking out the middle of goal, U.S. international goalkeeper Matt Freese hedged as Son and Walta both lined up for the shot. Walta saw room to the right, eyed the far post and hit an untouchable curling, dipping ball that froze Freese in his cleats.
The goal-of-the-week contender made Walta the only LAFC player with a direct-kick goal in the league this year.
Running and pressing with purpose through the final whistle in New York, particularly in the opponent’s half of the field, Walta’s performance backed up a strong 85 minutes against Austin FC and nearly half an hour for his MLS debut versus Vancouver on Oct. 10.
“I think it’s been a good week,” Walta said after two draws and a win in eight days.
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“We have a little bit different tactics than before and I think we have adapted quite well so far,” he said. “And now we will have a full week to prepare for the L.A. Galaxy. Hopefully it will look even better in one week.”
Making use of the longest spell between LAFC matches since Marc Dos Santos was replaced at the end of September, Walta and his teammates return home Sunday rested and trained up for a late-season, high-stakes El Trafico.
LAFC (12-9-10, 46 points) is sixth in the Western Conference, while the eighth-place Galaxy (10-11-10, 40 points) cling to playoff hopes.
“I think you can feel it inside the club,” Walta said of the derby vibes. “It’s really important.”
Six weeks prior to Walta joining LAFC at the end of August, the MLS regular season resumed from the World Cup break and featured the L.A. derby at Dignity Health Sports Park.
Let it be said that an LAFC head coach can see his team dominate the Galaxy 3-0 in Carson, as Dos Santos’s side did July 17, but get sacked a couple of months later.
As such, Dos Santos and Tamarit will share the credit if LAFC sweeps the season series – a first for either El Trafico participant.
The rivals are 10-10-7 across all competitions.
LAFC nailed down results in nine of 10 regular-season home games against the Galaxy. Doing so again Sunday would guarantee an eighth MLS Cup playoff berth for the Black & Gold since 2018.
If Minnesota, San Diego and Portland drop points and Real Salt Lake loses Saturday, LAFC could qualify for the postseason before kicking off.
GALAXY (10-11-10, 40 points) at LAFC (12-9-10, 46 points)
When: 6 p.m. Sunday
Where: BMO Stadium
TV/Radio: Apple TV/710 AM, ESPN App (English), 980 AM, 1230 AM, SiriusXM FC 188, SiriusXM 176, Sirius Soccer en Español 1999
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