Leo Walta continued his bright start to life in Major League Soccer by scoring his second goal in as many games for LAFC, poking home Son Heung-Min's cross to salvage a point in the derby known as El Trafico. The 23-year-old's form comes as his parent club, Swansea City, picked through the wreckage of their heaviest defeat since 2002 at Loftus Road.
Defeat in West London
Swansea City's loss to Queens Park Rangers was their biggest since 2002, a result that has sparked an inquest into tactics, team selection, and substitutions. Vitor Matos and his side will face robust assessments in the coming days, with questions likely to be levelled at the club if the shortcomings seen last weekend are not addressed.
Walta's MLS Impact
Walta's loan move to Los Angeles FC was confirmed in January, and his performances have prompted some social media pundits to wonder whether Swansea might be missing a trick. The congested pecking order of Swansea's midfield options is arguably the main reason the Finn made the move Stateside.
Matos explained why Walta wasn't an immediate part of his plans: "Leo is one player in the squad. All the players signed a contract to come to the club, not to play in the first XI. Leo is one of them. He's a player with a lot of good attributes, and he's really good with the ball. Not all the games are the right moment for him, and we try to use him when we have that possibility."
Future Uncertain
When quizzed on the exit, Matos suggested it was the player who wanted to make the move: "LA came and made an offer, Leo wanted to go. Of course, then after that everyone is happy with that. We are happy to have a player that can have a lot of minutes and value himself and expose himself to that amount of games. Leo was happy to go there to play. LA was really happy to have him, so we all agree on something. Move on."
Asked if Walta had potentially played his last game for Swansea, Matos added: "That's something for LA. Not for us." Those comments suggest a recall is unlikely and point to Matos operating under the assumption that Walta will be heading off. If the midfielder continues to impress in MLS, the Swans boss might have to justify that stance at some point.
