Gareth Bale was mostly a spectator last season as he watched Real Madrid secure a La Liga-Champions League double. It looks like history may repeat itself in MLS.
Heralded as a game-changing signing when he arrived at Los Angeles FC midseason, Bale has once again struggled for fitness and mostly watched his team succeed on the pitch without him.
At a mega-club like Real Madrid, success without Bale was hardly surprising. But winning a Supporters’ Shield and reaching MLS Cup with Bale as a relative non-factor wasn’t really part of the plan for LAFC.
“It just goes to show what an amazing team we have,” LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo said of not using Bale and still wiping the floor with Austin FC in Sunday’s Western Conference final.
While Cherundolo had a point, it still wasn’t supposed to be this way.
Bale needed to build up his fitness after signing with LAFC. He had, after all, just completed a season in Spain filled with injuries. But rather than building up, Bale’s fitness plateaued. And then it turned downwards yet again.
Bale has played just 347 minutes for LAFC, starting two of his 12 total appearances. He’s shown flashes of his talent, but he looks consigned to spend the rest of his career battling against his own body.
For LAFC, Bale’s absence hasn’t been much of a problem. Carlos Vela, Chicho Arango and late-season addition Denis Bouanga have carried the load in attack.
For Wales, though, it may be a different story.
Bale may just have retired after last season had Wales not reached its first World Cup since 1958. But the 33-year-old wasn’t about to miss the chance to captain Wales in Qatar. And so after leaving Madrid, he needed a new team fast.
The World Cup kicks off in three weeks, and Bale has played five minutes since mid-September. It’s past time for Wales to be concerned.
Prior to LAFC’s game against Austin, Cherundolo said there was “no more injury to report” regarding Bale, who missed the previous game against the LA Galaxy.
But that doesn’t tell the full story. Univision reporter Michele Giannone clarified the situation on Sunday, saying Bale has “been training in full for a few days now, but the abductor issue he’s been dealing with doesn’t allow him to strike the ball with full force and complete comfort yet.”
After the win over Austin, Cherundolo said Bale “is ready to go if need be.”
Right now, it looks like LAFC simply doesn’t need Bale. Wales may not have that luxury.
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