LAFC fans have been screaming for midfield depth all off-season. Co-President and General Manager John Thorrington has answered.
First came Timothy Tillman, who hit the ground running with two goals in his first four starts. Now, Mateusz Bogusz.
The 21-year-old attacking midfielder is heading to Los Angeles on a permanent transfer from Premier League club Leeds United. He spent the past two seasons on loan in the Spanish Segundo (Second) Division, with major ups and downs. As a result, there are a lot of questions about what the Polish youth international can bring to the defending MLS Cup Champions.
To me, he looks like the perfect José Cifuentes replacement.
While he is not slacking in defensive responsibility, Mateusz Bogusz is certainly an attack-minded midfielder. He recorded 4 goals and 6 assists in 20 games during his breakout season in 2021/22 for UD Ibiza in La Liga 2. He was on track to be a Premier League player with a return to Leeds United in the 2022/23 season before an ACL injury ended his breakout season halfway through.
After returning from injury and beginning the 2022/23 Ibiza season with 2 assists in 22 matches, only half of which were starts, it was clear a permanent move was on the cards for Bogusz. His loan at UD Ibiza was cut short, as he returned to Leeds with a goal of heading to MLS.
At Ibiza, Bogusz was deployed in multiple positions, depending on the needs of the team. In the youth national team, however, he is prioritized. For Poland’s U21s, he has 4 goals and 7 assists in 18 games since 2019. He wears the #10 jersey for the U21s, playing his most natural position of attacking midfield.
LAFC seems to favor this young, attack-minded midfielder profile, with José Cifuentes (24) and Timothy Tillman (24) fitting the same description. On the surface, Timothy Tillman is the best comparison. Both are recent signings, fitting the previously mentioned profile, coming from second-division European leagues where they weren’t the star players.
Positionally, however, Jose Cifuentes is the better comparison. In preseason, as well as at moments thus far in the regular season, Steve Cherundolo has pushed José Cifuentes into the front line late in games. This is due to just how attack-focused Cifuentes is.
Similarly, Bogusz has shown versatility at UD Ibiza to play as a second striker or move out to the left wing. I would describe both as natural attacking midfielders (#10) who fit into the #8 at LAFC. Bogusz, likely even more than Cifuentes, has the ability to play in the front line as well, especially from the left side. Both players also love to shoot from distance and take set pieces.
The free-kick line is getting quite long at BMO Stadium, it must be said.
Looking at his heatmap, we can see he favors coming off the left side onto that lethal right shooting boot. Kellyn Acosta (as shown below) has a very similar heatmap. With Cifuentes and Tillman preferring to play off the right, this works out perfectly. Bogusz can provide the rotation on the left side of midfield for Kellyn Acosta, allowing him to rest, or drop into the defensive midfielder (#6) role, allowing Ilie Sánchez to rest.
With 0.6 possessions won in the final third per 90 minutes during his breakout 2021/22 season (per Sofascore), it’s obvious Bogusz also fits the LAFC pressing style. He recorded a clever assist for UD Ibiza through a well-timed high-press against CF Fuenlabrada to begin 2022. It was the start of a three-game span that saw him record one goal and four assists leading directly into his previously mentioned injury.
There’s no question. The scouting department did their research with Mateusz Bogusz.
It’s also important to remember that he will be a permanent transfer on a four-year contract through 2026, with a Club option for 2027. With José Cifuentes very likely on his way to Europe in the summer and Kellyn Acosta’s contract up at the end of the year, the future of the LAFC midfield was up in the air. Timothy Tillman and Mateusz Bogusz seem to have changed that. With his potential, at only 21 years old, Bogusz could be a key piece of LAFC for years to come.
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