The end of the MLS secondary transfer window was a story of the rich getting richer.



Runaway league leaders LAFC made one of the more expensive deals in league history shortly before the window closed on Wednesday night, dipping back into the Peñarol pool — they bought Diego Rossi from the Uruguayan club ahead of the start of the 2018 season — to sign 19-year-old attacker Brian Rodriguez for an $8 million transfer fee.



Rodriguez fits the mold for LAFC, who, apart from Carlos Vela, have gone young with their designated player signings. He’s inexperienced — he only played 18 league matches for Peñarol — but is a serious talent, with several technical staffers who scouted him for other MLS clubs describing him as slightly better and more versatile than Rossi. Capable of playing as a striker or on the wing, he’ll give LAFC’s potent attack another dangerous option. Thanks to their stellar form, he should...