LAFC is finalizing a deal to bring Uruguayan midfielder Francisco Ginella to the MLS club, with an announcement possible as early as Monday evening.

Terms of the contract were not released but the deal was funded with targeted allocation money, meaning its annual value exceeds the MLS maximum salary, which was $530,000 last season.

Ginella, 20, currently plays for the Montevideo Wanderers of the Uruguayan first division and played with the Uruguayan team in last summer’s U-20 World Cup, where he teamed with LAFC forward Brian Rodriguez.

LAFC’s roster also includes 21-year-old Uruguayan Diego Rossi, the team’s second-leading scorer last season, and Colombian Eduard Atuesta, a 22-year-old midfielder, each of whom were signed with the help of former MLS player Juan Pablo Angel, now an LAFC technical consultant and talent evaluator based in South America.


LAFC set an MLS record with 72 points in winning the league’s Supporters’ Shield in 2019. It will begin play this season in mid-February in the CONCACAF Champions League, meeting Leon of Mexico’s Liga MX.