Matías Alejandro Laba (born 11 December 1991) is an Argentine footballer who plays as a midfielder for Barracas Central.
 Laba with Unión La Calera in 2019 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Matías Alejandro Laba | ||
| Date of birth | 11 December 1991 | ||
| Place of birth | Villa Raffo, Argentina | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Barracas Central | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Argentinos Juniors | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2010–2013 | Argentinos Juniors | 62 | (0) |
| 2013 | Toronto FC | 17 | (1) |
| 2014–2017 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 113 | (3) |
| 2018 | Estudiantes LP | 1 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | Unión La Calera | 23 | (1) |
| 2020 | Defensa y Justicia | 1 | (0) |
| 2020–2021 | Unión La Calera | 39 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | Central Córdoba SdE | 13 | (0) |
| 2023– | Barracas Central | 2 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2011 | Argentina U20 | 5 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20:08, 3 May 2024 (UTC) | |||
Club career
Laba started his professional career playing for Argentinos Juniors in the 2011 Clausura, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 1–1 draw with Vélez Sársfield.[1] During his first season with the first team, he played a total 14 league games,[2] plus another 4 in the 2011 Copa Libertadores.
After weeks of speculation, it was officially announced on 26 April 2013 that Laba had signed with Toronto FC as a young designated player, the transfer fee was undisclosed but believed to be in the range of $1.5 million.[3] Laba made his debut for Toronto in a 1–0 away loss to Colorado Rapids on 4 May 2013.[4] Laba scored his first goal with Toronto on 4 August 2013, in the second minute of the match against New England Revolution, the match ended in a 1–0 away victory.[5]
After the signings of Designated Players Jermain Defoe, Michael Bradley, and Gilberto, Toronto was above the league limit of three DPs, and were forced to move Laba. On 25 February 2014, Laba was traded by Toronto to the Vancouver Whitecaps FC for future considerations.[6]
Laba scored his first goal for Vancouver in a Voyageurs Cup match vs. FC Edmonton, tucking away the loose ball after a goal mouth scramble.[7] His first MLS goal with Vancouver came against Portland Timbers on 18 July 2015.[8][9] Collecting the ball from midfield, the defense applied no pressure to Laba, allowing him to fire a shot into the bottom corner from 25 yards.[10] He also led MLS in successful tackles in the 2014 season.[11] In April 2017, Laba gave Vancouver Whitecaps a 4–2 victory over LA Galaxy after scoring the last two goals of the match.[12]
On 26 January 2018, Laba signed with Argentine Primera División side Estudiantes.[13]
In 2019, he joined Unión La Calera in the Chilean Primera División, making a total of 26 appearances, including four matches in the Copa Sudamericana.[14]
In January 2020, he returned to the Argentine top tier, signing with Defensa y Justicia.[15]
In November 2020, he returned to Unión La Calera.[16] He left the club at the end of January 2022, after signing with Argentine club Central Córdoba SdE.[17]
International career
In July 2011, Laba was selected to represent the Argentina national under-20 football team at the FIFA U-20 World Cup.[18]
Honours
Argentinos Juniors
Argentina
- Pan American Games Runner-up: 2011
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
References
External links
- Matías Laba at Major League Soccer
- Argentine Primera statistics at Fútbol XXI (in Spanish) at the Wayback Machine (archived 2012-09-04)
- Matías Laba at Soccerway