We talked about it when we took a look at defender Sergi Palencia, but the best thing you can see from a player is improvement. Palencia’s fellow defender, Aaron Long, is another such player. 2024 was the second year in the black & gold for Long, and it was a year that saw him improve everywhere, as well as off the field, seemingly taking on a leadership role within the LAFC squad.
Make it 3⃣
What a finish from Aaron Long 🚀#SKCvLAFC 0-3 pic.twitter.com/yfcrKRYAba
— LAFC (@LAFC) October 6, 2024
It only took a season, but coming into year two with Los Angeles, Long was already a leader amongst the team. One of the longer tenured MLS vets, but also a player that had proven himself in the fire, and 2024 was no different for the American defender. Long made 29 MLS regular season appearances, with 28 starts, tallying the most minutes for an LAFC defender at 2377.
Long had his best career season in distribution, finishing the year with 90% passing success percentage, with just under 1400 passes. While he didn’t come up with an assist in league play, he did contribute offensively with a goal for the LA side with an absolute banger against Sporting Kansas City.
Vintage Aaron Long 😅 pic.twitter.com/jw0syGdV9O
— LAFC (@LAFC) October 8, 2024
The only category Long failed to improve in this season was clearances, finishing the year with 59, fewer than the 74 he had the year previous. Still, a lot of that could be down to the fact there wasn’t much to clear with the club keeping one of the better goal concession records over the course of the season. Long finished the year with 66 aerial duel wins, winning 71% of said duels this year. Past the stats, Long was one of those players that not only cemented his place amongst the starters and regular rotation, he is a player that established himself as a leader within the team. Often times it was Long wearing the Captain’s armband, and it’s something he no doubt will look to continue in 2025. With a fair amount of turnover happening in the squad this offseason, a player like Long can be invaluable as you look for players to help the new arrivals in understanding the standard, and knowing the level of play required. Here is to an even bigger 2025 for Long, after what was already a massive 2024.
Thoughts on Aaron Long? Leave a comment below!