I wrote in 2020 in this feature that Efrain Alvarez was coming off a table-setting season that may pay dividends in the future. We saw some of the results in 2021.
Alvarez, the mercurial attacking midfielder and longtime crown jewel of LA Galaxy prospects, made a leap forward with his professionalism in 2020 and continued those gains this year, and under a new head coach at the Galaxy, showed he deserved regular minutes in a fluid squad.
The season started in a similar way to the last couple, with Alvarez needing to prove his fitness to get on the field.