 Laba withUnión La Calera in 2019 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Matías Alejandro Laba | ||
| Date of birth | (1991-12-11)11 December 1991 (age 33) | ||
| Place of birth | Villa Raffo, Argentina | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Defensores de Belgrano | ||
| 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) |
| 2023–2024 | Barracas Central | 2 | (0) |
| 2024– | Defensores de Belgrano | 35 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2011 | Argentina U20 | 5 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 17:58, 25 July 2025 (UTC) | |||
Matías Alejandro Laba (born 11 December 1991) is an Argentinefootballer who plays as amidfielder forDefensores de Belgrano.
Laba started his professional career playing forArgentinos Juniors in the2011 Clausura, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 1–1 draw withVélez Sársfield.[1] During his first season with the first team, he played a total 14 league games,[2] plus another 4 in the2011 Copa Libertadores.
After weeks of speculation, it was officially announced on 26 April 2013 that Laba had signed withToronto FC as ayoung 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 toColorado Rapids on 4 May 2013.[4] Laba scored his first goal with Toronto on 4 August 2013, in the second minute of the match againstNew England Revolution, the match ended in a 1–0 away victory.[5]
After the signings of Designated PlayersJermain Defoe,Michael Bradley, andGilberto, 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 theVancouver 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 againstPortland 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 overLA Galaxy after scoring the last two goals of the match.[12]
On 26 January 2018, Laba signed withArgentine Primera División sideEstudiantes.[13]
In 2019, he joinedUnión La Calera in theChilean Primera División, making a total of 26 appearances, including four matches in theCopa Sudamericana.[14]
In January 2020, he returned to the Argentine top tier, signing withDefensa 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 clubCentral Córdoba SdE.[17]
In July 2011, Laba was selected to represent theArgentina national under-20 football team at theFIFA U-20 World Cup.[18]
Argentinos Juniors
Argentina
Vancouver Whitecaps FC