Football Season Guide

After the fairytale of their MLS Cup triumph in 2024, last season turned into a complete nightmare for LA Galaxy. No wins from their opening sixteen matches was the worst start by any reigning champions in the history of the league. A combination of bad luck, poor transfer business and key players losing form all contributed. Star man Riqui Puig going down with an ACL injury before the 2024 MLS Cup final can be viewed as the moment the house of cards started to fall. The Galaxy were still able to lift the trophy without him, but it was always going to be much harder to cope over the course of a full season. Puig adds a completely different dimension to the team when he’s on the field and they struggled desperately without him. Hope that he might return before the end of 2025 quickly dissipated and the Spanish midfielder has now suffered the crushing setback of having to go back under the knife. Another ACL surgery will keep him out for the second straight year! Not only is he unlikely to play for the Galaxy again, but his career as a whole could also be in jeopardy. Puig wasn’t the only player that was missed. The heart of the title-winning team was almost entirely ripped out. Gaston Brugman and Marky Delgado were unsung heroes in the midfield who gave Puig the freedom to work his magic. Both departed along with top scorer Dejan Joveljić who left for salary cap reasons. None of them were replaced adequately, and the Galaxy were often forced to rely on youngsters. The players that were expected to step up in 2025 dropped off instead. Gabriel Pec looked unrecognisable at times, after the electric performances of his debut season. Fellow winger Joseph Paintsil also suffered a dramatic dip in form. Off-field issues seemed to affect captain Maya Yoshida as the team conceded a staggering 66 goals in the league. Mathias “Zanka” Jørgensen was once considered a decent defender in Europe but was a total disaster after arriving at the club and has now left after one season. Recruitment for 2026 has looked a lot better on paper as the club have targeted players with MLS experience. Jakob Glesnes and Justin Haak have been brought in to tighten up the defence. Erik Thommy brings technical quality and a genuine goal threat from midfield, whilst João Klauss is the exactly the profile of striker that the Galaxy could’ve used last season to replace Joveljić. Greg Vanney will lead the team for the sixth consecutive season. The head coach was surprisingly given a new contract in the midst of that abysmal start to the last campaign and the pressure will be on him to turn it around this year. There are reasons for supporters to be optimistic. The Galaxy had a horrible 2023 and Vanney was able to transform them into champions within twelve months. Could lightning strike twice?