The Los Angeles Galaxy made historical past in December once they beat the New York Purple Bulls 2-1 within the Main League Soccer Cup remaining. The win delivered the Galaxy their league-leading sixth title and solidified Los Angeles’ standing as considered one of North America’s most interesting groups.
“That is form of the stamp that we’re again,” Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said after lifting the trophy, per ESPN’s Cesar Hernandez. “We have confirmed, I feel, that we’re again as a corporation.”
Vanney, whose group hasn’t gained an MLS sport because the title sport, might remorse these phrases now. In 2025, the Galaxy (0-9-3) are winless and have a league-worst purpose differential of -20. They capped a traditionally unhealthy title protection on Saturday with a 7-0 loss to New York.
A collapse like this is not simply unhealthy luck. The whole lot goes improper for the Galaxy at each degree of the group. Listed below are just a few lowlights:
The entrance line is sidelined by accidents
Riqui Puig, the Galaxy’s Spanish talisman, suffered a torn ACL throughout final season’s playoff run and will not be wholesome till effectively into this fall. The Galaxy knew this and had time to plan for his absence. What L.A. did not know — and actually could not have recognized — was that its different key attackers, Ghanaian winger Joseph Paintsil and Brazilian winger Gabriel Pec, would endure accidents, too.
The absence of Puig, Paintsil and Pec, coupled with the offseason sale of striker Dejan Joveljic to Sporting Kansas Metropolis, has rocked the group. The 4 gamers scored 54 targets mixed through the 2024 common season.
The gamers tasked with changing that entrance line merely aren’t delivering
The Galaxy signed German legend Marco Reus to cowl for Puig as an attacking playmaker, however the 35-year-old is unable to compete in MLS. He has solely two targets in seven video games this season and is effectively off Puig’s white-hot 2024 tempo (13 targets).
However whereas Reus has attracted loads of criticism from followers and pundits, it is Diego Fagundez who actually deserves their ire. Fagundez is 30 and an MLS lifer. He is aware of this league effectively and has no excuse for his lack of purpose contributions this season (just one in 12 video games).
The Galaxy’s protection is not clicking
How unhealthy is the Galaxy’s again line this season? Let’s rely the methods:
- Goalkeepers John McCarthy and Novak Micovic have mixed for a league-worst save proportion regardless of going through fewer photographs than most goaltenders.
- The Galaxy’s defenders have a league-worst file on tackles and interceptions.
- The Galaxy’s defenders have recovered the ball from giveaways twice in 2025, and so they’ve mixed for the second-most errors (13) within the league.
It makes for grim studying, would not it? To be truthful, the Galaxy’s protection wasn’t stellar in 2025, however the 54 targets scored by Puig, Paintsil, Pec and Joveljic helped offset that.
In maybe the group’s lowest second of the season, the Galaxy lost May 4 to Sporting Kansas City without allowing a shot on goal.
Poor Edwin Cerrillo is a midfield island
Vanney has shuffled his midfield a whopping eight occasions this season to guard his struggling protection. American midfielder Cerrillo, the one participant who has survived all eight modifications, has been compelled to work with a revolving door of companions within the middle of the park. He is carried out admirably underneath the circumstances, however the shuffling is just not optimum for him.
The Galaxy will return to MLS play on Wednesday (Might 14) on the Philadelphia Union (7-3-2).
