Champs to Chumps: What Happened to the LA Galaxy?
Image courtesy of NBC News.
By Griffin Cappiello
In 2024, the LA Galaxy took Major League Soccer (MLS) by storm. The MLS originals, led by ex-Barcelona midfielder Riqui Puig, finished second in the Western Conference and went undefeated at home on their way to winning their sixth MLS Cup, extending their record for most Cup wins by a franchise.
In 2025, however, the story couldn’t be more different. With Riqui Puig out for the season with an ACL tear, the team won a measly seven games and finished second-to-last in the Western Conference.
This type of championship hangover is uncommon in MLS, so what happened? In short, the perfect storm of misfortune hit the Galaxy, and they were never able to recover.
Firstly, it should be noted that MLS roster rules and regulations are excessively complicated; they are unlike any other professional sports league in the US or abroad. For instance, the salary bonuses awarded to Galaxy players for winning the 2024 MLS Cup would count against the salary cap in 2025, greatly restricting the already-small amount MLS teams are permitted to spend.
LA Galaxy general manager Will Kuntz was forced to make some tough decisions regarding roster moves. MLS Cup MVP Gastón Brugman, midfielder Mark Delgado, Homegrown defender Jalen Neal, and leading goalscorer Dejan Jovelijić were traded to other MLS clubs, while veteran defender Martín Cáceres was not re-signed. Even club captain Maya Yoshida, who played in every game in 2024 and lifted the MLS Cup for the Galaxy, was forced to take a pay cut in order to remain with the team.
The perfect storm continued with the new players the Galaxy was able to bring into the club. The players that the Galaxy brought in to start the 2024 campaign lit up the league; Designated Players (DPs) Gabriel Pec and Joseph Paintsil each scored double-digit goals. In 2025, extensive road trips made it difficult for players to get acclimated with the team.
Midfielder Elijah Wynder, who joined the Galaxy from the USL Championship’s (USLC) Louisville City FC for the largest fee received by a USLC club in a domestic transfer, didn’t find his bearings until the second half of the season. U22 Initiative midfielder Lucas Sanabria started strong, but fell out of favor with head coach Greg Vanny, while U22 forward Mateus Nascimento showed flashes of promise, but battled injuries throughout the season.
Injuries were another common theme in 2025 for the Galaxy. Star player Riqui Puig tore his ACL in the 2024 Western Conference Final and missed the MLS Cup Final and the entirety of the 2025 season. Paintsil started the 2025 campaign with an injury, leaving the Galaxy with only one DP to start the season, and the Galaxy’s highest-paid non-DP player, German soccer legend Marco Reus, struggled with injuries throughout the season.
It is difficult to win in MLS without your best players, and with three of the Galaxy’s four highest-paid players out with injuries to start the season, and only one of the team’s top four highest-scoring players available for selection, the 2025 season was off to a rough start.
The Galaxy could not find a win in MLS play until halfway through the season, on Matchday 17. The back half of the 2025 season showed promise for the Galaxy, including a strong Leagues Cup campaign that ended with a third-place finish, but it was too little too late; the Galaxy’s slow start hindered their ability to rally on the back end of the season to make a playoff push.
With the conclusion of the 2025 MLS regular season, the Galaxy now have their sights set on 2026. The 6-time MLS Cup champions are set to compete in MLS, the US Open Cup, and the CONCACAF Champions Cup, providing three opportunities for the club to win trophies. As the team prepares for the upcoming campaign, Galaxy fans can put the horrors of the 2025 season behind them; the Galaxy (hopefully) can’t do worse next year.
