After a fantastic season in 2024 that saw LA Galaxy win the MLS Cup Final, the expectation heading into 2025 was that the reigning champs would begin right where they had left off, unfortunately, that was not the case whatsoever. 

Riqui Puig being out the entirety of the 2025 season as he spent his season recovering from his Torn ACL that he sustained in November of 2024, did not help. This squad struggled. Bad. 

Los Angeles won their first MLS game on May 31st. 16 games into the season. That’s really bad.

This team scored 23 less goals in comparison to last season & allowed 16 more goals. They struggled both offensively and defensively

With their roster decisions published, LAG will have some roster flexibility. In the offseason guide:

The Positives

Joseph Paintsil remained consistent and showcased why he is a designated player for this roster. Yes, he had five less goal contributions in comparison to last year, however, 15 goal contributions in 2025 (10 goals & 5 assists) are what you expect out of a DP player. Joske was a beam of light that managed to shine through the dark clouds that surrounded this team.

LA Galaxy player of the year Diego Fagundez also shined for the club. With Puig out, Diego filled the midfield role & contributed 6 goals & 3 assists, matching his 9-goal contribution total from last season.

One massive positive for LA was the fact that they were 4th in all of MLS in terms of average possession (54.3%). They trailed only Inter Miami CF (56.9%), Columbus Crew SC (58.8%) & San Diego FC (61.4%). The Galaxy was comfortable on the ball & that's a massive positive.

My most glaring positive — Los Angeles didn’t finish last place in 2025. Also, Riqui Puig will be healthy in 2026.

Though they struggled in MLS — their biggest result was finishing third in leagues cup, which guaranteed the club a spot in the Concacaf Champions Cup for the 2026 season. 

The Negatives

Gabriel Pec struggled. I do believe that it is unfair as I did mention in the positives that Paintsil had 15 goal contributions (as did Pec with 6 goals & 9 assists), however, Pec had 30 last season. So, in total, he contributed half of what he did last year.

Forward Christian Ramirez was also extremely disappointing. Coming in as the replacement for Dejan Joveljic, 4 goals & 1 assists on the year is simply not good enough. LA needs to find a permanent option at striker, especially if U22 forward Matheus Nascimento (on loan) doesn’t return to the club. 

The glaring negative was the fact that the team scored 23 less goals and allowed 16 more goals in comparison last year. They lost 18 games on the year. That’s bad. Looking at the squad, on the offensive side, Riqui Puig missing didn’t help as the squad essentially missed out on 35+ goal contributions (had 17 goals & 18 assists in 2024), however, on the defensive side, not much changed. McCarthy was replaced by Mićović & the backline was rotated occasionally.

Another glaring negative was the fact that this team was woeful at defending set-pieces. The biggest reason they lost to Toluca in the Campeones Cup was set pieces. This isn’t monumental news as the team hasn’t really been great at defending them for 3+ years. Something needs to change

Overall, this team needs better depth pieces. An injury to Riqui Puig cannot be the reason you go from MLS Champions to the 5th worst team in the league.

Roster Flexibility

Los Angeles enters this offseason with very little flexibility. At the moment, the club has three designated players (Riqui Puig, Joseph Paintsil & Gabriel Pec) and have 2 rostered U-22 initiative signings (Julian Aude, Lucas Sanabria). They only have $120,580 in GAM (as of Sept. 18, 2025).

The club announced their year-end roster update, where they announced most contract option decisions.

The glaring moves were that LA Galaxy Player of the Year Diego Fagundez’ option was declined. Fagundez is currently negotiating with the club in regard to a potential return. U22 forward Matheus Nascimento’s loan (from Botafogo) also concluded, however, Galaxy is in talks with the parent club to extend the loan.

Forward Miguel Berry & defender Eriq Zavaleta’s options were also declined.

The club is entering the 2026 season with 25 total players rostered.

Offseason Priorities

Attempt to re-sign Fagundez & determine whether or not they will be able to retain at Nascimento. If they cannot retain Nascimento, will they use their open U22 spot on an impactful player? They’ll also need to determine what positional need is the most glaring.

It’s clear that Gregg Vanney believes that this team doesn’t need a lot of changes and that the 2025 campaign was essentially a fluke. Vanney is confident in this group & has the backing of ownership. Even through the struggling 2025 campaign, he was given a contract extension, so, it’s safe to say that he is here for the future.

This is a playoff team. No questions asked. The biggest goal for this team entering 2026 is remaining healthy and starting the season on the right foot.