The Galaxy continued to stumble by their horrible, horrible, no good, very dangerous season final week, taking only a level from two video games towards groups on the perimeter of the playoff race.
That left the reigning MLS champions with only one win and 9 factors from 20 video games. In the event that they proceed at this tempo, they’ll set modern-era league data for many losses and fewest factors whereas shattering just about each staff file for futility.
The staff has accomplished little to assist itself off the pitch both. Whereas LAFC and Angel Metropolis, Southern California’s two different professional soccer groups, have been fast to situation statements standing with followers throughout final month’s heavy-handed immigration raids, the Galaxy’s silence was deafening.
That timidity angered two of the staff’s essential supporters teams, who canceled viewing events, journey to street matches and different game-related occasions. The typical attendance of 21,594, in response to worldfootball.web, is off greater than 17% from final yr and is the Galaxy’s lowest for a non-COVID season since 2014.
Then there’s the coach, Greg Vanney, who took the staff to a title after one of many worst seasons in franchise historical past in 2023, however is digging properly under these depths this season.
It’s a plunge from grace with only one precedent within the historical past of U.S. professional sports activities: the 1998 Florida Marlins, who gained only a third of their video games and completed a distant final a yr after profitable their first World Collection. But in some ways the Galaxy’s demise is way worse.
In 1998, the Marlins surrendered earlier than the season began, returning simply two starters from their championship staff. The Galaxy nonetheless have 10 of the 14 gamers they utilized in December’s MLS Cup ultimate.
The Galaxy have provided numerous excuses…er, explanations…for his or her humiliating demise, none of which maintain a lot water.
Earlier than the season had ever began, the staff was saying bonuses and different prices related to the championship had made the worth of victory too excessive underneath the stingy MLS wage cap. To get underneath the cap, the Galaxy needed to commerce MLS Cup MVP Gastón Brugman, midfielder Mark Delgado, defender Jalen Neal and ahead Dejan Joveljic, the main scorer within the playoffs.
However each MLS Cup winner has needed to make comparable modifications and three of the earlier eight champions returned to the title recreation the next yr. All however one of many eight posted a profitable file.
Subsequent the Galaxy blamed accidents, particularly the torn anterior cruciate ligament that has stored midfielder Riqui Puig, the staff’s greatest participant, out all season. However Puig was injured in final November’s Western Convention ultimate and the staff gained the MLS Cup with out him. The Galaxy additionally had the entire offseason to interchange him.
It’s true {that a} rash of accidents early within the season sidelined greater than half a dozen starters at one time or one other. However different groups had accidents too and even when the Galaxy have been at full power, as they’ve been for many of the schedule, they haven’t gained.
So when went flawed and the way can it’s mounted? The primary query is less complicated to reply than the second.
The Galaxy had a magical yr in 2024, going unbeaten at Dignity Well being Sports activities Park and matching a modern-era franchise data for wins with 19. Each key participant had arguably the most effective season of his profession. 4 of them — Joveljic, Puig, Gabriel Pec and Joseph Paintsil — completed in double digits for targets. That had by no means occurred in MLS.
Nor had it ever occurred for 2 of the 4 gamers. Earlier than final season, solely Paintsil and Joveljic had scored greater than eight targets in a season. Actually, Pec’s 16 targets in 2024 was double his earlier greatest and his 12 assists have been thrice higher.
This season Pec and Paintsil have mixed for 4 scores and three assists, as many targets as they scored collectively in a single playoff recreation final fall.
And so they weren’t the one ones far exceeding expectations.
Captain Maya Yoshida began all 39 MLS matches, together with playoffs, final yr and led the league in minutes performed. Each figures have been profession highs; he’s missed 5 begins already this season.
Goalkeeper John McCarthy began a career-high 37 video games, stopped almost 74% of the pictures he confronted — his greatest mark in a season with greater than 11 MLS begins — and had a 1.41 goals-against common.
He’s misplaced his beginning job this season.
It’s commonplace for a championship staff to see a number of gamers have breakout seasons on the identical time. What’s uncommon is the Galaxy have seen a number of essential gamers have career-worst seasons on the identical time.
McCarthy’s save share is underneath 60% for the primary time in a decade and his goals-against common of two.36 is a profession worst. Pec and Paintsil are on tempo for his or her fewest objective contributions since 2021-22. And Colombian middle again Emiro Garcés has change into extra a legal responsibility than an asset.
In consequence, the staff has the fewest wins, has given up probably the most targets and has the worst objective differential within the league.
Then there’s Vanney. A defender on the Galaxy’s unique staff in 1996, Vanney coached Toronto FC to the one treble in MLS historical past in 2017, then returned to L.A. in 2021 charged with reviving a staff that had made one playoff look in 5 seasons. As an alternative he has a dropping file in four-plus seasons and in 2023 he had the worst full season for a Galaxy coach, profitable simply eight video games, a file he figures to shatter this season.
But the staff rewarded him with a multiyear contract extension in mid-Might, when the Galaxy have been 0-10-3. It’s arduous to think about one other staff in a first-tier league anyplace on the planet giving a coach with a winless file a three-year contract extension.
In some ways this season is paying homage to 2023, when the supporters organized boycotts and paid to have banners flown over the stadium calling for the sacking of president Chris Klein and technical director Jovan Kirovski. Amid the turmoil, the Galaxy matched a full-season franchise low in wins however in addition they changed Klein and Kirovski with basic supervisor Will Kuntz, who gained an MLS Cup in his first full season with the membership. It was the most important one-season turnaround in MLS historical past.
So what will be accomplished to repair that this time? Apparently little or no as a result of Kuntz has a lot much less room to maneuver now than he did then.
The Galaxy payroll of $22.9 million is fifth-highest in MLS and all three of his designated gamers — Puig, Pec and Paintsil — are signed by the 2027 season, as is Julian Aude, an under-22 initiative signing.
The Galaxy are hoping Puig’s anticipated return late this summer time sparks at the least a modest revival however that gained’t be sufficient since Paintsil more and more appears misplaced, his confidence shattered, and newcomers Matheus Nascimento and Lucas Sanabria have thus far did not dwell as much as their promise.
If the Galaxy had a magic season in 2024, this one has been cursed. And it’s a spell that exhibits no signal of lifting.
