Galaxy look to balance optimism and frustration
Coming off of last season's return to the MLS Cup playoffs, the Galaxy should have entered the third season under Greg Vanney riding the wave of optimism.
Instead, there's a mix of optimism and frustration hovering as the 2023 season finally kicks off Saturday at FC Dallas.
The optimism stems from how the Galaxy finished last season. A late regular-season run, coinciding with the arrival of midfielders Gaston Brugman and Riqui Puig, saw the Galaxy post a fourth-place finish in the Western Conference and advance to the Western Conference semifinals before losing to LAFC.
“We finished last season having found a formula and a way of playing and a system and we were probably the in-form team heading into the playoffs,” Galaxy goalkeeper Jonathan Bond said. “I felt like the game that we got knocked out against LAFC could have gone either way. It was tight margins and it went to stoppage time.
“We win that game, we could have ended up getting to the MLS Cup final . ... It's about really for us putting together more of a consistent season, looking at the Supporters' Shield, we need to focus on the league season and try to finish near the top and try to be as consistent as we can be.”
Last season, the Galaxy advanced to the playoffs for first time since 2019. Trying to build off of that has been the focal point this offseason, but it hasn't been smooth.
And that's where the frustrations enter the story.
As preparation for the season began, the Supporters Group released a joint statement in January saying it would boycott following the news that team president Chris Klein had received a contract extension.
In December, the Galaxy was fined $1 million in future General Allocation Money by Major League Soccer and banned from bringing international players in during the Summer Transfer Window due to 2019 salarycap violations in the signing of Cristian Pavon. Klein was suspended by the league and will return at the end of the Primary Transfer Window in April.
“I know the supporters have been dealing with issues with the front office,” defender Raheem Edwards said. “I know the past couple of years have been very, very difficult for them and I'm not faulting them for that. I know
Galaxy goalkeeper Jonathan Bond says the team found a formula for success late last season.
how it feels to be a supporter. I'm a supporter of a different club, of a club overseas, and I know how it is. But the guys, us players, we depend on the supporters so much.
“So I don't know if it's a cry for help, but I'm definitely saying, `We need your help.'”
Whether the stands at Dignity Health Sports Park are full or not, the goal for the Galaxy this season is consistency.
“At the end of the day, we're focusing on what we need to do,” midfielder Mark Delgado said. “The product on the field is what betters everything around the club, with the fans, and we want to make everyone proud, right? So we have to be focused on our jobs, progressing as a group, getting results and representing the club as best as possible. That's kind of where our head is at.”
The roster build has been methodical. Early in the offseason, the Galaxy signed defender Chris Mavinga and midfielder Jose “Memo” Rodriguez. Winger Tyler Boyd has been a late addition, along with defensive midfielder Uri Rosell.
Defender Julian Araujo has been transferred to Barcelona FC. To replace him, the club has signed defender Lucas Calegari from Fluminense. He will occupy a U22 Initiative roster slot. Also, the club moved Riqui Puig into a Designated Player slot that was occupied by Kevin Cabral, who has been traded to Colorado.
Vanney, who has taken on the Sporting Director role, has been leading the building of the roster.
“Once we knew what we were managing or dealing with as it came to the sanctions, it was to quickly have a plan to try to get back to at least neutral,” Vanney said. “Then it was,
Saturday: Galaxy at Dallas, 5:30p.m., Apple TV
`How do you create a plan to make this team better?' Then everything gets fast-forwarded a little bit because you don't have Summer window, that means things have to happen now and we have to do the best we can to be precise and make good decisions.
“With our young players like Johnny Perez, Jalen (Neal) and those guys who are taking another step forward this year and the guys that we continue to add, I think the group will have depth, I think the group will have quality and I think there is clarity inside of what we're doing on the field now since this is year three for a lot of guys who have been around.”
Not only is there the 34-game regular season, but teams will also compete in the expanded Leagues Cup, where MLS will pause for a month in July and into August, and the U.S. Open Cup. What's more, the MLS Cup playoffs have expanded, with nine teams per conference advancing.
“If we stay healthy and get the pieces we're trying to get, I feel like we have the depth to be contending in all these different competitions,” Vanney said. “There's a lot of minutes and a lot of opportunities for our entire roster. That's one thing that guys have to understand, if you're not chosen one day, you have to be ready for the next one because things are coming fast.”
Consistency has been one trait the Galaxy has lacked in previous years. Vanney is looking for that to change this season.
“For us, it is continuing to take steps forward as a group,” Vanney said. “Ultimately winning a championship is another step for us. Again, competing another step further in some of these over events, competing for championships in one of these other events as well. I would like to see us in (CONCACAF) Champions League next year, I think we're a club that should be present inside Champions League year in and year out, that should be an objective for us.
“I think we should be ultimately closer to the Supporters' Shield race, if not at the top of the Supporters' Shield race. I think that shows the consistency that we want to get out of our group over the course of 34 games (regular season) ... to have less ups and downs and have more consistency over the whole season.”