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Galaxy striving for giant leap back into contention

February 18, 2026

The Galaxy have had more ups and downs recently than your favorite rollercoaster.

The Galaxy qualified for the MLS playoffs in 2022 and fell flat in 2023 near the bottom of the league, only to rise in 2024 and win their sixth MLS Cup.

And then came last season, when the Galaxy fell back toward the bottom of the league.

The curtain raises on 2026 this week, Thursday in CONCACAF Champions Cup and Sunday in league play.

“For me, I’m always forward looking,” Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said. “I think the one thing about our sport is there’s always a game the next week. There’s always a new season where you’re hitting the reset button and you’re going again. I think reflection has been a part of it (the last few seasons), but for me, I tend to continue to look forward.

“We’ve learned a lot. Learning a lot about different things, from our roster build and the pieces that we need to try to be our version of what we think we need to be successful, to how to use the different parts that we have, trying to develop the pieces inside of our team. It’s had plenty of challenges. I feel like a lot of things, over the last 12-14 months haven’t felt super settled, so I feel like in my mind, I’ve been trying to adapt a lot to different things, instead of like, ‘OK, here we are, this is the group and there’s that consistency that you can build with a group.’”

The Galaxy struggled from the outset last season. The club opened the season with a 16-game winless streak and quickly became an afterthought in the Western Conference.

A big reason for last season’s problems came from the absence of Riqui Puig. After an MVP-caliber 2024 season, the star midfielder missed all of 2025 as he recovered from an ACL injury sustained in the 2024 Western Conference final.

Unfortunately for the Galaxy and Puig, he will also miss the 2026 season after undergoing another ACL surgery last month.

Vanney believes last season’s lessons and experiences have the team in a better state this season, even without their dynamic midfielder.

“We have young players who are further along than they were a year ago when they joined us,” Vanney said. “That’s a big, big thing because we were going to rely on those young players, like Lucas (Sanabria) and Elijah (Wynder) having to replace not just Riqui, but Mark Delgado and Gaston (Brugman). Now, those guys are a year along, more mature, have a better understanding and are settled in here.

“This year, we’ve got guys who are MLS vets, guys who are going to be added to our roster, who are not going to surprised by anything that they encounter inside of MLS … so we’re further along. We have a year of playing without Riqui, to having a sense of what’s that going to be like. You can’t replace Riqui, but you do have to evolve a little bit and you have to become another version of maybe what you want to do without that one guy who can do some silly things, just individually, that can unlock the opposition.”

The Galaxy went into the offseason with a plan that centered predominantly on MLS acquisitions and shoring up a leaky backline that allowed 66 goals. Arriving are former MLS Defender of the Year and two-time Best XI selection Jakob Glesnes from the Philadelphia Union and defensive midfielder Justin Haak via free agency.

When asked earlier this offseason why were those the first two targets, general manager Will Kuntz put it simply: “Goals allowed.”

“We’re excited about having Jakob and Justin here,” Kuntz added. “Those are two really solid MLS veterans, proven playoff experience, big-game experience.”

Going forward, the Galaxy brought in João Klauss (St. Louis CITY SC) and Erik Thommy (Sporting Kansas City). Klauss scored 10 goals last season and joins Joseph Paintsil and Gabriel Pec for what should be a dangerous attack.

The question is who is supplying them the ball. As of now, the lead playmaking role falls to Marco Reus, who is starting his second full season. Reus appeared in 21 games last season (five goals, seven assists). Thommy can also fill that role.

“I want Marco to provide us with the experience and leadership that he has and the wisdom that he has and keep imparting that on the group,” Vanney said. “He’s done a wonderful job through preseason of connecting with individuals … I don’t think he’s missed a day of training. I do think we have to be a little mindful of his minutes and that we don’t grind him down early. But at the same time, he brings a unique skill set to the equation for us that we don’t really have.”

One difference in this year’s team is the roster depth the Galaxy have built. It certainly will be put to a test early, with four games in 10 days to start, but throughout the season, aside the MLS season, the Galaxy are only competing in Champions Cup.

“Coming into preseason, we knew the games were going to come fast and we’re going to have a busy schedule (early),” midfielder Edwin Cerrillo said. “From the start, I think we set the standard, that we’re going to need everybody, whether we rotate (lineups), whether we have different game plans, everybody needs to be on their toes.

“We have a lot of guys that still here from last year and knowing what that (last year) felt like, it’s really important get off to a great start this year. Every year is a new year, from the first day guys were locked in, knowing that you’ve got to play with a chip on your shoulder.”

CONCACAF Champions Cup

Who: Galaxy at Sporting San Miguelito

When: 5 p.m. PT Thursday

Where: Estadio Javier Cruz; Panama City, Panama

How to watch: FS1

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Galaxy striving for giant leap back into contention

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