The Galaxy will finally be able to close out the 2025 season Saturday.
The next step will be forgetting about it.
“It’s broadly been a disappointing year,” Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said. “There is some bitterness coming down at the end and not having a chance to play to get into the playoffs.
“I think we certainly found more stability over the second half of the season. If we could have done in the first half, just what we’ve done in the second half … I’ve counted it out, we would probably be sitting at 48 points, which is good for fifth (in the Western Conference). But we had just a bad start. We didn’t get stability early, busy schedule, all of that. We just didn’t get results early and we are where we are.”
Just months after winning their sixth MLS Cup in December, the Galaxy began their 2025 regular season with a 16-game winless streak (0-12-4), with their first win eventually coming May 31.
By then, the Galaxy were far behind the ninth and final playoff spot in the West, forcing the team to turn its focus toward the Leagues Cup.
To their credit, the Galaxy did play a lot better over the second half, eventually finishing third in the Leagues Cup and securing a CONCACAF Champions Cup spot for next season.
“The focus is on trying to finish strong, finishing with strong character,” said Vanney, who had his contract extended in May despite a 0-10-3 start. “We’re at home, competing against a very good team. It’s putting out our best performance, here in the end, and trying to go into the offseason with that at least, somewhat positive, and then starting the mechanisms that go to start to prepare for next year, but we want to finish off strong Saturday.”
Saturday will not be the last game in 2025 for the Galaxy. The club recently announced a friendly Nov. 15 against Liga MX’s Club America at Dignity Health Sports Park. The question everyone has is will this be the chance for Riqui Puig to get back on the field. Puig suffered an ACL injury in the last year’s Western Conference final and has sat out the entire regular season. Vanney said the game is a target, but it could be a wishful target.
“He’s chomping at the bit to get going more (in training),” Vanney said of Puig. “He’s been integrating a little bit more into training over the last couple of weeks. We’re going to do this based on the schedule that makes sense and timeline it makes sense for Riqui and not anything else.”
The Galaxy will finish with their worst point total of all-time for a full regular season. The 2017 team held the current record at 32 points in a 34-game season. The 2020 season, which was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Galaxy managed just 22 points, but that was in a 22-game season.
Last week, FC Dallas needed a win to qualify for the MLS playoffs, but the Galaxy handed them a 2-1 defeat. This week, Minnesota United is in fourth place, but could move as high as second in the Western Conference.
“I think everybody wanted to make sure that we weren’t (finishing) in last (in the league) and I think the numbers already kind of say that we’re not going to be,” Galaxy midfielder Diego Fagundez said. “It would be nice to make another statement and say, look, we still have a lot of fight in us and we can finish this year strong. And I think that’s what everybody wants.
“If you look at the last 15 games, if you start off the season the same way we’re ending right now, maybe you’re in sixth or seventh (in the Western Conference). So it’s kind of frustrating, but at the same time, there’s players fighting for contracts, there’s players fighting for spots, so there’s still a lot to play for.”
Pair selected for U-17 World Cup
Galaxy Academy products Enrique Martinez and Mateo Tsakiris were selected to the U.S. U-17 FIFA World Cup roster.
The competition will take place Nov. 3-27 in Qatar. The U.S. will face Burkina Faso (Nov. 5), Tajikistan (Nov. 8) and Czechia (Nov. 11) in group action.
Mathis Albert (El Segundo), who moved from the Academy last year to Borussia Dortmund in Germany, was also named to the roster.
MINNESOTA UNITED FC at GALAXY
When: 6 p.m. Saturday
Where: Dignity Health Sports Park
How to watch: Apple TV (MLS Season Pass)