Perhaps the only thing possible of slowing down the Galaxy will be the days off before the start of the MLS playoffs.
Heading into Saturday’s final regular-season home game, the Galaxy has scored 66 goals, the second most in the league. The Galaxy can clinch the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference with a win and either a loss or draw by LAFC against Sporting Kansas City.
The Galaxy is the first team in MLS history with four players – Dejan Joveljić, Riqui Puig, Joseph Pantsil and Gabriel Pec – with at least 10 goals. Paintsil, Pec and Puig make the Galaxy just the second team with three players with at least 10 goals and 10 assists.
“This team is built to attack, especially if you look at the guys we have on the field,” Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said last month. “We have some high-quality attacking guys. Over the course of the year, we’ve grown a ton of confidence to score goals and finish chances, but it comes down to the balance of being able to do that and being able to defend by not giving up things.”
Most believe that once the playoffs begin, scoring chances might dry up, forcing the Galaxy to try to survive a low-scoring game.
However, three seems to be the magic number for this group. The Galaxy has scored three or four goals in 13 games this season and has a 12-0-1 record. The Galaxy has been shut out four times, but never with the full quartet of Joveljić, Puig, Pantsil and Pec available. The Galaxy has scored at least two goals in its past four games.
“It’s really good because we have someone that can feed us the ball, someone like Riqui,” Paintsil said earlier this season. “Having Riqui with the ball makes differences for the other players, for the other opponents, especially the defenders. Because he knows the way I run, the way I always make an option for him to give me the ball when it’s necessary, and as you can see, he also knows how Pec also do his thing to get on his feet and to also do whatever he needs to do.”
CONCACAF Champions Cup
The Galaxy have clinched a berth for the 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup. As of now, the Galaxy will enter the field in Round One, but could receive a bye into the Round of 16, if they win MLS Cup.
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This will be the Galaxy’s first appearance since the 2015-16 season. Next year’s tournament will begin in February, which would likely means an earlier preseason report date for the Galaxy.
International call-ups
Joveljić will join Serbia for games against Switzerland (Oct. 12) and Spain (Oct. 15) in UEFA Nations League.
Also, Harbor Miller (U.S. U-19) and Ruben Ramos Jr. (U.S. U-2) will join their respective U.S. youth national teams.
AUSTIN FC at GALAXY
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Dignity Health Sports Park
How to watch: Apple TV+ (MLS Season Pass)