CARSON — Last season on Decision Day, the Galaxy learned their path to what would eventually be their sixth MLS Cup.
Saturday, the Galaxy took the field for the final time in the 2025 regular season. This time, there was no scoreboard watching to see if they could move into a playoff spot, since their season was essentially done in May.
The Galaxy started the season going winless in their first 16 MLS games (0-12-4). The first win didn’t come until May 31.
To the Galaxy’s credit, they found a better form over the second half of the season, starting with a third-place finish in Leagues Cup and ended the year on a high note, defeating Minnesota United FC 2-1 in the regular-season finale in front of 17,765 at Dignity Health Sports Park.
Matheus Nascimento scored in the 12th minute for a 1-0 lead that the Galaxy (7-18-9, 30 points) took into halftime.
After the break, Joseph Paintsil made it 2-0 in the 52nd minute. Paintsil finished the season with 10 goals, leading the club in league play. He scored 14 across all competitions.
Minnesota broke the shutout with a goal deep into the six minutes of stoppage time.
The Galaxy won back-to-back games only one other time this season in MLS play.
Despite closing the season with consecutive wins, the Galaxy finished the regular season with the fewest points, over a complete season in club history. The previous low was 32 set by the 2017 team, the first full season after Bruce Arena’s departure.
“I think everybody is looking ahead to 2026,” Galaxy midfielder Diego Fagundez said Thursday.
The Galaxy will have some decisions to make on contracts, both outgoing and incoming, but with the prospect of a healthy Riqui Puig, who has missed all of this season after suffering an ACL injury, the Galaxy’s climb back up the Western Conference standings should be expected.
“Getting Riqui healthy is a big thing,” Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said. “The game is very different when Riqui’s in. The tempo of the game changes a lot, so his willingness and desire to look for balls that break lines and change the speed of the games and all of that, is going to be again, a point of which the whole group needs to kind of reset again, because he’s going to be demanding a lot of guys in the tempo that he wants to play the game.”
The Galaxy’s 2026 season will start early with the CONCACAF Champions Cup set to begin in early February. The draw will take place in December. The Galaxy will be competing in the first round.