The LA Galaxy had a historic 2024 Championship run, adding another title to the team’s legacy in American Soccer.
Despite their Championship run in 2024, the LA Galaxy have been to one of, if not the worst, starts in the modern MLS era. We have seen teams get off to slow starts after championship runs, but not like this.
To understand how a fall like this is possible, we need to go back to last season. Before a fall from the top of Mount Olympus, there must have been a glorious rise to the top.
A Run for the MLS Cup
The Galaxy entered the playoffs as one of the league’s very best; they tied cross-town rival LAFC in points and claimed the two seed due to tie breakers.
The two seeds rewarded them a date with Colorado in which they won, they defeated Minnesota in the following round before extinguishing the Seattle Sounders. You would assume that a two-seed path to the championship or at least to the semi-finals would be guaranteed; you’d be wrong.
The 2024 playoffs were full of upsets and miracle runs on both sides of the bracket. Only two of the top four teams on either side advanced to the second round, the LA Galaxy were the only ones to advance further than that.
The top two teams in the East (Inter Miami and Columbus Crew) fell in the first round, which gave space for the seventh seed, New York Red Bulls, to earn a spot in the championship game.
LA Galaxy got off to an early lead and expanded it to 2-0. New York got within one goal in the first half but never found the equalizer. LA celebrated its sixth MLS Cup, the most in the league’s young history.
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What Changed Going into 2025?
Like the end of any season, there are always players leaving and coming in. Despite losing a handful of players, there was one departure that affected the Galaxy the most.
LA lost 25-year-old forward Dejan Joveljic, who moved to Sporting Kansas City, where he has been in the starting lineup 92% of the time, contributing to five goals and one assist so far.
The only other transfer to be a mainstay for his new team is Mark Delgado, who has made 12 appearances with LAFC. No other player who left the Galaxy has half the number of appearances with their new clubs.
The biggest transfer money-wise to join the club this season was Lucas Sanabria. He has only made six appearances but has yet to contribute to a goal in either the assist or goal columns.
The most successful transfer has been Christian Ramirez from Columbus. The veteran forward has appeared in 11 games, he has contributed four goals and one assist so far. His contributions may be the largest of anyone to join the team, but it does not make up for the production that was lost during the transfer window.
The 2025 Season so far
This season has provided us with a rock fight in the Eastern Conference, with teams struggling to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. The West, on the other hand, has been a mess for most teams.
The LA Galaxy has been the biggest culprit in the Western mess. A slow start can be expected with such a quick turnaround in the early winter months. Losing the first few games or unlucky draws happen in the first month of play.
Going winless into mid-May is unseen and has the LA Galaxy as a laughing stock, according to many fans. It reached a boiling point against Sporting Kansas City.
No team has made the playoffs after getting off to this poor of a start, even getting the ninth seed is unexpected and viewed as impossible.
At this pace, the Galaxy has a chance at the lowest win total in league history. That record is occupied by DC United in 2013 with a record of 3-24-7. That would make LA the worst defending champion in the history of North American sports.
Only time will tell what happens with the league’s winningest team in its nearly 30 years of existence. Whatever happens, just like last year, it will be a year to remember for the LA Galaxy; this time, it’ll be for all the wrong reasons.
I’ve been hiking in the mountains around Lake Lure and never expected something like this: Bear attack caught on video. Stay safe and always be prepared out there in nature.