For many teams, 2023 is playing out just how they dreamed. St. Louis, for example, are thriving in the West. New eras in San Jose and Columbus are on or ahead of schedule. LAFC and Seattle? They’re still chugging along like the juggernauts they are (Dairon Asprilla bicycle kicks notwithstanding). New England are back near the top of the league.
Yet for others, this MLS season has been filled with disappointment. Today, we’re looking at what’s ailing some of the biggest clubs in MLS after the first fifth of the season. Seven games. Three points. Unhappy fans. Emails from the front office to the club’s supporters. There’s plenty of noise surrounding the LA Galaxy right now, largely because the team is struggling to live up to preseason expectations.
So, what’s going wrong with the galaxy? Well, I’m placing most of their problems into two large buckets:
Defensive issues
Starting on the personnel side, the Galaxy’s roster is extremely unbalanced. They have one of the best central midfield trios in the league with Riqui Puig, Mark Delgado and Gastón Brugman, and their striker group – led by Dejan Joveljic and Chicharito – is elite in MLS. But the wingers? And the backline? That’s where the problems lie for this team.
Sure, the Galaxy can be dangerous with the ball when games are open – they’re sixth in MLS in xG per game, according to American Soccer Analysis (ASA). But they’re not a good team when it comes to creating chances at even scorelines (read: when opposing teams are more compact and cautious). Per ASA, the Galaxy are 14th in MLS in xG when the score is tied. Sure, Tyler Boyd could hit a rocket from outside the box every now and then, but LA’s wingers aren’t consistently goal dangerous. None of their three primary wingers – Efraín Álvarez, Boyd, or Memo Rodríguez – have positive goals added values this season according to ASA.
That’s a taste of the personnel bucket. Defensively, the LA Galaxy are just… poor. Per ASA, they’re 23rd in MLS in xG allowed per game. USMNT center back prospect Jalen Neal and new U22 Initiative fullbacks Lucas Calegari and Julián Aude have promise, but they’re young and will have growing pains. The veterans aren’t inspiring a ton of confidence either.
Even if the Galaxy go out and make a splash signing before the Primary Transfer Window closes on April 24 (and their summer transfer limitations kick in), they’re still going to have to sort out their issues against the ball.
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