It was just four months ago that the LA Galaxy triumphantly lifted the 2024 MLS Cup, returning to the top for the first time in a decade, an era in which the roster sported the likes of Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane.
Gabriel Pec, 2024 MLS Newcomer of the Year, spearheaded the playoff run alongside Ghanaian sensation Joseph Paintsil and striker Dejan Joveljic. In the middle of the park, former Barcelona midfielder Riqui Puig ran the show, becoming one of the league's most exciting players over the regular season.
Coach Greg Vanney guided the LA Galaxy to a dramatic 2-1 win over the New York Red Bulls that December day in Carson, California, cementing the team's MLS-record sixth title.
The Galaxy were, by all accounts, magnificent.
Their start to 2025 has been anything but. Fast-forward four months, and they're off to the worst title defense in MLS history. LA are winless in eight matches to begin the MLS campaign, were eliminated from the CONCACAF Champions Cup and appear to be a team with little to no identity on the pitch.
They have three draws and five losses through eight weeks, have a minus-9 goal differential and are dead last in the Western Conference. Only CF Montreal have fewer than the Galaxy's three points.
Heads are hanging low, fingers are being pointed and fans are asking, "What gives?"
There's no single answer, but there are reasons why things have not gone to plan. Multiple injuries have plagued their roster and the offseason hit hard in terms of personnel changes - including the departure of Joveljic - and on the pitch, individual errors and a lack of confidence are taking a heavy toll.
There's an expectation that the reigning champs will bounce back, but right now, things are bleak. Why? GOAL takes a look.
