The Galaxy have been on the road a lot since the 2026 season started in early March with CONCACAF Champions Cup.
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Last week, the team was on another lengthy excursion, coming away with six points on a three-game trip, with wins over Atlanta United and the Seattle Sounders.
“We had a long trip where we got to spend a lot of time with each other and I think we grew a lot,” defender Justin Haak said. “We grew a lot close over it. We had ups and downs during the trip, which also brought us close together.
“We didn’t want the game versus (Sporting) Kansas City to end the way it did (3-1 loss), but it was something we got to learn from and then bounce back with the game in Seattle.”
In their last eight MLS games, the Galaxy are 4-2-2 heading into Saturday’s final game before World Cup. Six of those eight games have been on the road.
“I think we’re a resilient group,” Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said. “I think we went on the road, especially the first game, I thought we defended really well. For me, it’s a little bit about some of the partnerships on the field. In terms of our use of the ball, taking care of the ball, but also good use of the ball. Finding the right balance between our dueling guys, who I think are really combative and duel and help us a lot on the defensive side and partnering them up with guys who are just really aware and technical on the ball side.
“I thought we were more ball-secure in Seattle, which is also a very good pressing team and one of the better in the league and I just felt like we were really ball-secure.”
The six points on the road moved the Galaxy (5-5-4, 19 points) above the playoff line into ninth place.
“It’s been a solid run in a difficult moment of the schedule for our group,” Vanney said. “I know the results haven’t always been exactly where we wanted them. I felt like we let some slip away in the early part of the season, but I feel like the group has remained resilient.
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“As we’ve come out of Champions Cup, you see it with a lot of teams, they have a tough stretch out of Champions Cup, we’ve been able to actually find decent form, even despite playing a lot on the road. I think we’ve hit 30,000 miles now in this first part of the season and with the days away and travel, guys have stepped up. We’ve lost important players for periods of time in the beginning and guys continue to battle.”
The final game of the “first half” season has the Galaxy back at home, facing the Houston Dynamo. A couple of weeks ago, Houston visited LAFC and came away with a 4-1 win.
“This last game is really important,” Vanney said. “We’re home again and we want to establish our supremacy at home and we also want to go into this break with a great result and a good performance.”
World Cup break
MLS will pause after Sunday’s schedule and return July 16. The Galaxy’s first game is July 17, with their first El Trafico against LAFC.
“It’s a three-week break off, but it’s a six-week break, in terms of games,” Vanney said. “We’ll make use of the time, in terms of allowing guys to recover, getting some guys healthy, different things like that.
“But I think all of us just need to be focused on Saturday and trying to put a bow on what’s been a tough first half of the season, but I think a good lesson of we’re moving in the right direction.”
This is also the last game before the MLS secondary transfer window opens July 13. Vanney said he’s expecting one or two moves to the roster.
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