The summer international transfer window for MLS officially closed on Wednesday.
The final result for the Galaxy was nearly a complete roster makeover.
Before the club resumed the MLS season after the World Cup pause, Gabriel Pec, Mauricio Cuevas and Matheus Nascimento had departed. During the window, Edwin Cerrillo and Miki Yamane were gone and, just before the close, Ruben Ramos Jr. was traded to Sporting Kansas City.
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The incoming haul was and has been massive: Chucky Lozano, Sergi Roberto, Robert Taylor, Kyōgo Furuhashi, Lucas Calegari and Pablo Ruiz. Add in the impending return from injury of João Klauss and the Galaxy have definitely reformed and reloaded.
“Gabriel (Pec) leaving was significant for the group and what it meant for the organization,” General Manager Will Kuntz said. “We’ve been working (on) what this team would look like for the stretch run since January, since the first international window because we had a lot of unknowns still as we went into the start of the season.
“I think we’ve made the group a lot more competitive, a lot deeper and we think we have a lot of high-character guys who will come in and are excited to be here.”
The latest additions are both familiar faces. Calegari, 24, spent the 2023 season with the Galaxy on loan from Fluminese. He was selected the team’s best defender, but he suffered an ACL injury toward the end of the season. He has spent the past two seasons in Turkiye at Eyüpspor and rejoins the Galaxy through June 30, 2029.
“He’s really wanted to be here ever since he got injured,” Kuntz said. “I don’t think he has missed a game since his injury and we’re really excited.”
Ruiz, 27, was acquired in a trade with Real Salt Lake for $400,000 in general allocation money. Ruiz has been in MLS since 2018. His contract is through the end of the season with options for 2027 and 2028.
“Pablo was something that came together toward the end of the window,” Kuntz said. “We’ve been looking to add in the midfield, players who help push the group along, help our football, so we think that Pablo is that.”
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With the additions, the Galaxy now turn their attention toward making a late-season playoff push. Including Saturday night’s home match against the New England Revolution, the Galaxy have just 11 games remaining. Their current status is 13th place in the Western Conference, but just three points out of the ninth playoff spot.
“There’s not a lot of time,” Kuntz said. “There’s no doubt there’s not a lot of time, but there’s, I think I’ve said, a lot of talent in a lot of different ways that we can make things competitive, week in and week out.
“It’s a tight schedule the rest of the way. We have some midweek games. That’s why we want to have as much depth as possible and we feel like we really addressed that. So yeah, not a lot of time, but I really like our chances.”
The Galaxy kick off the month of September with a three-game week. After Saturday, they head to first-place Vancouver for a midweek clash against the Whitecaps and then back home Sept. 12 against the Seattle Sounders.
“It’s fast,” Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said. “We know, we play for the L.A. Galaxy and coach for the L.A. Galaxy and results are an expectation and everybody in that locker room knows that and that’s what we’re all fighting for. We know that we have a short window to go.
“All these teams (in the Western Conference) are really close together, so it’s just about a matter of finding the form and for me, getting the first win that reinforces the ideas that we’re pulling back together with this new group. We have a really interesting group at the moment that does fit together nicely. It’s just how quickly we can get them to fit together, which is going to be the race for all of us.”
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NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION at GALAXY
When: Saturday, 6:30 p.m.
Where: Dignity Health Sports Park
How to watch: Apple TV