The MLS “sprint” season will kickoff in 2027.
The Galaxy are facing their own sprint right now as the final months of the 2026 regular season wind down.
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Including Saturday’s road match against the Houston Dynamo, the Galaxy (5-7-7, 22 points) have 15 games remaining and currently sit in 12th place in the Western Conference. They’re just two points out of the final playoff spot and just a couple of wins from closing in on fifth place.
“I think the group has ambitions to compete for something this year, still,” Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said. “And I think the group knows the first step of that is putting our performances together, playing at a high level on a consistent basis and getting results out of that.
“Where the group is right now and seeing … we went through five, six, seven, eight weeks of seeing players kind of going out of the club and now we’re starting to see players coming back into the club and that’s been an emotional boost in the last little bit. Chucky (Lozano) comes in, (Kyōgo) Furuhashi comes in, Sergi Roberto is coming in and now you’re seeing the rebuilding of the group to make this final push. It’s a very tight table right now and I think for us, if we have ambitions to win things or compete for anything, we’ve got to quickly find our form.”
If the Galaxy are to make their way back, they will need some quick continuity formed as Hirving “Chucky” Lozano joins the mix and Furuhashi sees more time. Also, forward João Klauss is nearing a return from foot surgery.
Vanney said Lozano will be in the plans for Saturday, despite not having played in a game since last November.
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“We’ll gauge kind of his minutes as based on the amount of work he’s been able to do since he’s gotten here,” Vanney said of Lozano. “Obviously, he’s been kind of isolated training (with San Diego FC) for a while, for months, so it’s just been integrating him into the team, getting his sort of football fitness, durability, those kinds of things up. He’ll definitely be with us and he’ll be part of it this weekend.
“He’s making progress every day and he’s ready to play. I sense that he’s happy and hungry to be playing again and since he’s happy to be here I do think that his desire to be on the field, to show what he’s about on the field and to be part of the group, is very clear and evident. He seems in a really good spot.”
Saturday’s match in Houston (10-6-2, 32 points) is the first of three in eight days, with a Wednesday home game against San Jose (10-5-3, 33 points) and an Aug. 22 trip to Montreal (4-10-4, 16 points).
“I’m excited for the potential of the group,” Vanney said. “Having watched Chucky play, I know what he can bring. He’s been in our league, so he’s going to be motivated. Furuhashi brings us, again, a dynamic striker, who we saw in 30 minutes (in his debut), can bring something different to our group. We’ve got guys with pedigree and class in their positions, but also other guys who can come in and we don’t have to change, we can just kind of bring in the next guy to do the job his way. I’m looking forward to this stretch.”
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GALAXY at DYNAMO
When: Saturday, 5:30 p.m.
Where: Shell Energy Stadium, Houston
How to watch: Apple TV