LA Galaxy 2023 Season Preview

Greg Vanney’s LA Galaxy finished in fourth place in the Western Conference before going on to beat Nashville SC 1-0 in Round One of the Playoffs.

That proved to be their limit as the Galaxy lost another thrilling El Trafico clash against eventual champions LAFC 3-2 in the Western Conference Semifinals. However, the campaign as a whole left the five-time champions with plenty of positives and clear areas to work on. They deviated at times, but Greg Vanney mostly stuck with a 4-2-3-1 last season, turning the Galaxy into one of the most possession heavy teams in Major League Soccer.

However, there were some glaring holes in their style of play. For starters, they often looked unprepared for turnovers and became vulnerable to counter attacks. Their play often stagnated due to a lack of production or, even, excitement from their wingers. In the end, they were really bailed out by the form of strikers Chicharito and Dejan Joveljic, the latter performing as a super-sub while fans were crying out for the two to be started together. Some of the principles can stay the same this year, but there are key areas that Vanney will wish to improve if the Galaxy are to challenge.

There were plenty of positives for the Galaxy to take from 2022. However, Julian Araujo, Kevin Cabral, and Samuel Grandsir are just three players to have been sold and, as yet, not replaced. Sure, the latter two didn’t deliver their best in LA, but they’re still important attacking bodies that need filling. Couple the above with protests against President Chris Klein’s management of the club both on and off the field and the Galaxy are actually entering 2023 in hot water. There’s still time to strengthen their hand, but not much time to bring in and acclimate new players before the season kicks off. With that in mind, valuable points could be thrown away early on which means the Galaxy may miss out on the Playoffs.