{"id":45908,"date":"2023-02-01T22:18:06","date_gmt":"2023-02-02T03:18:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/?p=45908"},"modified":"2023-02-01T22:37:21","modified_gmt":"2023-02-02T03:37:21","slug":"galaxys-off-season-instability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/2023\/02\/01\/galaxys-off-season-instability\/","title":{"rendered":"Galaxy\u2019s Off-Season Instability"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Depending on what type of Los Angeles Galaxy fan you are, you\u2019re either angry or desperate at the impending start to the season. Perhaps both?! What\u2019s certain is that Galaxy&#8217;s off-season instability won&#8217;t delay the start of the 2023 campaign in 24 days.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The new MLS television deal with Apple TV will debut with the G\u2019s playing \u201chost\u201d to their crosstown rivals LAFC on February 25, 2023, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Ca. This is the first time the teams have played since <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/2022\/10\/22\/galaxy-proud-despite-defeat\/\" target=\"_self\">meeting in the playoffs last year<\/a>, but after an entire off-season, the G&#8217;s simply aren\u2019t ready.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Take away the off-season distraction of a cheating scandal that led to a transfer ban and fine, and you still have a team dealing with unforeseen off-season instability both on and off the field.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Players Leaving Los Angeles<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For those keeping scores, the Galaxy transferred six first-team starters or contributors out in the off-season. Nick Depuy, Derrick Williams, Cameron Dunbar, and V\u00edctor V\u00e1zquez were moved on, while Kevin Cabral\u2019s contract was bought out. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Cabral\u2019s case, the Galaxy has agreed to pay half the Frenchman\u2019s salary, just so he isn\u2019t playing in Los Angeles. His countryman Samuel Grandsir\u2019s departure to Ligue 2 side Le Havre is a surprise, as Galaxy Head Coach Greg Vanney was clearly planning on having him in the squad.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"fr\" dir=\"ltr\">Merci Sam \ud83d\udc99\ud83e\udd0d\ud83d\udc9b<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/LAGalaxy?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#LAGalaxy<\/a> transfer Samuel Grandsir to Ligue 2 side Le Havre AC.<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udcf0 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/3VyWFRUKWh\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/3VyWFRUKWh<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kinecta?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@kinecta<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/GWvzqnh3pZ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/GWvzqnh3pZ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; LA Galaxy (@LAGalaxy) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LAGalaxy\/status\/1617568008473571330?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">January 23, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But with Grandsir dealing with personal issues back home, Vanney decided the risk of having a player who would have their head in two places, wasn\u2019t worth the risk of adding to the Galaxy&#8217;s off-season instability. This leaves the Galaxy with only one recognized winger in the starting 11, Douglas Costa.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Grandsir\u2019s exit might have caused the \u201cunplanned departure\u201d floodgates to open. Yesterday\u2019s European deadline day had two more first-teamers potentially leaving Los Angeles. Efrain Alvarez had interest shown by Benfica and Besiktas. With Turkey\u2019s transfer window closing a week later than Europe, Besiktas will have until February 8 to get a deal done for the young Mexican international.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Julian Araujo seemed to be on his way out for his dream move to Barcelona on deadline day, only for paperwork issues to make the deal lag at the last minute. Who\u2019s to blame is anyone\u2019s guess, but FIFA will now have to decide the issue.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Whether the Galaxy loses another starter, just three weeks before their opening match, is no longer a decision they or Araujo will make. If Araujo does leave, Vanney\u2019s \u201ccore\u201d which he was counting on to start the season, took a massive hit as Araujo will be extremely difficult to replace on such short notice.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">New Blood<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Galaxy hasn\u2019t signed the type of impact player that fans have come to expect from the supposed jewel of MLS. Once upon a time, the Zlatans and Beckhams of the world would arrive, now supporters just want any type of signing. But LA hasn\u2019t made a lot of movement for depth pieces or solid first-team contributors, either.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So far, the club has added just two pieces to help reinforce the squad.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a id=\"1LnPnTWTRMlHTU2dn9TssQ\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1243003551\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'1LnPnTWTRMlHTU2dn9TssQ',sig:'IyoFTpb4g6F1KBRk2t-e8rhV2xZiUURpNgx5NP9zo4Y=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'1243003551',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Defender Chris Mavinga will reunite with Vanney from their TFC days and is, by all accounts, a dependable defender who could help further shore up a defense that was left exposed frequently last season. Mavinga should settle nicely and quickly, as he\u2019s played in Vanney\u2019s \u201csystem\u201d and has familiarity with the Galaxy coach\u2019s game plan.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Los Angeles also added an experienced midfielder in Memo Rodriguez. The former Houston man suited up for them 143 times, with 92 of those being starts. Rodriguez can also produce a bit. He had three assists last year in 30 appearances and will be a necessary piece for a midfield short on experienced players beyond the starters.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe are pleased to welcome Memo to the LA Galaxy,\u201d Vanney said of his new player in a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lagalaxy.com\/news\/la-galaxy-sign-midfielder-memo-rodriguez\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Galaxy press release<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. \u201cMemo is a talented and hard-working midfielder whose qualities complement our group and provide us with depth and versatility.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While the signings aren\u2019t going to excite fans the way Zlatan did, Mavinga and Rodriguez will both provide the necessary depth for the Galaxy in defense and midfield.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"fr\" dir=\"ltr\">Our newest Angelinos \ud83e\udef6 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/JKXFFbC1MH\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/JKXFFbC1MH<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; LA Galaxy (@LAGalaxy) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LAGalaxy\/status\/1611159418451951622?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">January 6, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3>We Need Wingers!<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But while the Galaxy got stronger in one place, they look severely shorthanded on the wings.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Losing Cabral and Grandsir, and perhaps Araujo (who plays offensively as cover sometimes), has left the Galaxy in an emergency. Only Douglas Costa can be considered a starting winger on this roster, which means LA is in serious need of wing help.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Galaxy will need to acquire at least two first-11 caliber wingers, and an outside back if Araujo leaves, and they only have 24 days to do it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They can\u2019t afford to miss on these signings, either.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Los Angeles will not be able to improve their squad again this season as they deal with the punishments imposed by MLS after their cheating scandal came to light.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIf You\u2019re Not Cheating, You Ain\u2019t Trying\u201d<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While the old adage offers ethical quandaries, problems only arise when you\u2019ve been caught. The problem is, LA got caught and that just added to the Galaxy&#8217;s off-season instability.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/news\/major-league-soccer-announces-sanctions-for-la-galaxy-for-violating-salary-budge\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to MLS<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the Galaxy \u201centered into agreements that were not disclosed that included payments that were not accounted for in the calculation of Cristian Pav\u00f3n\u2019s salary budget and roster category.\u201d Essentially, the Galaxy claimed Pavon was on a Targeted Allocation Money (TAM) contract when he really wasn\u2019t.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Galaxy was punished with a million-dollar fine and a further loss of $1 million in General Allocation Money (GAM) for 2023. Additionally, LA Galaxy President Chris Klein was suspended from any \u201csporting-related responsibilities through the conclusion of the Primary Transfer Window.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But the one that really hurts is Los Angeles \u201cwill be prohibited from registering a player who requires the receipt of an International Transfer Certificate (ITC) from outside the United States and Canada during the Secondary Transfer Window (summer) in 2023.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This means that if the Galaxy doesn\u2019t get their signings right in the next 24 days, they won\u2019t be able to add anyone midseason to help the way they brought in Riqui Puig last year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Klein\u2019s contract as president was somehow extended by Galaxy owner, AEG despite the Galaxy\u2019s cheating scandal, fine, and his own suspension. This, combined with the club missing the playoffs in four of the last six years, prompted action by the supporters&#8217; groups.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"zxx\" dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/MHx1bMlobw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/MHx1bMlobw<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; LA Riot Squad (@LARiotSquad) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LARiotSquad\/status\/1614115919722315777?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">January 14, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Three Weeks Gone<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In response to AEG giving Klein an extension, which had the news broken by the L.A. Times\u2019 Kevin Baxter, five supporter groups, Galaxians, LA Riot Squad, Angel City Brigade, Galaxy Outlawz, and Ghosts Ultras Galaxy announced a boycott of Galaxy matches. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They\u2019ve promised to stay away until \u201cchange is made at the highest level.\u201d Translation: the supporters want Klein and Galaxy Technical Director Jovan Kirovski out. They\u2019re willing to go to extreme lengths to make it happen. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The supporter groups had a meeting with AEG leadership, including AEG President and Chief Executive Officer Dan Beckerman, to air grievances and their demands for resolution. Almost three weeks on from the boycott announcement, though, the Galaxy and its supporters are in a high-stakes game of chicken. Neither side has blinked, but the club has made its position ever more untenable by its roster instability and lack of signings. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Each side has much to lose, and the situation does not seem to have an easy compromise. The Galaxy surely by now understand how serious the supporters are, with the specter of empty or LAFC-filled stands looming for its Rose Bowl season debut.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The supporters have to wage a protest\/boycott not only against their club, but a war against their better instincts, hearts, and minds.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First Impressions After the Galaxy\u2019s Off-Season Instability<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This Saturday\u2019s first preseason game at home against NYCFC should be interesting.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fans will get an opportunity to see the kind of product the Galaxy put on the field. They&#8217;ll also get to gauge the impact of new signings. The club will get to see firsthand just how far-sweeping the boycott and discontent really are by attendance and atmosphere.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It might help move the needle and prompt both sides to negotiate and find a good compromise for all that will end peacefully.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Galaxy supporters deserve a club they can be proud of. And in this situation, there is no \u201cright\u201d or \u201cwrong\u201d way to take action. But they all agreed, that action was necessary after the Galaxy&#8217;s off-season instability.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One thing is for sure, in the fight between a Galaxy supporter&#8217;s heart and mind, no one really wins. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Depending on what type of Los Angeles Galaxy fan you are, you\u2019re either angry or desperate at the impending start to the season. Perhaps both?! What\u2019s certain is that Galaxy&#8217;s off-season instability won&#8217;t delay the start of the 2023 campaign in 24 days. The new MLS television deal with Apple TV will debut with the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3969,"featured_media":45925,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20,17,1444,119,4,5],"tags":[5424,5420,5422,631,3145,2476,307,2958,4207,1200],"class_list":["post-45908","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dynamo","category-galaxy","category-lafc","category-mls","category-nycfc","category-tfc","tag-aeg","tag-apple-tv","tag-besiktas","tag-chris-klein","tag-cristian-pavon","tag-douglas-costa","tag-greg-vanney","tag-julian-araujo","tag-kevin-cabral","tag-victor-vazquez"],"modified_by":"Rob Jal\u00f3n","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45908","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3969"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45908"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45908\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45925"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45908"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45908"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45908"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}