Early reunion for Nashville's Tyler Boyd against former team in Galaxy

Tyler Boyd tied for the team lead by scoring seven goals last season for the Los Angeles Galaxy.

The 29-year-old will look to deliver some payback after his offseason trade to Nashville SC when his new club faces his former squad on Sunday afternoon in Nashville.

Boyd is ready for the occasion.

"I'm excited. It's going to be very fun," Boyd said. "It will be fun to see some old teammates and go against them. It will be a fun game."

Boyd was one of the players traded after Los Angeles finished a disappointing 13th in the 14-team Western Conference in 2023.

While Boyd signed a long-term deal with Nashville through the 2026 season with an option for 2027, the Galaxy were busy revamping their roster.

"They spent quite a lot of money so they're looking for better results than last year," Boyd said. "They look pretty sharp. It's going to be a challenge this weekend, but I'm really looking forward to the challenge."

Nashville (0-0-2, 2 points) tied its first two MLS matches, playing the visiting New York Red Bulls to a scoreless tie and following up with a 1-1 road draw against the Colorado Rapids. Teal Bunbury scored Nashville's lone goal.

The Galaxy (1-0-1, 4 points) opened with a 1-1 home tie against Inter Miami CF before the offense exploded in a 3-1 road victory over the San Jose Earthquakes. Dejan Joveljic scored a goal in both matches while Joseph Paintsil and Riqui Puig also scored goals in the San Jose match.

Paintsil is one of the high-priced additions by the Galaxy. Los Angeles paid a $9 million transfer fee to land Paintsil from Genk in Belgium.

Paintsil has quickly meshed with Puig -- who tied Boyd for the team goal-scoring lead last year -- and likes what he sees from his new teammates.

"The players are really hungry for success," Paintsil said. "We did everything together, and if we keep playing like this, we are really going to kill a lot of clubs, a lot of clubs. Trust me."

Nashville star Hany Mukhtar is slated to play in his first MLS match of the season after recovering from a hamstring injury. Mukhtar played in Thursday's 2-2 tie with Miami in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup round of 16.

Earlier Thursday, the 2022 MLS MVP signed a contract extension through 2026 with an option for 2027.

The Galaxy are 2-0-1 all-time versus Nashville.