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General view of a corner flag bearing the logo of Los Angeles Galaxy. Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images

L.A. Galaxy must turn inward to build upon championship season

By Alyssa Clang | Last updated Feb 24, 2025 1:48 PM ET

When the Los Angeles Galaxy beat the New York Red Bulls last December to lift the 2024 MLS Cup, the team was full of admiration for its fallen opponent. The Red Bulls had reached the Cup with several academy prospects — local Tri-State kids who had been with the team since childhood — in their starting lineup, and Galaxy GM Will Kuntz was effusive in his praise for them.

"The Red Bulls had what, four or five homegrown New York-New Jersey kids, and those guys gave us the fight of their life and took out Columbus and took out NYCFC. I mean, those guys have zero fear," Kuntz said. "...You want to talk about development and commitment to it ... That's how you do it."

Kuntz's Galaxy isn't exactly known for its youth development. The team has championed a "galacticos" model since its early days, leveraging star players like Landon Donovan, David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Riqui Puig over local Southern California talent. But as the Galaxy contends with the bittersweet effects of winning the MLS Cup, it may have to switch its focus.

The Galaxy kicked off its 2025 season on Sunday with a 2-0 loss against San Diego FC. The defeat was chastening but not exactly unexpected. MLS is serious about league-wide parity, and that often creates pain for returning champion clubs. Forced player sales and long-term injuries converged on the Galaxy over the offseason. The on-field effect was chaos: the Galaxy looked disjointed, exhausted and error-prone against fresh-faced San Diego.

Hamstrung by roster rules and forced to get creative, the Galaxy's 2025 season may hinge upon how it deploys its young prospects.

The 2-0 defeat against San Diego offered few bright spots, but attacker Ruben Ramos — a late-game substitute and an 18-year-old Galaxy Academy player — was one of them. He entered the game in the 72nd minute and added energy and creativity into the Galaxy's front line.

Better yet, he took San Diego by surprise: he got one dangerous shot on target in his 18 minutes on the field. It took Marco Reus, the man Ramos replaced, 72 minutes to hit the same tally.

Ramos is a true Galaxy Academy prospect, but the team doesn't have to focus exclusively on its own young players. It can find success (and cost-cap flexibility) with promising athletes from across the country.

Elijah Wynder, a 21-year-old Kentuckian who made his Galaxy debut on Sunday against San Diego, is a great example of how. The Galaxy signed Wynder, a positionally intelligent box-to-box midfielder, from the USL, America's second-division league.

It's rare to see USL players signed by historic MLS franchises, but the Galaxy took a gamble on Wynder, and that gamble looks likely to pay off. His appearance against San Diego added a sense of calm to the Galaxy's midfield that was lacking from the first whistle. His performance wasn't flashy, but it was effective, and the Galaxy looked like a better team with him in it.

The challenge for the Galaxy will be managing the growth of these high-potential, low-cost young players. Their value add was clear against San Diego, but placing high expectations on either of their shoulders feels premature and unhelpful.

Can the Galaxy continue to use these players as substitutes to flip stubborn games on their head? Can it do so while motivating its underperforming starters to live up to a higher standard? And can it make all of it happen in a positive environment that helps its young players become more confident in MLS over time?

Those questions, more than any, feel like the key to the Galaxy's 2025 season. Get them right and a brand-new, Kuntz-approved Galaxy could emerge. Get them wrong and that 2024 MLS Cup will feel very far away indeed.

The Galaxy will return to action on March 2 against the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Alyssa Clang

Alyssa is a Boston-born Californian with a passion for global sport. She can yell about misplaced soccer passes in five languages and rattle off the turns of Silverstone in her sleep. You can find her dormant Twitter account at @alyssaclang, but honestly, you’re probably better off finding her here

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