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Los Angeles Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney. David Gonzales-Imagn Images

MLS' most beleaguered club finds new strength in Leagues Cup

By Alyssa Clang | Last updated Aug 8, 2025 12:58 PM ET

The Leagues Cup is a fast, brutal tournament: We're three games in and 28 of the competition's 36 teams have already been eliminated. Just eight teams — four from Major League Soccer and four from Liga MX —remain in contention for the trophy.

Most of those eight are North America's usual suspects. Inter Miami cruised into the knockout rounds on the back of three straight wins. (Shoutout to Jordi Alba's 91st-minute leveler against Necaxa to take Game 2 to penalties.) Regular LigaMX challenger Toluca pushed through without breaking a sweat, dispatching NYCFC, Montreal and the mighty Columbus Crew. And Seattle? Seattle ended the first round of the Leagues Cup as MLS' best team after hammering recent Concacaf Champions Cup winner Cruz Azul, 7-0.

One advancing team, though, raised eyebrows: the Los Angeles Galaxy. The beleaguered club, last in MLS since the start of the season, pulled off two major victories over Tijuana and Santos Laguna to snatch a place in the knockout rounds.

“I think as we’ve navigated this tournament, it’s shown what we knew that we had some of this capability inside of our group,” said Galaxy coach Greg Vanney.

“It was just about putting it all together and getting guys connected. I think it’s showing that we have a good team and we’re tough to play against, and that’s been great.”

The Galaxy may be storming the Leagues Cup, but it remains one of MLS' most disappointing teams in 2025. It's pulled off just three wins in 28 league appearances this season and carries the third-worst goal difference in MLS. It's been a shocking collapse from last season's deserved MLS Cup championship and will go down in history as one of the worst title defenses of all time.

Does this Leagues Cup revival point to a change in the Galaxy's fortunes? Fans certainly hope so. This strong run is coming just before the vital final stretch of the MLS season. With the league closer than it's ever been, a strong season finish from the Galaxy could see the club sneak into the playoffs. It will need to win every single one of its remaining eight games — and hope for some other Western Conference teams to stumble — but, incredibly, it's not impossible.

The back half of the Galaxy's season could hinge on the return of its talisman player: attacking midfielder Riqui Puig, whose 13-goal, 15-assist season in 2024 was strong enough to put him in contention for the league MVP award. Puig tore his ACL in the 2024 Western Conference Final and has been unavailable all season, but he's getting closer to full fitness. Puig is now training with the Galaxy's senior team and could re-enter the squad before the season ends.

"Every day [Puig] gets closer," Vanney said. "Every day he's able to do a little bit more."

The Galaxy built up plenty of momentum in its opening Leagues Cup run, but with the quarterfinals still a week and a half away, it will have to translate that momentum into MLS action instead. It's set to face two fearsome opponents — the Seattle Sounders and Inter Miami — in MLS before its Leagues Cup quarterfinal against Liga MX's Pachuca on Tuesday, Aug. 19.

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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