As we head towards the end of 2023, lets take a look at LA Galaxy's 2023 Season Recap/Review. For the 2023 season, the LA Galaxy had a uninspiring and disappointing year with a record of 8 wins - 14 losses - 12 ties, resulting in just 36 points, finishing the year in 13th place in the Western Conference (2nd to last in Western Conference). The Galaxy went 1-6-3 in its first 10 games of the season. They went 6-5-6 at home and 2-9-6 on the road. This gave them the 4th worst record in the whole MLS (29 teams) this season, causing them to miss the MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2021. They scored 51 goals, and allowed 67 goals (the most in the MLS). In the 2023 Leagues Cup (an international club soccer tournament between Major League Soccer (MLS) and Liga MX), the Galaxy failed to win any games and were knocked out of the tournament in the Group Stage. In the 2023 U.S. Open Cup, they had their most success making it as far as the quarterfinals but were knocked out of the tournament by Real Salt Lake. LA Galaxy's payroll for the year was $23,463,025, which ranked them 2nd in the league. A team who struggled a lot with injuries, fans who boycotted former LA Galaxy president - Chris Klein - who took a lot of blame on this years struggles, and an upsetting season. Let's take a 2023 season review on the LA Galaxy.
LA Galaxy 2023 roster review:
The LA Galaxy rolled with 34 different players playing this season for them.
GOALKEEPERS -
The goalkeeping was mediocre at best this year but it wasn't mainly thier fault as it's a team effort. They allowed 67 goals which was the most in the MLS this season. Not good. In the U.S Open Cup and Leagues Cup, they allowed 3 goals in each tournament. So who were the Keepers?
Jonathan Bond was the primary LA Galaxy goalkeeper this season. Bond had an okay season for the LA Galaxy. He made 24 starts and recorded 4 clean sheets (32nd in MLS), and conceded 46 goals (4th most in MLS). He also made 80 saves, which was the 16th most in MLS. Bond's save percentage was 63.5% which was also mid in the league. So Bond wasn't necessarily the top Keeper in the league but it wasn't really his fault as the team was pretty bad as well. He did make 1 appearance in the US Open Cup allowing 1 goal in a 3:1 win. Bond is a decent keeper and will probably remain as the starting keeper next year with his contract running through the 2024 season, with a team option for the 2025 season.
Jonathan Klinsmann was one of the Galaxy's backup keepers this year. He played 10 MLS matches, starting 8 this season. He was mainly in when Bond was out with an injury. In the 10 games, he allowed 15 goals with 2 clean sheets. He had 24 saves with a save percentage of 61.5%, very similar to bond. He made 2 appearances in the US Open Cup, allowing 3 goals and had 1 clean sheet. Klinsmann just finished his 1-year contract, he has a club option for 2024 but LA Galaxy denied it and he will likely not be back next year.
Novak Micovic served as the Galaxy's 3rd string keeper. He was brought in on loan from Serbia when Bond was injured. He played the last 2 MLS matches, allowing 6 goals. He had 6 saves at a save percentage of 50. It's tough to judge Micovic for those 2 games because at the point Galaxy were out of playoff contention and these games did not matter so the team did not play hard. He also made 2 appearances for the Leagues Cup, allowing 3 goals. Micovic is young with a lot of potential, his loan is over but the Galaxy have exercised the contract option so he will be back next year as likely the backup keeper.
DEFENDERS -
Some defenders this year had wonderful seasons but were cut short to injuries. Others were also mediocre at best, and are taking the same blame the goalkeepers did for allowing 67 goals this season. Who were the defenders?
Lucas Calegari, Brazilian defender brought in on loan this year from Brazil. He was voted LA Galaxy's Defender of the Year! He was essentially the replacement for Julian Araujo who left for Barcelona. He played 22 MLS matches starting at right-back before getting a season ending knee injury in September. In those games, he registered 2 assists and 5 clean sheets with a accurate pass percentage of 87.8. He also had 29 won tackles, 3rd most on the team. Pretty good and was pretty reliable for the Galaxy. He also played all the games in the Leagues Cup and US Open. Unfortunately, his loan is over and Galaxy confirmed that they will not pick up his club option meaning he likely won't be back next year. Shame as he was one of the best right-backs for the Galaxy this season.
Julian Aude, Argentinian defender brought in this year on a 5-year contract. He is just 20 years old with a ton of potential. Aude played 22 MLS matches, starting 14, all at left-back. In those games he registered 1 assist, with 2 clean sheets, 136 tackles (most on team), and a accurate pass percentage of 84%. He also played all the games in both cups and even scored a beautiful goal in the US Open Cup. He looked pretty good this year and will only get better.
Veteran Japanese Centre-Back, Maya Yoshida, was brought in late this year. Yoshida is 35 with a ton of experience in Europe especially in Premier League and Bundesliga. He also played over 100 games for Japan. He was brought in to play for the Galaxy until the end of next season. Yoshida played the last 12 games of the season for the Galaxy at center-back. In those games, he had 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 clean sheets, and a accurate pass percentage of 91% (7th in MLS). Very good. He played very well for the Galaxy and at age 35, that's impressive. Great that he should be here for Galaxy until next year.
Eriq Zavaleta, spent his 2nd year with the Galaxy this year. Zavaleta is more of a backup defender for the Galaxy. He played 11 games in the MLS this year at Centre-Back, starting 4 games. Zavaleta really only had a few good games and in 1 game he scored 2 goals. But other than that, Zavaleta made a lot of mistakes which sometimes led to goals for the other team. He also played 1 game in the US Open Cup. Zavaleta is a solid backup option and will be back for Galaxy next season.
Veteran, Chris Mavinga, was brought in this season for the LA Galaxy. He played 19 games at Centre-Back this season, starting 13. Mavinga missed 10 games due to injury and spent a few on the bench. He had a great accurate pass percentage of 94.2% (1st in MLS), but overall had an okay year. Mavinga had many highs and lows and a bad 2nd half of season making a lot of mistakes which led to goals for the other team. He also had 75 tackles, 2nd most on team. Mavinga picked up a red card this season. He played 2 games US Open as well. Mavinga will be back next year and hopefully improves.
Kelvin Leerdam, spent his 2nd season with the LA Galaxy. He played 20 games in the MLS, starting 13 between right-back and centre-back. He had 1 goal, 2 assists, with a accurate pass percentage of 89.1%. Leerdam also played 1 game off the bench in US Open and 2 off the bench in Leagues Cup. Leerdam was a pretty solid defender for the Galaxy but his club option for 2024 was denied and he likely won't be back for the team next year.
Mauricio Cuevas, 20, was signed to the LA Galaxy squad after spending time in the past playing for LA Galaxy II. He played 8 games in the MLS this year, starting 5 all at right-back with 1 clean sheet.. He had an accurate pass percentage of 87.3%. Cuevas was pretty solid in his short time played. He's young and only getting better. He's with the Galaxy until at least 2025.
Uruguayan veteran, Martín Cáceres, played his 2nd season with the Galaxy this year. He played and 15 MLS matches this year starting them all at Centre-Back. He was doing good until he got a season-ending knee injury in June. He scored 2 goals this year, 3 clean sheets, with a accurate pass percentage of 90.7% (12th in MLS). He also had a red card. A great defender for the Galaxy especially at 36 years old, it is unknown if he is back with Galaxy next season.
Jalen Neal, 20, had a very nice year coming out of no where. He started the year at Centre-Back playing 16 MLS games, starting 14. He had 1 goal with a accurate pass percentage of 94.1% (2nd in MLS), wow. He then left the team to play for USA in the Gold Cup and was amazing. Neal became the youngest center back to appear for the USMNT in a knockout round match, at only 19 years, 319 days in a quarterfinal match. Unfortunately, he picked up a few injuries shortly after that ended his season. He also played a few games in the US Open Cup and Leafues Cup. Neal had a fantastic year this year especially at age 20, he is no doubt the future of LA Galaxy defending. He has done a lot for communities as well winning LA Galaxy's Humanitarian of the Year.
Raheem Edwards spent his 2nd year with the Galaxy this season. Edwards play both midfield and left-back for the Galaxy but spent majority of his time defending. Edwards played almost every game for the Galaxy playing 30 MLS matches, starting 21. He register 2 goals, 4 assists, 8 yellow cards, 33 won tackles (2nd most on team), and a accurate pass percentage of 85%. Pretty solid. He also played every game in the Cups. Edwards has been one of the most reliable players for the Galaxy but they just traded him to CF Montreal for cash.
Finally, Tony Alfaro was acquired mid-season to defend for the Galaxy. He played 6 MLS games, starting 4 at Centre-Back with a accurate pass percentage of 86.3%. He also played both games in Leagues Cup. His club option for next year was denied by Galaxy and he probably won't be back next year.
MIDFIELDERS -
The midfield was probably the Galaxy's strength this season with Riqui Puig being the face of the squad. Here's who played at midfield this season.
Gastón Brugman spent his 2nd year with the Galaxy this season. The Uruguay native was primarily the defensive midfielder for the Galaxy and was having a nice year until he picked up a season-ending injury in August. He was serving as the LA Galaxy's captain while Chicharito was away due to injury. In the MLS, he had 2 goals, 2 assists, 37 won tackles (most on team and 30th in MLS), and an accurate pass percentage of 88.8% in 22 MLS games, starting 21. He played all the games in US Open Cup, scoring a goal. He also played in the Leagues Cup. Brugman has been very good for the Galaxy during his time there. He can pass and dribble great and is versatile. Luckily, Galaxy have him until 2025 so he should be back next year.
Riqui Puig was undoubtedly the best player for the LA Galaxy this year. The Spanish attacking midfielder was the centerpiece of all attacking plays and was a beautiful passer, had great vision, and great playmaker. Puig was the only MLS All-Star from the LA Galaxy this year and won the LA Galaxy Golden Boot and Player of the Year. He also served as the Galaxy Captain when Brugman got injured. This year in the MLS, Puig has created 63 chances (11th most in MLS), 54 key passes (14th in MLS), 296 dribbles completed (1st in MLS), 2167 passes (1st in MLS), 7 goals (tied for team lead), 8 assists, with an accurate pass percentage of 86% in 29 games, starting 28. One of the best midfielders in the MLS this year no doubt and the only player from the Galaxy to lead among some categories. He also had a goal in both the US Open Cup and Leagues Cup playing every game. This gives him 9 total goals for the Galaxy, giving him the team Golden Boot. Puig has been a gift for the Galaxy and his contract has him through the 2025 season. While there are some rumors he could leave, he said is happy with the Galaxy and should be back next season.
Efraín Álvarez played a few games for the LA Galaxy before being transferred to Liga MX team, Club Tijuana. Álvarez has been in the Galaxy academy since 2016 and played in the MLS for the Galaxy since 2019. Since he didn't start too many games for the Galaxy, he felt he can start more somewhere else which led to the transfer. Álvarez was a good role player for the Galaxy but the move was for the best. During his short time with the Galaxy this year, he played 10 MLS matches, starting 5 as an attacking midfielder. He had 1 assist with an 86.5% accurate pass. He also made made an appearance in Leagues Cup playing only 1 minute.
Memo Rodríguez was another player who started the season with the Galaxy but then acquired by another team (Austin FC). This was his first season with the Galaxy and he played left and right mid. Rodríguez played 12 MLS games for the Galaxy, starting 9. In those games he scored 1 goal with 1 assist. He also played 2 games in the US Open Cup where he scored twice in 1 game and he played 2 games in the Leagues Cup. In the mid-season, Galaxy decided Rodríguez is not in their future plans and they traded him to Austin for Diego Fagúndez.
Mark Delgado completed his 2nd year with the Galaxy as a Center midfielder. Delgado had a pretty nice year at this postion. He played 30 MLS matches, starting 25. Delgado had 2 goals, 3 assists, 33 won tackles (2nd most on team), with an accurate pass percentage of 87.7%. He was very good in the midfield always making the right passes and the right decisions. Delgado also played every game in Leagues Cup and had 2 assists. He has been a key component to the midfield this year along with Puig and Boyd and pretty underrated. Luckily, Delgado is under contract until next year so he will be back.
Douglas Costa completed his 2nd year and final season with the Galaxy. Costa had a very up/down season this year. He started the season playing very poorly but then started to pick things up. When Costa was first acquired, there was very high expectations for him as he played for Brazil, Juventus, Bayern, etc and was still fairly young. But his time with Galaxy was a bit of a disappointment. We didn't see the full potential of him. Although this was true, Costa still had an above average year. He played 19 MLS matches this year, starting 15 as a winger on both sides and attacking midfielder. He had 3 goals, 10 assists (led the team and 16th in MLS), with an accurate pass percentage of 84.5%. He also played both games in Leagues Cup and played 1 games in US Open Cup, scoring a goal. Costa also battled a few injuries this year. Had Costa played his full potential and had no injuries, he probably would be in the MVP race. What could have been. Anyway, it is confirmed he will not be back next year.
Tyler Boyd completed his first year with the Galaxy and was arguably Galaxy's 2nd best player. Boyd played most of his career in Europe and even played for the USA national team in 2019. He played both left and right winger this year. In the MLS, he played 34 games, starting 28. He scored 7 goals (tied with Puig for team lead), had 4 assists, 45 key passes (25th in MLS), 152 dribbles completed (13th in MLS), and an accurate pass percentage of 81.2%. Pretty solid. He also played every game in both tournaments and in US Open Cup, he had a goal and an assist. The club has extended a bona fide offer to midfielder Tyler Boyd for the upcoming season but unclear he'll accept and come back next year. He likely will though.
Uri Rosell played his first year with the Galaxy this year serving as the teams back-up defensive midfielder. He got a lot more playing time in the 2nd half of the season when Brugman went down. In the MLS, he played 16 games (starting 12), logged in 1 assist with a 93.2 accurate pass percentage. He 1 game briefly in the US Open Cup and both in Leagues Cup but never scored for the Galaxy. Overall, he was a nice backup for the Galaxy but there was a lot he could have been better at like defending and play-making. Becuase of this and that Galaxy have Brugman and Cerillo as the top defensive midefielders, Galaxy declined his contract option for next year and he will not be back.
Edwin Cerrillo was a late season acquisition for the LA Galaxy coming in August. He played primarily as a defensive midfielder but also played some games as a center mid. In the MLS for the Galaxy, Cerrillo played 11 games, starting 9 of them. He had 1 assist with a accurate pss percentage of 93.1%. Cerrillo, 23, is still quite young and has a lot of potential. He is still under contract and will be back for the 2024 season. Cerrillo was a solid defensive midfielder and good passer, however, with Brugman set to come back from his injury next season, Cerrillo may spend some time on the bench unless Vanney finds a way to fit him in. Still a great option to have for depth.
Gino Vivi made his MLS debut this year after being drafted in the 1st round by the LA Galaxy in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft. He played Left Winger for the brief time he spent with the Galaxy. Vivi played 3 MLS games, starting 1 and had an accurate pass percentage of 94.6%. Not bad. He also played a few games in the US Open Cup. In the MLS Next Pro which is the lower league of MLS, he registered 2 goals and 3 assists in 11 games. Vivi has a ton of potential and doing what he did in his first professional year is promising. We'll see how he does next year.
Daniel Aguirre completed his 3rd MLS Season with the Galaxy this year. He spent most of his season coming off the bench, playing 25 MLS games and only starting 3. In those games, he register 1 goal, 1 assist, with a 88.4 accurate pass percentage. Not bad for a guy playing minimal minutes. Aguirre also played in all the games for the US Open Cup and Leagues Cup. In 1 Game in Leagues he had 2 assists in 28 minutes. Aguirre has been a nice back-up option for the Galaxy and maybe 1 day can prove his worth as a starter. The Galaxy have exercised his contract option so he will be back next year.
Lastly, Jonathan Perez spent some time with the Galaxy this year playing some left and right mid. Perez spent most of the season with the LA Galaxy II but did play 6 games with the MLS team. He came off the bench in all the games and had 1 assist with an accurate pass percentage of 91.1%. Some potential there.
FOWARDS -
Probably the biggest disappointment and biggest need for the Galaxy. There was really no one who stood out as a Forward for the Galaxy this year other than Billy Sharp who only played the final 6 MLS games where it was too late. Here's who the Forwards were.
Dejan Joveljić just completed his third season for the Galaxy. Joveljić had a big chance to redeem himself this year getting the opportunity to start more games than he ever did before and was just a huge disappointment. In the MLS this season, he played 32 games and started 19. In those games, he only scored 6 goals (5 less than last year where he started only 7 games), had 4 assists with an accurate pass percentage of 78.5%. Not good at all. He will be back next season.
Michael Barrios was traded late in the season to the LA Galaxy. He played as a winger and only played 6 games for the Galaxy, not starting any. He scored 1 goal and had 1 assist with an accurate pass percentage of 80.6%. Barrios is out of contract and will not return next season.
Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez completed his 4th season with the LA Galaxy this year as the Captain when he was not injured. This was Chicharito's last season with the Galaxy and it was a disappointment. He missed most of the season due to injury but in the games he did play, he did basically nothing. He played only 9 MLS games, starting 7 of them, scoring 1 goal with 1 assist. His accurate pass percentage was 80.9%. In those 9 games, he was offside 11 times, had 4 yellow cards, and a red card (which was his last game for the Galaxy). He also played 3 games in the US Open Cup and did nothing. Not good at all especially for a player with his caliber. Chicharito was very good the previous seasons, but this season was disappointing and his contract is expired, so it was sad to see this is the way his time ended with the Galaxy.
Diego Fagúndez was acquired late in the season from Austin FC. Fagúndez has been an MLS veteran playing since 2011 and has done a lot for the teams he's played on. He has scored many and many assists so this acquisition made sense for the Galaxy. Fagúndez played 11 games for the Galaxy as a left winger, starting 6. In this games, he scored 1 goal and had 4 assists with an accurate pass percentage of 85.1%. Not bad. Fagúndez is under contract until 2025 so he will be back next year.
Billy Sharp was acquired late in the season and was probably the best Forward for the Galaxy. Sharp played most of his career in England and played in the Premier League. He is coming toward the end of his career being 37, but still killed it in the MLS. Sharp played 12 games for the Galaxy, starting 8. He scored 6 goals including a hat trick, and had 2 assists. Pretty good for the short amount of games he played. But unfortunately LA Galaxy declined Sharp's contract after the conclusion of the 2023 season. This was pretty surprising but probably for a good unknown reason.
Finally, Preston Judd spent his first season with the Galaxy after spending the previous 2 with the LA Galaxy II. Judd was drafted by the Galaxy back in 2021. Judd has been fantastic with the LA Galaxy II scoring 30 goals in 57 games. However, with the MLS LA Galaxy, he played 17 MLS games, starting 6. He scored 3 goals with 2 assists and an accurate pass percentage of 69.6%. There's a ton of potential with Judd but Galaxy had decided to trade him earlier this month.
So, that's everybody who played at least 1 game for the LA Galaxy this season along with their status with the team next season. To summarize, here's who's back next year as of now:
Goalkeepers (3): Jonathan Bond, Novak Mićović, John McCarthy (pending)
Defenders (10): Julián Aude, Martín Cáceres, Mauricio Cuevas, Marcus Ferkranus, Chris Mavinga, Jalen Neal, Maya Yoshida, Eriq Zavaleta, John Nelson
Midfielders (8): Daniel Aguirre, Gastón Brugman, Edwin Cerrillo, Mark Delgado, Diego Fagundez, Jonathan Pérez, Riqui Puig, Gino Vivi
Forwards (3): Dejan Joveljić, Preston Judd, Miguel Berry
This is not a bad roster so far. Some of these players missed significant time due to injury, some are young with a lot of potential and still developing to the MLS, some of them came very late in the season, and some of them are players to build around. Tyler Boyd is not on this list as he has still yet to choose if he is returning but if he does this will help the midfield a lot. If Galaxy are healthy next year, they are only a few good signings away from being a serious contender next season. They just got a new General Manager, Will Kuntz, with a ton of experience so this will help a lot. Kuntz has already got to business by acuiring 3 solid guys - DF John Nelson, F Miguel Berry, and GK John McCarthy. If you know these players, these are not bad signings and Kuntz will cook this off-season. The MLS SuperDraft took place earlier this month and they drafted a GK Ethan Brandt and MF Tucker Lepley. These guys will likely not play in MLS next year but some good prospects added.
What went down this season? LA Galaxy head coach, Greg Vanney, used the 4-3-3 formation throughout the season, but at times, it didn't quite work to his team's advantage. This was because, for a significant portion of the year, the fullbacks performed better as wingbacks, and the wingers weren't always in their best form. Many observed that the squad seemed better suited to a 3-5-2 formation, which could be viewed as a 3-4-1-2 with Riqui serving as the central attacking midfielder in front of a double pivot. This alignment appeared more suitable than the 4-3-3 or even a 4-2-3-1 formation.
However, their plans were affected when Chicharito suffered an ACL injury in June, and Dejan Joveljić didn't quite live up to expectations when he started games, so they couldn't consistently employ a two-striker setup. To their credit, Tyler Boyd and Douglas Costa improved their performance in the latter part of the year, making the use of wingers a more logical choice.
Irrespective of the formation chosen, the LA team aimed to dominate possession and create a rhythmic style of play. They often succeeded in this aspect, although there were instances where they resorted to crossing the ball too frequently once they reached the final third.
One of the biggest issues this season was the LA Galaxy front office. Specifically, Chris Klein, who was a bad LA Galaxy president for a number of reasons, including:
Poor on-field results: The Galaxy have not won an MLS Cup since 2014, almost 10 years past its last MLS Cup championship, and has missed the playoffs in five of the last seven seasons. Two of the last three misses have come under Coach Greg Vanney.
Klein has overseen a steady decline in the team's performance during his tenure.
Financial mismanagement: The Galaxy have been fined multiple times by MLS for violating salary budget rules. Klein has also been criticized for making poor decisions in the transfer market.
Alienating the fanbase: Klein's tenure has been marked by a number of controversies, including the signing of controversial Brazilian midfielder Juninho in 2020. He has also been criticized for his lack of communication with fans and his perceived arrogance.
In addition to these specific issues, Klein has also been criticized for his overall leadership of the Galaxy. He has been accused of being out of touch with the modern game and of failing to build a sustainable culture of success.
Klein was finally fired by the Galaxy on May 31, 2023, after the team started the season with a 2-9-3 record. He was replaced by Greg Vanney during the season, who is now serving as just the team's head coach. They have now hired a General Manager (Will Kuntz).
Another big issue for the Galaxy was injuries. Would they have made the playoffs if it wasn't for injuries? Possibly but who knows. Some significant injuries this year was: Javier “Chicharito” Hernadez (torn ACL), Martin Caceres (left knee avulsion fracture), Gaston Brugman (torn meniscus) and Lucas Calegari (torn ACL) all had their seasons cut short due to injuries and later Jalen Neal (sports hernia surgery) was lost for the season, as was Delgado (concussion).
It is still unclear whether Greg Vanney will remain as head coach next season but it seems after all this time that past since the season ended, that he will remain as coach going into his 4th year with the Galaxy. Who knows if he will be able to turn things around for the Galaxy, but the team's fans are clearly hoping for a change.
LA Galaxy All-Stars:
Riqui Puig (LA Galaxy / Coach’s Selection) was the only Galaxy All-Star this year which shows their lack of talent.
For the next season, like I mentioned they're only a few good signings away from being a contender if healthy, the Galaxy should have two open DP (Designated player) slots. We know now they just assigned Will Kuntz as the new general manager and I don't think there is anyone else who could have been better to appoint in this position. Kuntz has a ton of experience and success in his career so hopefully he can make a nice team for next year. He's already made his first order of business by trading away Raheem Edwards. Right now it doesn't seem like a good move but give him time. Their biggest need is a new right-back and a forward or 2 and some depth. Still a few months until the season starts so a lot of time for change.
LA Galaxy Team Awards:
This is coming from LA Galaxy themselves and I couldn't agree more on these awards.
The LA Galaxy's Player of the Year for 2023 is Riqui Puig, who is a midfielder. Puig had an outstanding second season with the team, where he scored seven goals and provided eight assists in 29 games, with 28 of them as a starter during the 2023 MLS Regular Season. Puig stood out as the leader in several key statistical categories in the league that year. He had the most touches (2,752) and successful passes into the final third (640) among all MLS players. Additionally, he ranked second in dribbles completed (92) and passes completed (1,892), and was sixth in creating scoring opportunities from open play with 55 chances created.
The LA Galaxy's Defender of the Year in 2023 was Calegari, who hails from the Brazilian club Fluminense and was on loan to the Galaxy. Calegari made a significant impact by providing two assists in 22 appearances, all of which he started, throughout the 2023 MLS Regular Season. Within the team, he ranked fourth in terms of possessions won (128) and tackles won (29), and he was fifth in categories such as interceptions (24), duels won (107), and total minutes played (1,935) during the 2023 season.
Jalen Neal, a 20-year-old defender, was honored as the LA Galaxy Humanitarian of the Year. He has consistently shown his commitment to giving back to the community, often in collaboration with the LA Galaxy Foundation. Among his various community contributions, Neal played a significant role in organizing a career exploration panel titled "The Power of Sports for Inclusion Around the World," which benefited over 100 students from Lakewood High School at Dignity Health Sports Park.
On October 19, Neal partnered with the City of Lakewood, Herbalife, and the U.S. Soccer Foundation to construct a new mini-soccer pitch at Palms Park in his hometown of Lakewood. Furthermore, Neal, along with his mother Sarah Neal, actively collaborates with the LA Galaxy Foundation during matchdays, ensuring that at least one family gets to experience their first LA Galaxy match.
Neal, a native of Lakewood, California, also works closely with Project Shepard, a non-profit organization under the City of Lakewood, to provide backpacks, school supplies, and Christmas gifts on an annual basis. In recognition of his humanitarian efforts, Neal was named the LA Galaxy II Humanitarian of the Year for three consecutive seasons in 2020, 2021, and 2022.
The LA Galaxy II Player of the Year title was awarded to the 19-year-old forward, Aaron Bibout. He received this recognition for his outstanding performance, scoring 14 goals and providing five assists in all 27 games he played, all of which he started, during the 2023 MLS NEXT Pro Regular Season.
The LA Galaxy II Defender of the Year was bestowed upon Adam Saldaña, who is primarily known as a midfielder. Saldaña earned this honor by making 23 appearances, all of which he started, and accumulating a total of 2,036 minutes of play during the 2023 MLS NEXT Pro Regular Season. What's particularly noteworthy is that Saldaña achieved the highest passing accuracy in MLS NEXT Pro, registering an impressive 94.3% accuracy, among all players who played a minimum of 1,100 minutes during the 2023 season.
The LA Galaxy II Golden Boot award was claimed by Aaron Bibout, who serves as a forward for LA Galaxy II. Bibout was the top goal-scorer for the team this season, netting an impressive total of 14 goals. Bibout is from Cameroon and joined LA Galaxy II earlier this year. He played a few games for the MLS squad as well. In second place on the team's list of goal-scorers was Axel Picazo, who managed to score four goals in his 27 appearances, with 19 of those as a starter, during the 2023 MLS NEXT Pro Regular Season.
Records broken this season:
The largest standalone attendance for a single match—82,110 spectators— was set on July 4, 2023, at the Rose Bowl the LA Galaxy and LAFC.
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