It’s been a regular season to remember for the Los Angeles Galaxy, who stand at the top of the Western Conference thanks to a four point lead with only one game remaining.
2024 has been a complete 180 for the Galaxy. After finishing second to last in the Western Conference last season, the team fell way below its lofty standards as the organization with the most MLS Cups of all time.
During the offseason, the Galaxy had two designated player spots open after the departures of Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez and Douglas Costa.
Instead of trying to sign the flashy, big name players that Galaxy fans have become accustomed to, they decided to invest in their future by signing 23-year-old Brazilian winger Gabriel Pec from Vasco da Gama and 26-year-old Ghanaian winger Joseph Paintsil from Belgian club Genk.
Those transfers, along with midseason free agent signing Marco Reus, have completely transformed this Galaxy team into an offensive juggernaut. The club is tied for the most goals in the Western Conference thanks to having four players who’ve scored 10-plus goals—an MLS record. It doesn’t hurt that they own the best goal differential, too, showing that the defense has been solid.
Without further ado, here’s my ranking of the top three most impactful Galaxy players this season:
3a & 3b. Joseph Paintsil and Dejan Joveljic
It’s too hard to leave one of these guys off the list, so I’ve made them at tied-third instead.
Paintsil brought over tons of experience from Belgium after tallying 68 goal contributions in 168 games for Genk. Paintsil has helped stabilize the attacking front for the Galaxy playing on the left side, while Joveljic plays up top and Pec fits in on the right side.
The Ghanaian winger, who was bought for $9.5 million, has provided 10 goals and seven assists this season, ranking third on the team in goal contributions. He was even named to the MLS Team of the Matchday for Matchday 28 after scoring a goal and providing two assists against the Portland Timbers on July 20.
He was also one of two Galaxy players to be nominated for the MLS Newcomer of the Year Award on October 7.
Meanwhile, Joveljic has been with the club since 2021 after signing from German club Eintracht Frankfurt as a 21-year old. During his time with the Galaxy, he’s been known more as a super sub, scoring off the bench on some big occasions for the Galaxy.
With the departure of Hernandez and English striker Billy Sharp in the offseason, the Galaxy decided to stay in house and let Joveljic settle in as the everyday striker.
That decision has provided wonders for the Galaxy, as Joveljic is tied for the most goals on the team with 15 in 27 games while also providing four assists.
Joveljic was named the MLS Player of the Week in May after scoring two goals and providing two assists off the bench for the Galaxy in a 4-1 thrashing of Austin FC on May 29, becoming the first player in MLS history to contribute to four goals as a substitute.
He was also named to the MLS Team of the Matchday for Matchday 32 after recording a brace against rivals LAFC in the Galaxy’s 4-2 comeback victory.
2. Gabriel Pec
Pec, who came over for $10.4 million, was arguably the biggest offseason acquisition for the Galaxy this season and has lived up to expectations by being named a MLS All-Star in his inaugural MLS season.
Like Paintsil, Pec also has double-digit goal contributions. He’s racked up 16 goals and 12 assists, tying him for the team lead in goals while having the most goal contributions on the team.
Pec and Paintsil joined an exclusive club of Galaxy players, becoming the fourth and fifth members of the 10-plus goals and 10-plus assists club in their debut season with the Galaxy, joining Zlatan Ibrahimović, Romain Alessandrini and Landon Donovan—esteemed company to say the least.
Because of his success in his debut season, Pec has solidified his status as a frontrunner for the MLS Newcomer of the Year award, for which he was nominated along with Paintsil for the award.Pec has been named to the MLS Team of the Matchday six times.
1. Riqui Puig
It couldn’t have been anyone else.
Little more can be said about Puig, who’s one of the best players in the MLS and is the face of the Galaxy after making the shocking move from Barcelona back in 2022 as a 22-year-old.
Hailed as a gem from Barcelona’s famous academy, La Masia, Puig has taken another step up after an impressive 2023 season where he was really the only consistent attacking player in the squad.
Now that he has premiere talent around him, Puig has tallied 13 goals and 10 assists, nearly equaling Pec for most goal contributions on the team and joining him as an MLS All-Star this season.
Puig is an elite midfielder in attack, ranking in the 99th percentile in 10 (!) categories according to FBref.com. He’s the engine of this Galaxy offense and that’s why this team has had so much success this season. Now with Reus playing in the midfield alongside Puig, it’ll be extremely exciting to see what the pair can accomplish during the MLS Playoffs.
Although the MLS MVP race is tight, Puig is right in the thick of it, as he was named as one of the 33 finalists for the Landon Donovan MLS MVP Award.
After an incredible bounce back season for the Galaxy, the Killer P’s of Puig, Pec and Paintsil along with Joveljic will look to finish the regular season strong before setting their sights on a record sixth MLS Cup.