A Son Heads to Spain, a New Striker Arrives, and the Galaxy Desperately Needs a Win against FC Dallas
Greg Vanney opens up about the complications of being the father of an academy prospect at the Galaxy plus John Nelson shares what the team spent most of the week working on
“We need the three points at home.”
John Nelson and the LA Galaxy haven’t had the ideal start to the MLS season after the World Cup break. Back-to-back home losses and leaving San Jose with a point after leading the match have made the desire for a win strong among LA’s players.
“We need to get the momentum going. You know, something for us, something for the fans,” said Nelson.
After this Saturday’s game against FC Dallas, LA will not return to action for 14 days due to the two-week break for Leagues Cup. The team can either enter the break with the feeling of victory or with the sour taste of defeat.
“We don’t want to go into this break with, ‘oh we should have done that, or that should have been better’ so that’s why three points are that much more important,” said Nelson.
To get closer to victory, LA’s worked all week on defending and being more connected on the pitch.
“We need a clean sheet,” said Nelson.
“I think we’re just letting in goals way too easily, and then again, it’s not just the back line…there’s too many times on the field we lose the ball in a bad spot and we’re so open and the counter is so easy for teams to break through us.
Head Coach Greg Vanney agreed with that and brought up the struggles in possession.
“I don’t think we’ve been as smooth at times in some of our longer in our possession moments, so we’ve defended a little more and played a little more in transition,” he said.
In the reverse fixture, Dallas made sure to capitalize on LA’s sloppy possession moments. Defender Maya Yoshida had a bad touch that led to Dallas’ first goal and back pressing on Gabriel Pec was the genesis of their second goal that day.
“They’re a team that plays with a high risk, high-reward approach defensively, very aggressive in the way they press and counter-press,” said Vanney.
It was in that game that Joao Klauss was injured, and now this weekend’s game could feature another striker playing up top. Kyōgo Furuhashi is available for selection this weekend and could make his LA Galaxy debut. The Japanese striker was recently acquired from Birmingham City.
Adding the Japanese attacker to the squad is the bit of momentum Nelson and the Galaxy are seeking.
“If we can get the first goal, get the crowd on our side, just momentum, just something, a little spark, then I think we’re fine,” said Nelson.
One of the major stories of the week was Dylan Vanney joining La Liga side Real Betis on loan for the 26-27 season. The attacking midfielder is the son of coach Vanney and has come through the LA Galaxy academy.
He led the LA Galaxy’s U-19s to an MLS NEXT Cup Championship, where he earned MVP honors in 2025. With MLS Next affiliate Ventura County FC, Vanney has 12 goals and six assists in 47 appearances.
“There’s no secret, it’s complicated at the Galaxy with him and me being in the position I am in,” said Greg Vanney
“(Dylan) coming through the system, lots of things are complicated. Young players need space to make mistakes, to grow, to learn, to evolve, get lots of minutes. All those kinds of things exist.”
Despite having his moments at youth tournaments or with Ventura County, Dylan Vanney has never made an appearance for the first team. Other academy teammates of his have played with the first team, but not Vanney, despite his credentials as one of the most accomplished players in the academy.
“You can ask any of the coaches in the league who’ve had sons that have been coming through their academies, and it’s just a complicated situation,” said Greg Vanney.
Nonetheless, Dylan Vanney’s move to Betis has been in the works for some time. The 18-year-old visited the Spanish side in January and set up the loan during the trip.
“He’ll go to a club in a system, in a style, in a culture of football, that I think he really fits,” said Greg Vanney.
“He’ll learn, and he’ll grow… he’ll learn another language, he learns another culture… No matter what, he’s going to grow from it. Hopefully he excels from it.”
“In our household, it’s always been: don’t worry about all the other stuff. Just stay focused on making yourself better every single day. The noise, the distractions, you don’t really need them,” added Vanney.