Examining LA Galaxy player ratings in EA FC 24

Are the ratings just right, questionable, or compeltly off the mark?

Sep 19, 2023

It’s that time of year again when EA Sports drops their annual ratings for soccer players in the EA FC video game - previously known as FIFA. Examining how the game developers rate the players and what attributes stand out is always fun.

For starters, Billy Sharp, Douglas Costa, and Calegari are not in the game. Costa hasn’t been in the game since FIFA 20 while Calegari was in last year’s edition in career mode. Sharp was a 72 overall last season and doesn’t appear in the database of EA FC 24.

Here is the full rating list of the LA Galaxy roster:

Chicharito - 77
Riqui Puig - 75
Gaston Brugman - 73
Maya Yoshida - 73
Martin Caceres - 71
Dejan Joveljic - 71
Micheal Barrios - 70
Mark Delagado - 70
Diego Fagundez- 70
Tyler Boyd - 69
Jonathan Bond - 68
Julian Aude - 67
Edwin Cerrillo - 67
Raheem Edwards -67
Kelvin Lerdam - 66
Chris Mavinga - 65
Uri Rosell - 65
Tony Alfaro - 64
Jonathan Klinsmann - 64
Jalen Neal - 63
Eriq Zavaleta - 62
Preston Judd - 59
Daniel Aguirre - 58
Adam Saldana -58
Mauricio Cuevas - 56
Gino Vivi - 58
Jonathan Perez - 54

Let’s go through some of the biggest surprises and ratings that stick out from the LA Galaxy. Be sure to comment your thoughts on the ratings and which ones you agree with or don’t.

Upgrades

Jalen Neal, 63 overall, +7

The most prominent upgrade in the Galaxy squad goes to center back Jalen Neal. The 19-year-old has been the breakout player during the 2023 campaign in just his first season in MLS. In last year’s edition of the game, Neal was rated 56 overall but is now at 63.

Neal’s passing got a significant upgrade from 37 to 51 overall. Considering the 19-year-old leads the league in completion percentage (94%), I feel that rating should be at least in the 60’s. His defending jumped up by 15 overall and his dribbling went up by 24.

At just 19, his in-game potential hovers around the high 70’s. If you’re a fan of Career Mode, he’ll be a great player to develop in the game and he fits the mold as a ball-playing center back. A deserved upgrade for the Galaxy’s most talented young player.

Riqui Puig, 75 overall, +1

Given the injuries and roller coaster of a season this has been, Riqui Puig has navigated it all to be undoubtedly the best player on the LA Galaxy. EA gave him a rating boost of one to go from silver to a gold card in ultimate team.

I firmly believe Puig is one of the best players in MLS and at least one of the top 24. EA doesn’t believe so and was left off the list they released last week of the top 24 rated players in the league.

He’s one of the best passers in the leagues and is near the top of many metrics in this field. He leads the league in passes in the final third (277) and progressive passes (323).

His pace and shooting got upgrades but his passing stayed the same at 73 overall. While it’s a deserved upgrade, folks who’ve watched Puig all season should be surprised to not see him be a higher or highest-rated player on the team.

Downgrades

Chicharito, 77 overall, -2

It’s been a rough 2023 for Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez as an ACL injury ended his season and potentially his LA Galaxy career. His rating in EA FC goes down to 77 overall from 79 overall in last year’s edition of the game. He’s held the mantle of being the highest-rated LA Galaxy player in the last two editions of the game and continues to do so in EA FC 24.

This downgrade is a fair reflection of Chicharito’s form this season. He wasn’t as clinical in front of goal and his technical ability on the ball was going through a visible regression. He scored one goal in 688 minutes of play - in that span he underperformed his xG by -3.

EA downgraded his pace and shooting but he remains one of the top 24 MLS players in the game. He’s held the mantle of being the highest-rated LA Galaxy player in the last two editions of the game and continues to do so in EA FC 24.

Diego Fagundez, 70 overall, -2

It’s been a rough season for Fagundez. He’s struggled to find the form that helped Austin make the Western Confrence finals and was traded to the Galaxy midway through the season. He’s still trying to find his groove in Vanney’s team and is slowly starting to build some offensive momentum.

EA downgraded his passing, shooting, and dribbling in this year’s game. This rating makes sense when you think about how underwhelming 2023 has been for him.

Chris Mavinga, 64 overall, -4

On the entire roster, Chris Mavinga has the highest downgrade compared to last year’s game. The defender goes from a 69 overall to a 64 overall with major downgrades.

His pace took a massive hit going from 83 to 71 overall - a dip of 12 overall. His passing, defending, and physicality also went down too.

Mavinga’s had some lowlight moments this season, most recently his poor back pass that led to a goal in El Trafico. He’s not the same defender during his Toronto days and struggles in high-pressure moments.

Surprises

Gaston Brugman, 73 overall

The Galaxy’s Uruguayan midfielder doesn’t get an upgrade despite his amazing performances for the Galaxy. He’s elevated the level of the midfield and compliments the players around him such as Puig and Delagdo.

Before his injury, Brugman was leading the league in metrics such as passes into the final third, passes completed, and progressive passes. He also held his own defensively to give the Galaxy backline a good first line of defense. Just take a look at his per 90 stats:

I believe Brugman should be at least a 75 overall given how much work he does on and off the ball. He was efficient and consistently one of the best performers for the LA Galaxy. Brugman deserved an upgrade to reflect just how good he’s been since arriving in MLS a year ago.

Tyler Boyd, 69 overall

In his first season with the Galaxy, Boyd has exceeded expectations. He’s tied for the most goals on the roster with six during MLS play and has developed into Galaxy's pacey threat out wide.

In my opinion, Boyd should at least be a 71 overall, and his finishing stats deserve to see a boost considering some of his good finishes this season. This season is currently tied for Boyd’s best goal-scoring campaign and he is two-goal contributions from his career-best.

If Boyd’s form continues, we’ll be talking about how he should be getting a major upgrade ahead of the 2024 season.