Which LA Galaxy Players Stock Soared and Plummeted in Coachella Valley Invitational Preseason Action
Looking through players who impressed the most in preseason action in Coachella and also analyzing who put up disappointing performances during the games.
The LA Galaxy capped off their preseason matches with a 2-0 win over the New York Red Bulls. The SoCal club was able to get players back on the pitch as the days get closer to LA’s opening match of the MLS season against Inter Miami.
I’ll be examining which players had excellent reasons that saw their value to the club grow and others who added more questions about their value to the team. Not every player will be talked about but just those that made the biggest impact.
Preseason is vital to getting chemistry back and into the rhythm of soccer games. It’s also where you can spot positive and negative trends just as the season begins. Here are the players who stood out in positive and negative ways during preseason in Coachella.
Stock Up
Diego Fagundez, winger
Despite so many rumors linking the LA Galaxy to DP-caliber wingers, Fagudenz has held himself up with his preseason performances. The MLS veteran stands out as active in the attack and comfortable in the build-up of attacks on the left side of the pitch.
There were a lot of questions surrounding Fagundez this offseason following an underwhelming start to his LA Galaxy career last season. Now that he’s settled in a home in LA, you’re seeing him play like the impact player he was with Austin FC two seasons ago.
With Pec and Paintsil likely to arrive soon, Fagundez could fall out of a starting position out wide. If that does happen, the 29-year-old would be an excellent player to bring off the bench when the team needs an offensive spark.
Edwin Cerrillo, defensive midfielder
This preseason showed that Cerrillo can fill the shoes of Gaston Brugman this season. The 23-year-old defensive midfielder had good defensive moments and showed he’s comfortable getting loads of tocuhes in the middle of the park.
Brugman is still going to need time to get into match fitness so Cerrillo’s progression this preseason is what the LA Galaxy is delighted to see. A full preseason with the club is a massive help for a young player after he was traded mid-season to LA.
Vanney has wanted to see Brugman playing higher up the pitch which makes Cerillo vital in playing that defensive midfielder role well. At just 23, there is still a lot of room for Cerrillo to progress and add to his game as the season goes on.
Tucker Lepely, midfielder
For a second-round pick, Lepely has played well and looks like he belongs at the MLS level. For years we’ve seen SuperDraft picks play in preseason and struggle to establish themselves in games, Lepely is the opposite.
His great close control of the ball and reading of the game doesn’t make him a liability on the pitch. He’s comfortable playing in this possession-based system and would be an excellent depth piece for the roster.
The Galaxy doesn’t have much depth at the number 8 position and that’s where Lepely would fit. The Galaxy will need to make a decision on his future soon following his good preseason performances
Stock Down
Chris Mavinga, defender
If Mavinga were a stock, he’d be an NFT. You can see why there is some value at the start - Mavinga won trophies with Vanney and was a key part of Toronto’s defense. Now you’re asking why you made the investment and it’s no longer considered an asset.
2022 saw Mavinga provide more questions than answers in his first season with the LA Galaxy. He tended to be at the center of errors that led to goals and was constantly in emergency defense mode.
You saw a lot of those moments in Coachella this preseason and not many positive moments for the 32-year-old defender. This was the perfect opportunity for Mavinga to rebuild the confidence of his teammates and coaching staff in his defensive abilities but that didn’t happen.
At the moment, Mavinga isn’t a starter on the depth chart and will likely fall lower once Jalen Neal returns from injury.
Novak Mićović, goalkeeper
Let me get this out of the way first - I don’t think the 22-year-old goalkeeper had a bad preseason but the momentum for him to be the starting goalkeeper has fallen a lot.
There was a lot of momentum at the start of the offseason for him to be the starter but that’s cooled off. He didn’t stand out too much during the preseason despite getting a good amount of playing time.
With McCarthy seemingly winning the goalkeeping competition in my opinion, I don’t envision Mićović being the starter on Sunday. I also don’t see him being the backup with Jonathan Bond still on the roster.
Miguel Berry, striker
I know he wasn’t signed to be a starter but this preseason didn’t instill lots of confidence when he’s leading the frontline. However, he did finish the preseason with two goals scored - the highest total among LA Galaxy players.
With Dejan Joveljic out injured for most of the preseason, the Berry got lots of minutes and started in multiple games. I analyzed his struggles in a previous article alongside Vanney’s comments about what he wants to see out of Berry.
There were multiple games where Berry didn’t get many touches inside the box and shots on goal. It’ll be interesting to see how he performs coming off the bench for the LA Galaxy once the season starts. You’re just hoping he can put the ball in the back of the net more often than in his last two MLS seasons.