LA Galaxy sign Justin Haak to bolster backline ahead of 2026 campaign
The defensive reinforcements keep coming for the LA Galaxy, Justin Haak joins LA's backline. Here is what the 24-year old brings to G's
The LA Galaxy isn’t wasting any time fixing the biggest issue from the 2025 campaign. LA signed free agent Justin Haak to a one-year guaranteed contract with an option for the 2027 season. This comes weeks after LA acquired former MLS Defender of the Year Jakob Glesnes in a trade with the Philadelphia Union.
Haak is coming off a breakout season with NYCFC. He was a key member of the team that made an appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals. The 24-year-old established himself as a starter in the backline, making a career high 34 appearances in the MLS season.
The current state of the game is looking for players confident on the ball and able to break lines. Haak emerged as a starter for NYCFC because of his development in that aspect of the game.
His 4.2 progressive passes per 90 ranked in the 85th percentile among MLS center backs. He’s not shy on the ball and is well capable of playing passes that can get the attack going.
In this clip, Haak is starting to get pressured, but can pick out a teammate and jumpstart an attack. The Galaxy gets a left-footed defender who can make passes from that angle.
On the defensive side, Haak’s numbers when it comes to tackles, interceptions, and clearances are above average. He plays the sweeper role by intercepting passes and clearing through balls that look to thread the backline. He’s as physical as most traditional center-backs, but he’s carved a role by getting into duels and winning the ball back with NYCFC.
His lone deficiency is aerial duels and reading crossing situations. In this clip, Haak finds himself in no-man’s land from the cross.
Going up against eventual winners Inter Miami was no easy task on the night, but the stats also back up his struggles in the air. This chart from FBref.com compares him with the entire pool of MLS center backs.
The 2026 campaign is the first season under Greg Vanney’s contract extension that reportedly made him one of the highest-paid coaches in MLS. Following a disappointing 2025, the pressure is on Vanney to steer the team back into contention for MLS.
The signings of Glesnes and Haak help aid the backline, which has historically been the weakness of Vanney teams.
In his 10 full seasons as a head coach (2020 season not counted due to COVID), six of Vanney’s teams have finished in the bottom four of goals allowed in their respective conference. Toronto FC in 2016 and 2017 are the two times Vanney’s squads have finished the season with the least number of goals conceded in the conference.
In his five seasons in charge of the LA Galaxy, the squad has finished either at the bottom or the second worst in goal allowed three times. There is a multitude of reasons for this but nonetheless, the common denominator is that Vanney’s teams aren’t consistently sound defensively.
LA is spending the money, hoping that throwing money at the problem will improve the situation. In most cases across the globe, that’s what fixes problems in football teams. Time will tell if the Galaxy’s large investments pay off in search for a championship.