LA Galaxy Winners and Losers at the Coachella Valley Invitational
Looking at who had a great preseason and those who wish the trip to the desert went better
The LA Galaxy’s time at the Coachella Valley Invitational is over, with the MLS regular season less than a week away. The four preseason matches in the desert gave the reigning champions a good look at the new pieces that arrived this offseason and games to experiment with new tactical wrinkles.
Head Coach Greg Vanney has had to adjust to the departures of multiple players from the championship campaign. The CVI was valuable to the coaching staff in finding out what they liked about the group and who could be getting starting minutes in different areas of the pitch.
Here’s a list of who had a good preseason and what LA wishes they had more time to improve on during the preseason. While these games don’t hold much weight, you can find some valuable bits of information if you look hard enough.
Winner: Novak Mićović
The Serbian looks poised to be the starter for Sunday night’s home opener after a successful preseason with quality playing time and continued praise from Vanney.
After spending his first two seasons on the bench, Mićović’s breakout moment has to be this season. The Serbian has had small flashes of game time but never has taken the starting role for a significant amount of time.
Mićović’s minutes at the CVI have come with the starting group and the backline that won MLS Cup (Nelson, Yoshida, Garces, Yamane). While last year's starter, John McCarthy, has seen more time with the backup rotation in the preseason.
Vanney has continued to make remarks that have continued to emphasize the goalkeeping competition rather than saying he’s committed to McCarthy being the starter after last year’s championship season.
It’s interesting to notice that Vanney said, “It's the start of a new season, and it's a new competition.” He’s making sure to really evaluate the options, and so far, Mićović looks like his favorite.
Loser: Chemistry building with a No. 9
The Galaxy’s situation at the striker position is clear, but the levels of production and current chemistry levels still remain a question after Coachella.
Christian Ramirez got playing time in the desert but didn’t record a goal during the preseason matches. LA’s reported new signing, Matheus Nascimento, has been spotted at the CVI but couldn’t get on the pitch with the rest of the team. Miguel Berry didn’t get much playing time, and Joseph Paintsil’s injury prevented him from getting any playing time as a potential striker option for the Galaxy.
Ramirez will undoubtedly be the starter for Sunday’s match against San Diego FC, and the Galaxy hopes he can start banging on goals and assists at the start of the campaign. A couple more games in the preseason with the team would’ve been better for him to build chemistry during in-game scenarios, but he’ll have to adjust to that in regular-season matches.
Nascimento is the project player that LA wants to see if they can get something out of this season and make the decision to build the frontline around him for the future. He likely won’t be playing in Sunday’s home opener but should pick up more minutes as the season goes on.
Still, Vanney and the Galaxy would’ve liked to get some minutes of him in the preseason just to see what he looks like with the team and where they could deploy him. Overall, everyone would’ve liked to get more playing time with Ramirez to get used to playing with a new striker this season.
Winner: John Nelson
Nelson came into the CVI looking to remain the starting left back with Julian Aude back healthy, and he did so in a convincing fashion.
The MLS Cup winner has always been a defensive-minded player first rather than getting forward, but his offensive game took some notable leaps forward during his playing time at the CVI.
He looked confident in playing balls forward, and his runs into the box or in the wide channels were timed well to add another dimension to the attack. If he can continue to be consistent on both sides of the ball, he’ll be among the elite left backs in this league.
Aude is the player the Galaxy invested in heavily and the player with more potential upside. The fact that Nelson is keeping him on the bench is a testament to the improvements and consistency the 26-year-old American is showing.
Loser: Sean Davis
The 32-year midfielder has had little to no involvement with the LA Galaxy’s main starting rotation in the CVI. As the Galaxy’s midfield is looking to reshape itself, Davis doesn’t seem close to getting any meaningful minutes at the start of the season.
Davis has spent the majority of his career on teams that look to press and play directly instead of possession-based teams that rely on intricate passes in the midfield. When Nashville SC moved away from its direct style of play following the firing of Gary Smith, Davis’ minutes began to dwindle as he wasn’t a fit for the club’s new vision.
Vanney is a coach who prioritizes control of the ball and playing within the system rather than playing against the ball. Davis is just not a stylistic for what Vanney wants.
Winner: Diego Fagundez
For two straight preseasons, Fagundez has been one of the best performers in the desert, both on and off the field. As one of the veteran leaders on this team, he’s been vocal about setting the tone for the season during the CVI.
With Paintsil out to start the season, Fagundez is going to be the man playing on the left wing. He’s looked dangerous in his playing time this preseason and understands where to be when the Galaxy is attacking on the other side of the pitch.
He once again reminded everyone that he is more than a luxury role player on the squad; he’s capable of being a quality starter for teams with high ambitions. He’s not afraid to show emotion and get into the opponent’s face - he was ready to square up in the LA’s preseason game against Austin FC - which is the exact attitude that the Galaxy needs to hold their championship defense.
Tucker was on your ones to watch list. He seemed to have another great Coachella and showed growth in being able to move the ball in the midfield and also able to finish at the goal. Do you think he showed enough to find minutes with all the new signees?