The LA Galaxy Needs a Spark — Can Diego Fagundez Light that Flame for the rest of 2025 ?

Will Diego Fagundez's milestone night be the spark needed for him to lead the LA Galaxy attack for the next portion of the MLS regular season.

Photo: LA Galaxy

The LA Galaxy’s 1-1 draw with the Houston Dynamo wasn’t the ideal result for the SoCal club, but it could be the pivotal moment that changes the momentum of the season. The reason in question is LA Galaxy midfielder Diego Fagundez, who was the story of the night.

The Galaxy had conceded to the Dynamo in the 14th minute and gone down a man following Zanka’s red card. It was going to be an uphill battle to get something out of this game. But the Galaxy came back to fight until the end and ended up with a 1-1 draw despite the less-than-ideal circumstances.

Fagundez became the 15th player in MLS history to play in 400 MLS Regular Season games and also the youngest player in league history to set that mark. It wouldn’t be the only major milestone of the night as his game-tying free-kick goal marked his 150th goal contribution in MLS regular season play.

"It's amazing, 400 games and still going strong. And then about the goal, I think it was finally the moment that I've been waiting for,” Fagundez told reporters during his press conference.

The goal was much needed for Fagundez but also for the six-time MLS Cup champions.

The LA Galaxy attack scored six goals in eight games, which tied for the third-lowest amount in MLS. This Galaxy team lacks fireworks and that scoring touch that made the club so dangerous and feared last season.

The Galaxy is missing its quarterback, who can drive the offense. The absence of Riqui Puig has been felt in the lack of goals and moments of magic that the Spanish midfielder brought to the LA Galaxy.

With Joseph Paintsil back in the team after injury kept him off the pitch at the start of the campaign, Fagundez can play in a central where he can dictate play and pull the strings of the attack.

“Just tactically, he's aware. He understands everybody's role on the field. He understands the responsibilities of everybody. And he himself can step into different roles and pull off those things,” said Head Coach Greg Vanney about Fagundez postgame.

The 30-year-old midfielder isn’t going to blow by players with his pace when he’s playing out wide, nor is he going to beat players on the dribble at this stage of his career.

But he can be a difference-maker in the middle of the pitch. The Galaxy needs a player to be the quarterback for the team. Fagundez has the chance to be that player, and his style of play and personality fit that role for this current LA Galaxy squad.

One of the most important traits for a successful quarterback is reading the game. While physical gifts and athleticism are what draw attention, it is how you can read defenses and make people around you better that truly makes you a great player.

To add to the football analogy, think of Pec and Paintsil and wide receivers. With Puig under center, they were free to run into space and he maximized the talents of both wingers. Without the Spaniard pulling the strings, Pec and Paintsil have had few moments to be dangerous in front of the goal.

The Galaxy doesn’t have players that can reliably help get the ball in good positions, so both wingers can be goal-dangerous. Fagundez is the Galaxy’s best option at chance creation and helping improve the players around him.

The data shows he’s been able to be that playmaker in a wide role, but there is still a very small sample size of what he can do when playing in a central midfield role.

Despite playing out wide for most of this early season, Fagundez leads the team with 12 chances created, passes into the penalty area and shot-creating actions through the first eight games of the season, according to FBRef.com.

“I feel like [Fagundez] links some of the pieces together for us that maybe we haven't had as much of at times. And again, his understanding of where -- what spaces need to be filled and who should be where and how things should work, both with and without the ball, is very good, and it ties some pieces together for us,” added Vanney.

Another aspect of quarterbacks that makes them so important is that they are the head example of the team. Their work rate and ability to connect with the rest of the team is what galvanizes a group to push forward.

“He's a hard worker, and someone who is for the team, and yeah, maybe he doesn't go sprinting forward any more because of his age. And you can tell him that, too. But that's my boy. That's my boy,” said midfielder Edwin Cerrillo.

“He works really hard. He's someone that respects me, and I respect him. So we can kind of hold each other accountable in that side of the field. He has a captain's armband, and he has a lot of experience and gets along well with pretty much everybody. So that translates on to the field as well,” said Cerrillo.

With Maya Yoshida out due to injury, Fagundez has been given the captain’s armband in the last three games for the Galaxy. His presence in the locker room is massive. He connects with the young players, spends time with the Spanish-speaking contingent of the club, and has the respect of the group because of his career in MLS.

“He has a way of being able to say things that you might think are offensive that isn't offensive, right. They are direct, but they are like, wait, I think he just said something that I should take offense to, but you don't because the way Diego said it is so clever and wise and caring and the right way,” said Vanney.

“I think those are good qualities of a leader and for us right now, he's the captain, and he's stepping into that because he's that guy who can pull people together.”

The Galaxy needs someone to be a catalyst for the rest of the season. The team is at its best with someone running the show and making everyone better around them. This is the chance for Fagundez to show he’s capable of being a difference-maker rather than a player who functions within the system.

He gave LA that much-needed spark with a free-kick goal on Saturday night - can he keep that flame going to help the Galaxy climb up the standings in the West?