Winners and Losers: Brugman - Davis Trade
A deep-dive into what the Brugman trade means for both teams, which players it effects the most, and where it affects LA Galaxy the most
The LA Galaxy traded away MLS Cup MVP Gaston Brugman in exchange for Nashville SC midfielder Sean Davis on Thursday afternoon. This is the first monumental roster move for the 2024 MLS champions looking to bolster their roster for title defense in 2025.
If Davis meets certain performance incentives with LA, the club will receive an additional $100,000 in 2026 general allocation money (GAM). Notably, according to the press release, Nashville will retain a portion of Davis’s 2025 salary budget charge.
It was the first tough decision that LA Galaxy General Manager Will Kuntz made this offseason. The Galaxy needed to make room in their salary cap for changes coming to the club in 2025.
“To maintain a championship-caliber roster in Major League Soccer, teams are often forced to make difficult contractual decisions, and today’s trade is evidence of that,” said Kuntz via press release.
“Gastón is a fierce competitor, an incredible teammate, and an even better person. He made countless contributions to the Galaxy on the field and in the locker room, during his time with the club, and none was more important than his 2024 MLS Cup MVP performance earlier this month. We wish Gastón and his family all the best in this next step in his career.”
Here’s a breakdown of the winners and losers of the first major trade of the 2025 season for the LA Galaxy.
Winner: Nashville’s Ball Progression
It’s clear Nashville got the better player in this deal, but more importantly, it's a player that will dramatically improve their most significant issue: ball progression.
Since joining the Galaxy in 2022, Brugman has been the perfect complementary piece to play next to Riqui Puig. The Uruguayan has a progressive mindset when the ball is at his feet, whether it’s playing line-breaking passes, carrying the ball forward, or retaining the ball in possession. Brugman is the right player to add to a possession-based team - perfect for a Nashville side trying to play with more of the ball under Head Coach B.J. Callaghan.
Nashville was among the worst progressive teams in possession during the 2024 MLS season. The club recorded the third-lowest tally of progressive passes (1168), the fifth-lowest amount of passes into the final third (345), and the third-lowest tally of key passes (285).
Whether Brugman plays as a 6 or 8, Nashville is getting a player that will move the ball into the attacking zones of the pitch. Davis’ progressive passing numbers were among the worst in the league during 2024. It was a great move from the Music City club to upgrade at the position.
Loser: Riqui Puig
It’s been a rough month for Puig. Aside from winning the 2024 MLS Cup, he suffered an ACL injury that will sideline him for most of the 2025 campaign, and he’s also lost two of his closest friends on the team.
Martin Cáceres’ exit from the club was a matter of when, not if, while the Brugman trade was a complete surprise.
Puig grew close to the pair of Uruguayns since his arrival in LA. They made him feel at home after a hurtful breakup from his boyhood club. They often arrived at training together and were always seen leaving the training field, cracking jokes and enjoying each other’s company. Even outside the pitch, they would explore the city of Los Angeles, and the trio would even attend a Bad Bunny Concert together. Their families had gotten close and created a friendship that would likely last a lifetime for them.
This is likely crushing for Puig. Knowing how emotional the Spaniard can be, it wouldn’t be surprising if he asked Kuntz if there was another alternative move on the table that would’ve kept Brugman in LA.
Aside from the emotional impact on Puig, there are also on-the-field implications.
As mentioned earlier, Brugman’s progressive style of play is very good. He showed that in the MLS Cup final, where he could break lines and put the ball at attackers' feet at a similar rate to Puig. Now, with him gone, LA is going to lack that dynamism unless other players like Mark Delgado or Edwin Cerrillo can replicate those traits.
If the Galaxy struggles to move the ball in 2025, the pressure will be on Puig to be the player he was last season the second he returns to action. This trade could potentially put more pressure on Puig if the club experiences some struggles.
Winner: Diego Fagundez
The LA Galaxy needed to free up cap space this offseason. Dejan Joveljic is no longer counted as a U22 player, and Gabriel Pec is no longer labeled a Young DP, meaning both players will take a larger budget charge in 2025. Salary cuts likely came down to two players: Fagundez, who is making $1,310,000 in Guaranteed Compensation, and Brugman, who is making $1,409,000 in Guaranteed Compensation.
The decision to trade Brugman means the LA Galaxy valued keeping Fagundez in their quest to defend their title in 2024. The MLS veteran adds depth to the wings and attacking midfield.
Marco Reus will be the Galaxy's main attacking midfield option, but his availability remains a question as he’s an injury-prone player. Without Brugman, Fagundez will be the first player to step up when Reus can’t. Fagundez cannot only add to his legacy with the LA Galaxy, but he’ll also be one of the key figures that will determine if LA has a successful 2025 season.
Loser: Team Chemistry/Leadership
Brugman was among the key leaders of the LA Galaxy over the last couple of years. He captained the club in 2023 following the injury of Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez and was a mentor for many of the young players on the team. He became a pillar of the team’s spirit for his leadership and his comeback from a meniscus tear that ended his 2023 season prematurely.
At the moment, the LA Galaxy doesn’t have a clear leader. Maya Yoshida and the Galaxy have yet to agree to a deal to bring him back for the 2025 season, Brugman was just traded, Riqui Puig is in Spain for his ACL recovery, and no other player on the squad has yet to take hold of the locker room compared to previously mentioned players.
This is something to keep an eye on during the preseason, especially if Yoshida and the Galaxy don’t agree to a deal for 2025.
Winner: Vanney’s Control
With players who tend to be moving and thinking about playing forward, there tend to be more risky passes and turnovers in bad areas of the pitch. Brugman and Puig have a fair amount of moments like that during their playtime with the LA Galaxy.
As established earlier, Davis is a more conservative passer of the ball and more of a destroyer than a deep-lying playmaker. He’s not going to try a fancy move to create space away from a defender or thread the needle to get the ball to LA’s attackers - Davis will be a system player.
For Vanney, that might be what he wants for this LA Galaxy team. The entire league knows LA can get impatient and begin to play riskier when spacers are closed down. Vanney said multiple times last season that the Galaxy’s worst enemy can be themselves.
“The impatience is really sometimes our biggest enemy. That's ourselves undoing ourselves. And then sometimes we look back and we wonder where the guys are and why they're not closer and more aggressive,” said Vanney following the Galaxy’s 4-2 road loss to Portland in September.
Davis will bring a defense-first mentality when he’s on the pitch. He will play within Vanney’s system instead of being a wild card like how Brugman can sometimes be in possession. It’s unknown what Vanney will ask out of Davis, but looking at his career playing style, it’ll likely mean a conservative approach in possession with a high defensive motor.
Loser: Will Kuntz
I’ll preface this by saying one thing about this trade: It had to be done to stay within the salary limits, but Nashville easily got the better end of the deal. For now, Kuntz didn’t get the best end of the deal but that narrative can change within a year
The Galaxy got a fringe MLS starter for the 2024 MLS Cup MVP. On paper, the Galaxy didn’t get a player of equal or greater value. But Kuntz will also have his fingerprints on how this affects the locker room. Brugman was a well-respected and loved figure on the team; now, he’s on another roster during LA’s title defense.
There are still questions about how much Davis will contribute to the team and if he can bring a positive impact right away for the LA Galaxy. The deal adds more questions about why the LA Galaxy and Kuntz haven’t won this trade at the moment.
Should Davis become an integral part of the 2025 LA Galaxy and Brugman not live up to his underlying numbers - then Kuntz will no longer be a Chef but an Oracle. Like the Tyler Boyd trade last offseason, this move will likely require hindsight to see who comes out as the winner of the trade.
In Will I trust. He turned us around inside a year. I trust his decisions. I don't think he is mentioned enough during this title run. We caught a major break with Columbus, Miami and LAFC getting eliminated. We handled our business and the other teams didn't but we caught a break. Will knows this and is making moves.