Today the LA Galaxy released their roster decisions for players from the 2025 season.
Nothing drastic has changed so far, but there is still plenty of time for the front office to make some big plays.
The LA Galaxy has officially made its first step towards rebuilding from the disaster that was the 2025 season.
Earlier today the club released their 2025 roster decisions, sharing decisions on players that were out of contract at the end of the most recent season.
The announcement revealed that John Nelson, Mauricio Cuevas, Tucker Lepley, Isaiah Parente, and Gino Vivi all had their contract options activated and will stay with the Galaxy until at least the end of the 2026 season.
Gino Vivi is likely to place less of a burden on the club next year as the club is reportedly working on securing Vivi’s green card. Vivi would no longer take up one of the club’s eight designated international spots, freeing up the Galaxy to sign another foreign player without needing to purchase or trade an international spot from another team.
Brady Scott and Christian Ramirez each received new contracts for the 2026 season.
Scott will rejoin Novak Micovic and JT Marcinkowski as the club’s first team goalkeepers, continuing a positive recent trend of the club promoting and holding on to its academy talent.
Christian Ramirez scored 5 goals and provided one assist in 1,219 minutes across 32 matches with 13 starts and 19 substitute appearances. Josh Guesman reports that Will Kuntz had decided on the new contract some time ago, likely as part in the original deal which saw Ramirez transfer from Columbus Crew to the Galaxy back in February.
Ramirez’s new contract indicates that the club believes that the Santa Ana-born striker still has value. He did have 19 goal contributions in all competitions in 2024, one more than team golden boot winner Joseph Paintsil did in 2025.
Whether that value comes on the pitch in a Galaxy shirt with a return to form fueled by Riqui Puig or as part of a trade with another team is still up in the air, but for now Christian Ramirez remains with his hometown team.
Neither Miguel Berry or Eriq Zavaleta will return to the club in 2026 as both of their contract options were declined.
Miguel Berry had four goals and five assists throughout 1,702 minutes across 59 appearances since joining the Galaxy in December, 2023. The 28-year-old Spanish striker is now a free agent looking for his next move.
Eriq Zavaleta is also technically a free agent now, but it is uncertain if he’ll be as motivated to find a new club. After making just 5 appearances in 2025, there is speculation that the 33-year-old La Selecta international may be considering retirement.
2025 Galaxy player of the year Diego Fagundez is the final player to have his club option declined this year, but his future may still be blue, white, and gold.
The club revealed in their announcement that they and Fagundez are still in discussions regarding a possible return in 2026. Both sides coming to an agreement could be difficult as they each likely want different things in terms of salary and contract length.
Diego Fagundez earned the highest base salary of a non-DP player in the team at $1,250,000. The Galaxy will likely be looking to negotiate a salary decrease as they did with Maya Yoshida before the start of the 2025 season.
A reduced salary for Fagundez would not only make roster building easier for the Galaxy if he were to stay, but it would also make it easier for the club to offer him to other teams who would otherwise not be interested in acquiring a 30-year-old player on a 7 figure salary.
Diego Fagundez is obviously an immensely talented player and was a hugely important part of the Galaxy’s end-of-season renaissance. He still has much to offer to practically any team in the league but only time will tell whether he stays in LA or becomes a free agent like Berry and Zavaleta.
Lastly, the statement confirmed that the Galaxy are in talks with Botafogo regarding a potential return for Matheus Nascimento in 2026.
Nascimento made six goals and five assists in 1,507 minutes in all competitions while on a one-year loan from Botafogo.
Although injuries hampered how much he could prove himself in a Galaxy shirt, Nascimento still seemed to be a textbook Greg Vanney striker. After scoring in a 3-0 win over Vancouver Whitecaps on July 4th, Nascimento told me that he felt Vanney’s gameplan suited his own playstyle (watch the clip here). He showed it on the pitch and quickly developed a great connection with Joseph Paintsil, Gabriel Pec, and Marco Reus.
Dejan Joveljic struggled to adapt to the combination play in Greg Vanney’s system for most of his time as a G, only looking truly comfortable in the role during the championship 2024 season. Nascimento seemed to show a much more natural understanding and a technical ability suited to Vanney’s game plan, suggesting an even higher ceiling if given more time to develop and eventually thrive as a Galaxy striker.
Unfortunately, it seems likely that unless the team can negotiate favorable terms with Botafogo that Nascimento will not be the Galaxy’s main striker in 2026. When speaking with media today Greg Vanney said that the number 9 spot needs help and that with the right guy their striker should score 15 goals, suggesting that the Galaxy are in the market for a starting nine.
These decisions are an important first step for a much-needed rebuild in 2026.
All we know for sure so far is that Miguel Berry and Eriq Zavaleta will not be returning in 2026 while Diego Fagundez and Matheus Nascimento are currently in limbo. The team still has plenty of time to cut players currently in contract and make trades or new signings.
While not much has changed yet, the Galaxy’s roster in 2026 could still look much different than it did in 2025.
PHOTO: Kelvin Kuo-Imagn Images, Bailey Holiver-Imagn Images, Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
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