LA Galaxy and The Race Marathon to Seis
The LA Galaxy played a great regular season by nearly every metric, but will feel they still have more to achieve after missing out on the Western Conference’s top seed by a single goal.
Just like a marathon runner giving it their all in the final sprint, the Galaxy are reaching new heights when it matters most.
The LA Galaxy look to be enjoying their best form ever under Greg Vanney and are back to being one of the favorites to win it all in the MLS.
They made easy work of the Colorado Rapids in the opening round of the playoffs, needing just two games to beat them 9-1 on aggregate.
While fans might be finding it difficult not being able to watch their team just as they look to be reaching their peak, many pundits are finding it difficult to believe that the Galaxy can return from this extended break with the same momentum when they host Minnesota United in the Western Conference Semifinals on November 25th.
Unlike the fans or pundits, who are looking for most anything else to fill the massive vacuum in between games, Greg Vanney likely won’t be too bothered by the break. It has given him and his team time on the training pitch to refine their game plan for Minnesota. The lack of games also gives players recovering from injury, such as Emiro Garcés and Julian Aude, more time to reach full fitness and ensure a nearly completely healthy squad for the semis.
Greg Vanney will be feeling proud and probably a little bit fortunate to arrive at this late stage of the season with such a healthy team, especially after the injury-riddled disaster that was the 2023 season. But make no mistake, the Galaxy’s nearly empty injury list is not an accident.
It goes without saying that Vanney and the Galaxy front office were determined to avoid falling into a similar injury crisis this time around by practicing a more intentional approach to player management than maybe they have in the past.
Ever since joining in 2021, Greg Vanney has been a pragmatist when it comes to managing his players’ minutes. There have been plenty of times in the past four years where Vanney has rightfully made rotations to the chagrin of supporters who aren’t as aware of each player’s status as Vanney is (many of whom would likely end up agreeing with him if they had the full picture).
Changes in the starting 11 were extremely common this year as well. A much deeper squad as a result of the team’s expanded recruitment efforts gave Vanney the flexibility to react to each and every exigency his players might face, regardless of the opponent and whether it be for injury or for love.
The starting midfield unit enjoyed the most rotation as Mark Delgado, Edwin Cerillo, and later Gaston Brugman have been taking turns holding down the center of the pitch, while Riqui Puig enjoys more liberty to express himself in the attacking half.
Even when Puig himself was injured, a devastating scenario in 2023, Greg Vanney had no problem slotting Diego Fagundez into the number 10 spot, who responded by helping the team to three and four consecutive victories for the first time ever under Greg Vanney.
Although it does seem that the Galaxy managed themselves handedly through the injuries (and weddings) this season, there is little denying that this player-first-results-second approach might seem to obviously go against the LA Galaxy’s interests. However, Vanney understands that regardless of what position one ends up in, an injured or overworked team simply cannot compete with a more whole one.
This year, Vanney renewed his commitment to prioritizing proper load management, recovery, and overall player well-being over results during the regular season.
In essence, Vanney exchanged immediate success in the regular season for a better chance at success in the postseason.
Reading that a team’s coach made decisions that actively hurt their chances of securing a better seeding might not fill one with immediate confidence, but a quick look at how his team has performed in the playoffs so far, when it truly matters, might suggest that Vanney was right to trade some points in the regular season for a healthy squad ready to compete with and beat on anyone in the playoffs.
Besides Greg Vanney’s choice to heavily rotate the squad (besides countrymen Maya Yoshida and Miki Yamane, who lead the team in minutes played this year) much of the plaudits if not more should go to the LA Galaxy’s sports medicine team.
Led by Brian Lee, Director of Sports Medicine, and Cesar Roldan, Head Athletic Trainer, the team seems to have been effective at using a holistic approach combining preventative, rehabilitative medicine, and nutrition to ensure players are always available when needed.
First team athletic trainer Julie Beveridge’s efforts also deserve recognition for her role in actually executing the day-to-day preventative and rehabilitative measures that ensure the highest quality of care for the organization’s athletes. It is probable that without her and Roldan Galaxy players would have gotten injured more frequently and recovering even more.
Greg Vanney’s cautious approach to load management coupled with the services of experts in the field have the LA Galaxy ready to square up against Minnesota United in the Semifinals with their entire team in tip-top form.
It is now up to the players to show exactly how much they have left in the tank. If the Galaxy are anything like the marathoners they should hope to emulate, then we’re in for some of the best Vanney-ball we’ve seen yet. Whether or not they can deliver for Vanney and their half of Los Angeles county will be revealed at 3 PM PST on Sunday, November 24th at Dignity Health Sports Park.
PHOTO: Andre Bannis Photography
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