The 2022 Major Soccer League season promises to be the most exciting and dramatic in history as the team pool is extended to 28 with the addition of expansion club Charlotte FC. All eyes will be on the newbies following an intriguing build. Charlotte has made plenty of noise and drummed up a large amount of hype off the field of play but how will they fare on it? Will they hit the ground running and become a major player or suffer the same period of adjustment other additions have in recent years?
One team who has the experience and ambition to target the big prizes this season is LA Galaxy and many of the leading bookies are supporting them. From the sportsbooks of Las Vegas to the online sports betting in California, traders are offering odds on the outright winner of the MLS and it’s never too early to get involved. Make your predictions and place your bets early to secure the best possible odds on LA Galaxy or the club you are backing to blaze a trail of glory to the trophy.
Galaxy head into the 27th MLS season with high hopes of making it through, securing an extended season before laying claim to the trophy. The campaign is all set to begin on 26th February with the opening round of games played that weekend. The regular season concludes on 9th October then the MLS Cup final will be played less than a month later on the 5th November, in good time for the beginning of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Will LA Galaxy be there to contest the final or will fans be forced to watch the deciding match as little more than spectators once again. They had to endure seeing New York City FC lift the cup last season and there is a desperation to see much better from Galaxy this term.
Galaxy’s records and achievements
Greg Vanney’s side were disappointing last season, finishing way down the ladder in 15th position overall, eighth in the Western Conference, and failing to make it through the regular season to the playoffs. The days of watching England superstar David Beckham strut his stuff in the club’s colours are now a distant memory for some fans, and that’s the lucky ones. There is a generation of soccer fans in the US who aren’t used to seeing Galaxy contest major honours. Everyone connected to the team playing out of Dignity Health Sports Park knows that has to change. They owe their hardy band of supporters success.
That hasn’t always been the case. LA Galaxy are one of America’s most decorated soccer teams and, pound for pound, rank amongst the best teams in any popular sport. Their list of achievements include winning the CONCACAF Champions Cup in the year 2000, no fewer than five MLS Cups between 2002 and 2014, four Supporters Shields gained between 1998 and 2011, a US Open Cup in 2001 and 2005, nine Western Conference playoffs and eight Western Conference regular season titles. Despite that success, followers haven’t had an achievement to cheer for some time now with the 2014 MLS Cup win being their last.
Apart from the performances of a few key players, mainly defender of the year Julian Araujo and the club’s top scorer in 2020, Argentina’s Cristian Pavon, not too many others received pass marks for their efforts. LA Galaxy posted stats of 13 wins and 12 defeats against nine draws, scoring 50 goals while conceding 54. It was that leaky defence that ended up costing them a place in the playoffs as the 48 points collected was the same number as Real Salt Lake who made it through to the playoffs on goal difference, LA Galaxy posting -4 while Real Salt Lake ended with +1. The overly generous backline is something that must be addressed during the off-season, both on the training pitch and in the transfer window.
LA have been busy making trades
We still have a few weeks to go before the season opener but LA Galaxy have been working away behind the scenes to improve their line-up. The backroom staff have made a number of ambitious trades, signing players that are good enough to push their new employers back into the playoffs and back contesting the MLS Cup. Fans are excited for what the season ahead might bring and they have every right to allow themselves to dream of a better future.
On MLS 2022 Draft Day, LA Galaxy stole the headlines by securing the signatures of Callum Johnson and Chandler Vaughn, those players joining another recent arrival in Farai Mutatu.
Mutatu was the opening round pick and the trade that made waves with the Michigan State forward coming with a huge reputation. Galaxy weren’t short of goals last season – it was at the other end of the pitch where their problems lay – but this new arrival promises to shake things up, adding even more strength in depth to the attack. That will be important if the team is to go long into the season.
Having secured the name that they wanted, LA Galaxy set about adding a bit of steel to the other areas of the pitch. In the other rounds of picks they went with Clemson midfielder Johnson then St Louis University defender Vaughn, before giving up their final pick. The Galaxy coaching staff will be happier with their squad than they were before the trades and the team does appear to have a bit more balance about it. What can fans expect from the new signings?
It’s plain to see that Mutatu is the most exciting and he’ll be eager to hit the ground running, take his big chance with both hands and chip in with plenty of important MLS goals to ensure Galaxy make the playoffs. Vaughn is another of interest. He’s a no nonsense defender who is used to playing long seasons and has already shown his ability to keep calm under pressure. That cool head will be crucial when the season gets going and the defender will want to show his men manager that he can be trusted.