CARSON — The chapter following the Galaxy’s MLS Cup championship season hasn’t been what the team and coach Greg Vanney have expected.
Injuries, departures and subpar play have all contributed to a dismal, winless start through the first 13 games of the season.
Despite the current situation, the Galaxy announced Thursday that Vanney’s contract had been extended for three years through 2028. His contract was set to expire at the end of the 2025 season.
“This started over drinks at the MLS Cup after party back in December, we knew that this was the direction that we wanted to go in,” Galaxy general manager Will Kuntz said Friday. “Why it took so long? I think the first part was that Greg was really selfless in putting the team above himself and we knew that we had a lot of work to do in a short amount of time.
“He said, ‘I want to get the team settled first, make sure we have the group that we need to have and I’ll worry about my stuff.’ A lot of going back and forth, small language changes and all that, that was the second part of the delay. Obviously, this season hasn’t started the way any of us wanted to, but I think it’s pretty clear that this decision reflects our faith in Greg and we’re not being reactionary to results that I think are not remotely Greg’s fault.”
The Galaxy (0-10-3) have played the entire season without star midfielder Riqui Puig, who is out with an ACL injury. His return this season is still uncertain and the club has recently been without Gabriel Pec and Joseph Paintsil, their other two Designated Players.
Puig voiced his pleasure with Friday’s news, posting on his social media: “The journey isn’t over yet. I came to LA to win titles, just like we did last season. It wouldn’t be the same without our coach by our side. We believe in the process. Let’s keep pushing forward together.”
According to The Athletic’s Paul Tenorio, Vanney’s new deal will “make him the highest paid coach in MLS without a dual sporting director title.”
Vanney, who played for the Galaxy from 1996-2001 and in 2008, returned as coach in 2021. After a down 2023, the club turned around and won their league-best sixth MLS Cup last season.
“Personally, I feel really grateful for him because I think he’s a really good coach and he’s very smart, intelligent and very detail-oriented,” midfielder Edwin Cerrillo said. “I think ever since I got here, I’ve grown in the aspect of soccer and he brought a lot of joy back to my game. These (first) 13 games haven’t gone our way, so we want to repay him with victories and I’m just glad he’s here for longer.”
Vanney said Friday that he didn’t want to have the moment focusing on his extension, considering the current performance of the club.
“I’m excited and proud to be here, forward facing and continuing the project,” Vanney said. “This is the club that I care about. This is the club that has given me so much opportunity as a player and as a coach. We just won a championship and I believe there’s many more in our future. I believe in everybody’s that here and I’m excited to be again, looking big picture because I think it’s important.
“For me, these opportunities are never ever about a money situation or anything. They’re always about me being with people that we believe in and that the people we believe in have a connected plan to be successful and win championships. We’ve done that. When I arrived, the club was in a difficult stretch, we were making progress, short little progress in the first two seasons, The third season we hit a lot of stress, but in it, we stayed true to a plan that allowed us in 2024 to really take a big step forward and go. I think that’s important now.”
The Galaxy will attempt to break through in the win column Sunday against rival LAFC. Two games ago, the Galaxy sustained their worst loss in franchise history, 7-0, to the New York Red Bulls and lost a two-goal lead the following game in Philadelphia, suffering a 3-2 defeat.
The Galaxy were able to bounce back after 2023’s struggles. The question now is if there is time to make something out of 2025 or should the focus be on 2026.
Related Articles
Galaxy winless through 13 games after giving up 2-goal lead in Philadelphia Galaxy go from rock bottom to Philadelphia Galaxy suffer blowout loss to Red Bulls Galaxy looking for ways to snap 11-game winless streak The Audible: Lakers’ and Clippers’ playoff woes, and what about the Galaxy? Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Galaxy extend Greg Vanney’s contract amid 0-10-3 start )
Also on site :
- Yet another docu-series about Deion Sanders is currently in the works
- Food Network Star Teases Major Career Venture
- Is Apple Pay Down? What We Know About the Widespread Outages