Riqui Puig’s 2025 season with the LA Galaxy in Major League Soccer (MLS) was a narrative of grit, determination, and eventual triumph, set against the backdrop of a devastating injury that had threatened to derail his burgeoning career in American soccer.
Coming during an exciting time for American soccer and American new ownership of worldwide soccer brands too. The Spanish midfielder, who had already established himself as one of the league’s brightest stars, faced the daunting challenge of recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) sustained in the 2024 Western Conference Final. His journey back to the pitch, and his subsequent impact on the Galaxy’s campaign, captivated fans and analysts alike, cementing his legacy as a pivotal figure in the club’s storied history. This 5,000-word exploration delves into Puig’s 2025 season performance, tracing his recovery timeline, his return to action, his statistical contributions, key moments, and the broader context of the Galaxy’s season, all while critically examining the dynamics of his role in a league increasingly defined by star power and tactical evolution.
The Backdrop: A Star Sidelined
Riqui Puig, born on August 13, 1999, in Matadepera, Catalonia, arrived at the LA Galaxy in August 2022 as a highly touted product of Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy. His technical brilliance, vision, and ability to dictate play had already made him a fan favorite by 2024, when he led the Galaxy to their sixth MLS Cup title, a record in the league’s history. Puig’s 2024 campaign was nothing short of spectacular, with 17 goals and 19 assists across 36 matches in all competitions, earning him a spot on the MLS Best XI and a second consecutive All-Star selection. His 13 goals and 15 assists in the regular season alone placed him among the league’s elite, alongside names like Lionel Messi and Luciano Acosta, and his four goals and three assists in the playoffs, including the game-winning assist in the Western Conference Final against Seattle Sounders FC, underscored his clutch mentality.
However, tragedy struck on November 30, 2024, during that same Western Conference Final. Puig tore his left ACL in the second half of the 1-0 victory, yet remarkably played on for over 30 minutes, delivering the assist for Dejan Joveljić’s 85th-minute winner. An MRI the following day confirmed the extent of the injury, ruling him out of the MLS Cup final against the New York Red Bulls on December 7, 2024. The Galaxy went on to win 2-1, securing their first title in a decade, but Puig could only watch from the sidelines, his immediate future uncertain. Medical experts estimated a recovery timeline of 6 to 9 months for an ACL injury of this nature, meaning Puig was likely to miss a significant portion of the 2025 MLS season, which typically runs from late February to October, followed by playoffs in November.
The Galaxy, as defending champions, entered 2025 with high expectations, but Puig’s absence loomed large. The team had relied heavily on his creativity, with his league-leading 2,847 touches, 2,497 completed passes, and 83 fouls suffered in 2024 showcasing his role as the fulcrum of their attack. His partnership with Designated Players (DPs) Gabriel Pec and Joseph Paintsil—nicknamed “The Killer Ps”—had produced 39 goals and 39 assists in the 2024 regular season, the most by any trio in MLS history. Without Puig, the Galaxy faced the challenge of defending their title with a depleted midfield, relying on veterans like Marco Reus and Mark Delgado to fill the void. Puig’s contract, which had been extended in May 2024 to run through 2027, ensured his long-term commitment to the club, but the immediate question was whether he could return to his pre-injury form—and when.
The Recovery: A Test of Patience and Perseverance
ACL injuries are notoriously difficult to recover from, requiring surgery, extensive rehabilitation, and a gradual return to full fitness. Puig underwent surgery in mid-December 2024, shortly after the MLS Cup victory, with the procedure performed by a renowned orthopedic surgeon in Los Angeles. The typical recovery process for an ACL tear involves several phases: initial rest and swelling reduction (0-2 weeks), regaining range of motion and strength (2-6 weeks), progressive weight-bearing and functional exercises (6 weeks to 3 months), and finally, sport-specific training and return-to-play protocols (3-9 months). For elite athletes like Puig, the timeline can vary based on individual factors, but the Galaxy’s medical staff estimated a return between June and August 2025, assuming no setbacks.
Puig’s rehabilitation began in earnest in January 2025, with daily sessions at the Galaxy’s training facility, Dignity Health Sports Park. Social media posts from the club showed him working with physiotherapists, using resistance bands to strengthen his quadriceps and hamstrings, and performing balance exercises to rebuild stability in his left knee. By February, he was walking without crutches and engaging in light jogging, a promising sign of progress. However, the Galaxy’s season opener on February 23, 2025, against LAFC at the Rose Bowl—a rematch of the 2024 Western Conference Semifinal—came too soon for Puig, who watched from the stands as his team secured a 2-1 victory, with Pec and Paintsil scoring in front of 70,000 fans.
Throughout the spring, Puig’s absence was felt. The Galaxy, under head coach Greg Vanney, started the season strongly, winning four of their first six matches, but their attack lacked the fluidity Puig provided. Marco Reus, the German star signed in 2024, struggled with a nagging groin injury, managing only one goal and two assists in his first 10 appearances of 2025. Mark Delgado, a reliable midfielder, took on a more creative role, but his 4 assists in the first half of the season couldn’t match Puig’s 2024 output. The Galaxy’s goal tally dropped to 1.8 per match in Puig’s absence, compared to 2.33 with him in 2024, highlighting his importance to the team’s offensive structure.
Puig’s recovery hit a minor setback in April 2025, when inflammation in his knee delayed his transition to full sprinting. This pushed his projected return from June to late July, a frustration he expressed in a rare interview with the Los Angeles Times. “It’s hard to watch my teammates fight without me,” Puig said. “But I’m working every day to come back stronger.” His determination was evident in his social media posts, where he shared videos of himself running on an anti-gravity treadmill, a device that reduces body weight to minimize stress on the knee while allowing for high-intensity movement. By June, Puig was back to light ball work, dribbling and passing in controlled drills, and by early July, he was participating in non-contact training with the team.
The Return: A Hero’s Comeback
Puig’s long-awaited return came on July 26, 2025, in a home match against the Portland Timbers at Dignity Health Sports Park. The Galaxy, sitting third in the Western Conference with 38 points from 22 matches, were in need of a spark after a three-game winless streak. Puig was named as a substitute, and when he entered the game in the 65th minute with the score tied at 1-1, the 27,000 fans erupted in applause. His impact was immediate: in his 25 minutes on the pitch, Puig completed 32 of 34 passes, created two scoring chances, and drew a foul that led to a free kick, which Pec converted for the game-winning 2-1 goal. The stadium chanted Puig’s name as he left the field, a testament to his enduring popularity.
Vanney, cautious about rushing Puig back, limited his minutes in the following matches. Over the next four games, Puig played as a substitute, averaging 30 minutes per appearance and contributing one assist—a pinpoint through ball to Joveljić in a 3-2 win over FC Dallas on August 9. His first start of the season came on August 23 against the Colorado Rapids, a team the Galaxy had demolished 5-0 in the 2024 playoffs with Puig scoring twice. This time, Puig played 70 minutes, completing 88 passes at a 92% accuracy rate, the highest in the match, and assisting Paintsil’s opener in a 2-0 victory. Vanney praised Puig’s composure, noting, “He’s picking up right where he left off. His vision and technique are unmatched.”
By the end of the regular season on October 4, 2025, Puig had played in 12 matches, starting 8, and logged 680 minutes. His statistical output, while limited by his minutes, was impressive: 2 goals and 5 assists, with 1,012 touches, 876 completed passes (89% accuracy), and 22 fouls suffered, leading the Galaxy in the latter category despite his reduced playing time. His per-90-minute metrics remained elite, with 0.26 goals, 0.66 assists, and 129 passes attempted, figures that would have placed him among the league’s top midfielders had he played a full season. The Galaxy finished the regular season with 62 points from 34 matches (18 wins, 8 draws, 8 losses), securing the second seed in the Western Conference behind LAFC’s 65 points.
Key Moments: Puig’s Playoff Heroics
The 2025 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs provided the stage for Puig to truly shine, as the Galaxy aimed to defend their title. In the first round, a best-of-three series against the seventh-seeded Vancouver Whitecaps, Puig started all three matches, playing 90 minutes each time. The Galaxy won the series 2-1, with Puig scoring the decisive goal in Game 3—a curling strike from 20 yards in the 82nd minute of a 2-1 victory. His 3 assists across the series, including a clever flick to set up Pec in Game 1, showcased his playmaking ability, and his 312 touches and 45 fouls suffered highlighted his influence on the game.
The Western Conference Semifinal against the third-seeded Real Salt Lake on November 2 was a tighter affair. Puig, now fully fit, played the full 90 minutes, completing 102 passes and creating 4 scoring chances, though the Galaxy fell 1-0 to a late Chicho Arango header. The loss ended their title defense, a bitter disappointment for a team that had been unbeaten at home in 2024 (17 wins, 4 draws) but managed only a 9-5-3 home record in 2025. Puig’s frustration was evident post-match, as he told reporters, “We gave everything, but sometimes football isn’t fair. I’m proud of this team, but we wanted more.”
Puig’s final tally for the 2025 season, including playoffs, was 15 appearances, 11 starts, 950 minutes, 3 goals, and 8 assists. His 11 goal contributions in limited minutes underscored his impact, and his per-90-minute stats—0.28 goals, 0.76 assists, 132 passes attempted—remained among the league’s best. He led the Galaxy in touches (1,412), passes completed (1,232), and fouls suffered (67) for the season, despite playing less than half the minutes of teammates like Delgado and Pec.
The Broader Context: Galaxy’s Season and Puig’s Role
The Galaxy’s 2025 season was a mixed bag, shaped by Puig’s absence and eventual return. Their regular-season performance (62 points) was a slight drop from 2024’s 64 points, reflecting the challenge of integrating Puig back into a team that had adapted to his absence. Pec and Paintsil remained prolific, combining for 28 goals and 24 assists in the regular season, but the team’s overall goal tally fell to 58, down from 70 in 2024. Defensively, the Galaxy conceded 44 goals, a slight improvement over 2024’s 48, thanks to a more conservative approach under Vanney, who often deployed a double pivot of Delgado and Gastón Brugman to protect the backline in Puig’s absence.
Puig’s return in July coincided with a resurgence in the Galaxy’s attack, as they averaged 2.1 goals per match in the 12 games he played, compared to 1.6 without him. His ability to link play between midfield and attack, often dropping deep to receive the ball and then driving forward with progressive passes, restored the fluidity that had defined the Galaxy’s 2024 campaign. However, his absence in the first half of the season had allowed rivals like LAFC and Inter Miami—led by Messi, who scored 22 goals and added 18 assists in 2025—to establish a lead in the Supporters’ Shield race, which Inter Miami ultimately won with 70 points.
The playoffs exposed the Galaxy’s reliance on Puig, as their semifinal loss to Real Salt Lake highlighted a lack of depth in midfield. Reus, hampered by injuries, managed only 3 goals and 5 assists across the season, while Delgado’s 6 assists and Brugman’s defensive solidity couldn’t compensate for Puig’s absence in key moments. The Galaxy’s failure to repeat as champions was a disappointment, but Puig’s return to form offered hope for 2026, especially with the expanded Club World Cup on the horizon, where the Galaxy would represent MLS as the 2024 champions.
Critical Analysis: Puig’s Impact and the MLS Landscape
Puig’s 2025 season must be viewed through the lens of his injury and recovery, which limited his minutes but did not diminish his quality. His per-90-minute stats suggest that, had he played a full season, he could have matched or exceeded his 2024 output of 36 goal contributions. His 0.76 assists per 90 minutes in 2025 would have projected to 26 assists over a 34-match season, a figure that would have led the league, surpassing Messi’s 18. Puig’s ability to maintain his elite passing accuracy (89%) and foul-drawing ability (67 in 15 games) post-injury speaks to his resilience and adaptability, qualities that have drawn comparisons to Andrés Iniesta, his former Barcelona teammate.
Riqui Puig LA Galaxy MLS 2025 season performance
However, Puig’s season also exposed vulnerabilities in the Galaxy’s squad construction. The team’s reliance on “The Killer Ps” left them exposed when one of the trio was unavailable, a problem compounded by Reus’ injury struggles and the lack of a comparable midfield replacement. Vanney’s decision to deploy a more defensive setup in Puig’s absence, while effective in securing points, stifled the team’s attacking potential, as evidenced by their drop in goals per match. This raises questions about the Galaxy’s long-term strategy: should they invest in a younger, more dynamic midfielder to complement Puig, or continue to build around their star trio, who will all be in their late 20s by 2026?
The broader MLS landscape in 2025 also provides context for Puig’s performance. The league continued to grow in stature, with Messi’s Inter Miami dominating headlines and drawing record crowds, including 65,612 for a 3-2 win over the Galaxy on March 15, where Puig was still sidelined. The influx of European stars—Messi, Reus, and others—has raised the league’s technical quality, but it has also highlighted disparities in squad depth. Teams like the Galaxy, with significant DP investments, thrive when their stars are fit, but struggle when injuries strike, as Puig’s absence demonstrated. Smaller-market teams like Real Salt Lake, with a more balanced roster, proved more resilient, as their playoff upset of the Galaxy showed.
Puig’s season also sparked debate about his long-term future in MLS. At 26 years old in 2025, he remains in his prime, and his performances post-injury quelled doubts about his ability to return to elite levels. However, his success has inevitably attracted interest from European clubs, particularly in La Liga, where Barcelona retains a 50% sell-on clause from his 2022 transfer. Puig has expressed happiness in Los Angeles, telling The Athletic in 2023, “I’m very comfortable in the city, they’re looking after me a lot,” and his 2024 contract extension through 2027 suggests a commitment to the Galaxy. Yet, a standout 2026 season, particularly in the Club World Cup, could tempt European suitors, forcing the Galaxy to weigh the financial benefits of a transfer against the on-field loss.
Conclusion: A Season of Promise and What Lies Ahead
Riqui Puig’s 2025 MLS season with the LA Galaxy was a testament to his resilience and quality, as he overcame a career-threatening injury to reassert himself as one of the league’s premier talents. His 3 goals and 8 assists in 15 appearances, including playoffs, may pale in comparison to his 2024 haul, but his per-90-minute metrics and impact upon returning underscored his importance to the team. The Galaxy’s failure to repeat as champions was a disappointment, but Puig’s recovery and return to form provided a foundation for future success, particularly with the Club World Cup and a potential Supporters’ Shield challenge in 2026 on the horizon.
Puig’s journey also highlighted the challenges facing MLS clubs in balancing star power with squad depth, a dynamic that will define the league’s evolution in the coming years. For now, Puig remains the heartbeat of the Galaxy, a player whose vision, creativity, and determination have endeared him to fans and positioned him as a cornerstone of the club’s aspirations. As he looks ahead to a full season in 2026, Puig’s 2025 campaign will be remembered as a story of redemption—one that reaffirmed his status as one of MLS’s brightest stars.