In order to return to the MLS playoffs, the Galaxy needed to survive the turmoil of the 2023 season.
The Galaxy recorded one of the worst seasons in club history, finishing 13th in the Western Conference, dealing with a supporter’s group boycott and failing to qualify for playoff contention.
The best thing about last season was that it was over.
“After a last year in which we faced so many challenges, my first (message to the players) was, ‘Guys, you’ll never have a season where you faced so many challenges. No,”’ Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said. “It was unique, and I’ve been in this league for 28 years now, and no matter how many years have passed, I’ve never had a year where I faced so many challenges.
“So, putting that aside, right now it’s just a process of growing this group together and maturing the new pieces that we bring in together and how they complement each other. We knew that on paper, and we stuck to the process of striving to get better every day, taking a step forward in every game, and understanding who we are and how to succeed in the moment in front of us. Let’s try to understand that.”
The new year brought peace, stability, and accomplishments. The Galaxy, who were within striking distance of the Western Conference’s No. 1 seed, will return to the playoffs as the No. 2 seed. The Galaxy ended in a draw with LAFC, but the tiebreaker on goal difference dropped them to second place.
The Galaxy begin their best-of-three series against No. 7 seed Colorado on Saturday at Dignity Health Sports Park. The second game will be played in Colorado on November 1st, and the third game, if necessary, will be played at Dignity Health Sports Park on November 9th.
“We didn’t want what happened last year to happen again this year,” Galaxy midfielder Mark Delgado said. “That pretty much sums it up. We went into the game with a big injury to our shoulder, but it’s always on our minds, we’ve been through it and we don’t want to go through it again. Ta.”
This season ended with the Galaxy’s best finish in the Western Conference since 2016, when they finished in third place. That team advanced to the quarterfinals and lost to Colorado. Since then, the Galaxy had only appeared in the playoffs twice before this season, in 2019 and 2022.
“Everything is better when you’re winning,” Vanney said. “Everything is better when you’re winning than when you’re not, but the situation with this group is great. I’m happy to work with these guys. They’re hungry and want to be successful. I think so.
“We’ve got to be a mature team and we’ve got to compete for maturity in the playoffs and rack up the number of wins we need to get there. This group has been working hard on that this past year. We are here.”
The Galaxy won both regular season games against the Rapids, 3-2 on July 17 at Dignity Health Sports Park and 3-1 on October 2 at Colorado.
Despite the win, Vanney knows the challenges the Rapids will bring.
“They are a difficult team to play against. They have a very organized defense, they like to press, they penetrate into the opponent’s spaces and make things difficult, minimizing the time they have to mount an attack. I like to keep it to a minimum,” Vanney said. “Going into the playoffs, everybody has to try to figure out what approach they think is best at this point to win games, to win road games, so there are different scenarios. We have to prepare for it.”
Colorado Rapids at Galaxy
when: Saturday 8:10pm
where: Dignity Health Sports Park
How to watch: Apple TV+
