LA Galaxy midfielder Riqui Puig will miss the MLS Cup after he suffered a torn left ACL during their 1-0 Western Conference final victory over the Seattle Sounders, the team announced Sunday.
The Galaxy will host the New York Red Bulls on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET. The club said a date for Puig’s procedure has yet to be determined.
LA said Puig suffered the knee injury during the second half of Saturday’s conference final at Dignity Health Sports Park. Puig continued to play for over 30 minutes with his torn ACL, a stretch that included his match-winning assist in the 85th minute.
Waiting to make his move ♟️@JoveljicDejan lights @dignityhealthsp on FIRE! pic.twitter.com/P0mcyvCNhx
— LA Galaxy (@LAGalaxy) December 1, 2024
Puig joined the Galaxy in the 2022 summer transfer window, arriving directly from FC Barcelona as a free agent. His arrival helped catalyze a long-anticipated rejuvenation of one of MLS’s most storied clubs, earning him a place on the 2023 and 2024 All-Star rosters. Puig was arguably the league’s best midfielder in the last two seasons and was especially impactful this season with 17 goals and 20 assists in 36 matches across all competitions.
Puig’s absence will force coach Greg Vanney to make radical changes and tough decisions at the most crucial time of the Galaxy’s season. Puig missed only five regular-season matches this season, most recently on Sept. 1. In those contests, LA went 3-1-1, showing their depth and quality around the Spaniard. Nevertheless, his absence will be glaring as the Galaxy return to the league’s title game for the first time since 2014, when they won their fifth MLS Cup in nine appearances since the club and league alike debuted in 1996.
Still, it’s impossible to overstate how much Vanney will miss having Puig at the heart of his side Saturday. Puig has always been given the freedom to find the ball in all areas of the field since leaving La Liga, but he has been particularly invaluable in the Galaxy’s at-times dominant run to the MLS Cup. Through four games against the Colorado Rapids, Minnesota United and Seattle, Puig has logged a staggering 17.8 percent of the Galaxy’s total touches. For comparison’s sake, the Red Bulls’ most involved player, Dylan Nealis, makes up 11.7 percent of the team’s touches.
(Jeff Rueter / The Athletic)
Puig also scored four goals (all in two starts against the Rapids) and added three assists during the MLS Cup Playoffs, tying him with striker Dejan Joveljić (whom he connected with on Saturday’s winner) for the postseason’s most goal contributions.
LA will hope to get more out of midseason signing Marco Reus, who has logged just one goal contribution since Sept. 14. The last two games have also seen proven midfielders Mark Delgado and Gastón Brugman begin the game on the bench, which could provide additional midfield fortitude while giving Reus more license to find the game without defensive responsibility.
Required reading
(Photo: Ron Chenoy / Imagn Images)
Read the full article here