When the halftime whistle blew in Saturday’s El Trafico match between the L.A. Galaxy and Los Angeles FC, the mood in Dignity Health Sports Park was grim. The Galaxy, the home team in this cross-city duel, was down 2-0 to its local rivals and looked like it had no idea how to stop the skid. It was the same old story: the teams had already met twice this season and LAFC had come out on top both times.
By the time the full-time whistle blew 45 minutes later, the match had been flipped on its head. The Galaxy pulled off a miraculous second half comeback to seal a 4-2 win in front of a raucous sell-out crowd, and every single one of its passes in the final minutes received celebratory chants of ‘olé’. The victory sealed the Galaxy’s place in the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs and put them seven points clear on the top of the Western Conference.
“Today we have demonstrated that we can win MLS,” Galaxy midfielder Riqui Puig said after the match. “We played a great game and we deserve it.”
It was Puig who proved to be the difference-maker for the Galaxy, racking up two assists and one goal in the second half to inspire his team’s turnaround. His performance was one of the strongest single-half displays by any player in MLS this season. He brought fire, grit and energy to the Galaxy front line to help it recover from its dire first half performance.
In hindsight, it was always going to be Puig. Known as the “small madman” in his youth soccer days, Puig came up through La Masia, Barcelona’s famous academy, and was tapped as a future blaugrana (FC Barcelona) star at a young age. He earned plaudits from some of the game’s best for his fiery displays on the youth team.
“It’s a spectacle to watch players like him play,” said Gennaro Gattuso, Italian World Cup winner, after coaching AC Milan in a game against Puig’s Barcelona back in 2018, via marca.com. “He’s got a kid’s face, but he has football inside. It’s something that I marvel at.”
But Puig’s Barcelona future wasn’t to be. Coach Xavi Hernandez sat Puig down in 2022 and let him know that he had no space for him in his Barcelona lineup. Puig came to the L.A. Galaxy a few weeks later with an understandable chip on his shoulder. The “small madman” was now mad, period—and he had a point to prove to everyone in Spain who didn’t think he could make it in the big time.
Puig took it out his anger on the field. He quickly became one of MLS’s most creative and versatile players, racking up impressive statistics across the board: he leads the league in ball touches and completed passes and cracks the top 10 in goals, assists and shots. He’s backed up his fiery reputation with real performances on the field, and his bravura performance against LAFC proves it.
The Galaxy’s El Trafico victory was as cathartic for the organization as it was for Puig. Once the clear top dog in MLS with five Cups to their name, the Galaxy fell apart under former president Chris Klein. Unfortunately for the Galaxy, the decline lined up perfectly with the arrival of cross-town rivals LAFC in MLS in 2018. LAFC stormed out of the blocks and looked competitive from its debut season. It’s racked up more trophies and more final appearances than the Galaxy in the time since. From 2018 to the present, the Galaxy went from being the best team in the country to not even being the best team in Los Angeles. It’s been a tough pill to swallow for longtime supporters.
Recent backroom changes begat results, though, and this El Trafico victory is a small sign that the balance of power in Los Angeles might be shifting back in the Galaxy’s direction. With Puig in fine form and exciting players like Brazil’s Gabriel Pec, Ghana’s Joseph Paintsil, Serbia’s Dejan Joveljic and Germany’s Marco Reus backing him up, the Galaxy look like real contenders for the 2024 MLS Cup.
Puig may not stay in MLS forever. He still has ambitions of returning to Europe to play in the Champions League and live closer to his family. But he’s found a home in Los Angeles—and most importantly, he’s found a club where he’s appreciated and loved. Two years ago, Puig was deemed superfluous to Barcelona’s requirements. Last night, Puig snatched MLS headlines away from Lionel Messi, arguably Barcelona’s greatest-ever player, by showing up when it counted against LAFC.
Puig and the Galaxy were made for each other. As the MLS calendar approaches the postseason, they may be made for a trophy, too.
The Galaxy continues its MLS season on Wednesday, September 18 against the Portland Timbers.
