Foreign Exchange: Three questions with Alex Ruiz of the Galactic Tribune
We attend to some business and then talk about the suddenly resurgent Galaxy with someone who knows them well.
The saga continues on Wednesday night.
The spicy rivalry between Austin FC and the LA Galaxy — which has devolved into heated and pushy extracurriculars the last two times the teams met — heads to Carson on Wednesday night for another installment in the series, currently favoring the Galaxy (who have five wins, three losses, and a draw against Verde).
But first, a passing map
Before we delve into Alex Ruiz's excellent insights (on the site where you'll also see me answer his questions about Verde), I did want to visit one quick note from Saturday's frustrating 0-0 match against New England. Looking at the passing map and the average position of players, it's fairly clear to me that Galaxy coach Greg Vanney will focus on protecting the left side of their final third given what Osman Bukari (RW in the graphic) is doing relative to everyone else on Austin.
Given that the thickness of the line indicates how much passing is happening between the players, the relatively light involvement of Myrto Uzuni (CF in the graphic) remains a concern. It's fine having pushed-up wingers like this as long as they're cutting passes back in to the striker — and as we've noted prior, the 16th-minute square pass resulting in Uzuni's best chance of the night should have been enough, but sometimes desperation kick saves just happen.
Also, despite the Galaxy's unfathomably slow start, the defending MLS champs (they are still that) have been playing more like that than the Wooden Spoon candidates they've been for the majority of 2025. (Alex gets into why in his answers).
Also, a hearty hello to ¡Vamos Verde! fans
Also, I'll be answering questions on a stage tonight! The excellent duo that does ¡Vamos Verde! (KUT's Juan Garcia and Jimmy Maas) are doing a ¡Vamos Verde! Live show tonight at Central Machine Works (4824 East Cesar Chavez Street) ahead of tonight's very West Coasty 9:30 pm kickoff. They're announcing it as a 7 pm start, with the Austin Chronicle's Eric Goodman and me holding court starting about 7:30 pm. I'd love to see you there.
(This is probably also a good time to mention Monday Night Live, the show that we're doing with our friends at We Are Austin TV this coming Monday, 5-10 pm at Hopsquad ahead of the All-Star Game, with national and local media folks answering questions we put before them.)
Now, your regularly-scheduled Foreign Exchange
To the questions!
After a historically bad start, LA's only lost one of its last six, including a pair of wins in its last two games. What do you attribute the turnaround to, and is this something they can keep up?
One of the main reasons for the LA Galaxy's better run of form is the stability within the team now.
You go back a few months, and there were a lot of things keeping LA from getting into a groove. Injuries to Gabriel Pec, Joseph Paintsil, and Marco Reus made it hard for the Galaxy to find that consistency and grow in the attack. The Galaxy gave Greg Vanney a multi-year contract extension, which shut down all the chatter about whether he would be gone a year after winning the MLS Cup. The team has also finally settled on its preferred backline with Novak Micovic and Julian Aude taking starting roles.
Reus has been the key figure in the Galaxy's competitiveness in every game it plays since the mid-point of the season. The former German Player of the Year has 12 goal contributions (five goals, seven assists) in his last 12 matches for the Galaxy. This stretch has coincided with his healthiest stretch of the season, where he’s played 90 minutes multiple times and not been sidelined for injury reasons. A player like Reus reads the game faster and smarter than every player on the pitch. He’s showing his individual qualities but also making everyone else around him.
Also, keep an eye on Matheus Nascimento. The U22 striker has taken some time to break into Vanney’s starting XI, but the wait has been worth it. The Brazilian adds energy with work rate and he’s starting to build strong chemistry with the rest of his teammates in the attack. He has five goal contributions (two goals, three assists) in his last six appearances for the Gs.
Back in April, you noted that the team was missing its quarterback (Riqui Puig) and that Diego Fagúndez might be the backup quarterback they need. Has that indeed manifested, and what kind of season is he having?
Fagúndez has played a role for the Galaxy this season, but not necessarily as the catalyst or leading man. Reus has been the quarterback for the club with Puig out, instead of the former Austin FC man filling that role.
He’s not a player who is going to create a moment of magic by himself or add an extra layer of dynamism to the pitch. He’s best when he can find pockets of space and move the ball forward in the attack. Fagúndez has been playing alongside Reus in the middle of the park, which has allowed the Galaxy to flow better in the attack. His familiarity with the Vanney’s system allows LA to play its soccer compared to when Lucas Sanabria is out on the pitch, who is still getting comfortable playing in this possession-based system.
Fagúndez is also a key figure in the Galaxy locker room. Vanney has talked about how he is always moving around the different “cliques” within the team, such as the group of veteran players, the Spanish-speaking contingent, and the young players on the team. It’s hard to find Fagúndez without a smile, and he’s been one of the best at keeping morale up despite the club spending most of this season at the bottom of the Supporters' Shield standings.
Don’t expect Fagúndez to be picking up many goals or assists, but he keeps the ball moving and gives LA some stability with him in possession. He’ll look to score against Austin FC and continue his mission to score against every MLS club.
We understand there are some new tensions between Galaxy fans and the front office that have nothing to do with Chris Klein. Can you explain what's going on? And could it impact what kind of turnout the game will have on Wednesday (which I imagine is already going to be a lighter crowd than usual given it's a midsummer Wednesday in Carson)?
The Galaxy fanbase is essentially speaking on the issues that the club has yet to publicly address or acknowledge. The ICE raids in Southern California, which have been happening since the start of June, have brought some unrest and worry to the immigrant community here. LAFC and NWSL side Angel City FC released statements to acknowledge and provide solidarity with the community during this rough time. However, the Galaxy didn’t make any public statements about the situation, which didn’t sit well with a lot of the fanbase.
The silence of the club became a major talking point on social media, and it eventually became visible in the stands. On the Galaxy’s first home match since the start of those ICE raids, the Victoria Block supporters lifted a tifo that said, “Fight Ignorance, Not Immigrants” and walked out during the 12th minute of the match. Dignity Health Sports Park fell quiet, and the drop in the atmosphere was highly noticeable.
In LA’s most recent match against D.C. United, both Victoria Block and the LA Riot Squad were silent in the stands. I expect the silent protest from the supporters will continue on Wednesday night. On social media, a growing number of Galaxy fans have made it known that this situation has caused them to put their season-ticket memberships on hold. It’s a situation that could’ve been avoided, and fans have started speaking out about it more.
In my conversations with people in the front office, there has been dialogue from both sides about this situation. I was told that both sides don’t view this current situation like the 2023 fan boycotts. It’ll be interesting to see how the relationship between the fans and the club develops as the season goes on.
Verde All Day is a reader-supported online publication covering Austin FC. Additional support is provided by Austin Telco Federal Credit Union. You can comment here if you’re a subscriber, or reach out via Bluesky.
Nico Estévez asserted that if Saturday's match against the Revolution were played ten times, Austin would win nine of those. Here's some perspective on that apparent 10th game.
The saga continues on Wednesday night.
The spicy rivalry between Austin FC and the LA Galaxy — which has devolved into heated and pushy extracurriculars the last two times the teams met — heads to Carson on Wednesday night for another installment in the series, currently favoring the Galaxy (who have five wins, three losses, and a draw against Verde).
But first, a passing map
Before we delve into Alex Ruiz's excellent insights (on the site where you'll also see me answer his questions about Verde), I did want to visit one quick note from Saturday's frustrating 0-0 match against New England. Looking at the passing map and the average position of players, it's fairly clear to me that Galaxy coach Greg Vanney will focus on protecting the left side of their final third given what Osman Bukari (RW in the graphic) is doing relative to everyone else on Austin.
Given that the thickness of the line indicates how much passing is happening between the players, the relatively light involvement of Myrto Uzuni (CF in the graphic) remains a concern. It's fine having pushed-up wingers like this as long as they're cutting passes back in to the striker — and as we've noted prior, the 16th-minute square pass resulting in Uzuni's best chance of the night should have been enough, but sometimes desperation kick saves just happen.
Also, despite the Galaxy's unfathomably slow start, the defending MLS champs (they are still that) have been playing more like that than the Wooden Spoon candidates they've been for the majority of 2025. (Alex gets into why in his answers).
Also, a hearty hello to ¡Vamos Verde! fans
Also, I'll be answering questions on a stage tonight! The excellent duo that does ¡Vamos Verde! (KUT's Juan Garcia and Jimmy Maas) are doing a ¡Vamos Verde! Live show tonight at Central Machine Works (4824 East Cesar Chavez Street) ahead of tonight's very West Coasty 9:30 pm kickoff. They're announcing it as a 7 pm start, with the Austin Chronicle's Eric Goodman and me holding court starting about 7:30 pm. I'd love to see you there.
(This is probably also a good time to mention Monday Night Live, the show that we're doing with our friends at We Are Austin TV this coming Monday, 5-10 pm at Hopsquad ahead of the All-Star Game, with national and local media folks answering questions we put before them.)
Now, your regularly-scheduled Foreign Exchange
To the questions!
After a historically bad start, LA's only lost one of its last six, including a pair of wins in its last two games. What do you attribute the turnaround to, and is this something they can keep up?
One of the main reasons for the LA Galaxy's better run of form is the stability within the team now.
You go back a few months, and there were a lot of things keeping LA from getting into a groove. Injuries to Gabriel Pec, Joseph Paintsil, and Marco Reus made it hard for the Galaxy to find that consistency and grow in the attack. The Galaxy gave Greg Vanney a multi-year contract extension, which shut down all the chatter about whether he would be gone a year after winning the MLS Cup. The team has also finally settled on its preferred backline with Novak Micovic and Julian Aude taking starting roles.
Reus has been the key figure in the Galaxy's competitiveness in every game it plays since the mid-point of the season. The former German Player of the Year has 12 goal contributions (five goals, seven assists) in his last 12 matches for the Galaxy. This stretch has coincided with his healthiest stretch of the season, where he’s played 90 minutes multiple times and not been sidelined for injury reasons. A player like Reus reads the game faster and smarter than every player on the pitch. He’s showing his individual qualities but also making everyone else around him.
Also, keep an eye on Matheus Nascimento. The U22 striker has taken some time to break into Vanney’s starting XI, but the wait has been worth it. The Brazilian adds energy with work rate and he’s starting to build strong chemistry with the rest of his teammates in the attack. He has five goal contributions (two goals, three assists) in his last six appearances for the Gs.
Back in April, you noted that the team was missing its quarterback (Riqui Puig) and that Diego Fagúndez might be the backup quarterback they need. Has that indeed manifested, and what kind of season is he having?
Fagúndez has played a role for the Galaxy this season, but not necessarily as the catalyst or leading man. Reus has been the quarterback for the club with Puig out, instead of the former Austin FC man filling that role.
He’s not a player who is going to create a moment of magic by himself or add an extra layer of dynamism to the pitch. He’s best when he can find pockets of space and move the ball forward in the attack. Fagúndez has been playing alongside Reus in the middle of the park, which has allowed the Galaxy to flow better in the attack. His familiarity with the Vanney’s system allows LA to play its soccer compared to when Lucas Sanabria is out on the pitch, who is still getting comfortable playing in this possession-based system.
Fagúndez is also a key figure in the Galaxy locker room. Vanney has talked about how he is always moving around the different “cliques” within the team, such as the group of veteran players, the Spanish-speaking contingent, and the young players on the team. It’s hard to find Fagúndez without a smile, and he’s been one of the best at keeping morale up despite the club spending most of this season at the bottom of the Supporters' Shield standings.
Don’t expect Fagúndez to be picking up many goals or assists, but he keeps the ball moving and gives LA some stability with him in possession. He’ll look to score against Austin FC and continue his mission to score against every MLS club.
We understand there are some new tensions between Galaxy fans and the front office that have nothing to do with Chris Klein. Can you explain what's going on? And could it impact what kind of turnout the game will have on Wednesday (which I imagine is already going to be a lighter crowd than usual given it's a midsummer Wednesday in Carson)?
The Galaxy fanbase is essentially speaking on the issues that the club has yet to publicly address or acknowledge. The ICE raids in Southern California, which have been happening since the start of June, have brought some unrest and worry to the immigrant community here. LAFC and NWSL side Angel City FC released statements to acknowledge and provide solidarity with the community during this rough time. However, the Galaxy didn’t make any public statements about the situation, which didn’t sit well with a lot of the fanbase.
The silence of the club became a major talking point on social media, and it eventually became visible in the stands. On the Galaxy’s first home match since the start of those ICE raids, the Victoria Block supporters lifted a tifo that said, “Fight Ignorance, Not Immigrants” and walked out during the 12th minute of the match. Dignity Health Sports Park fell quiet, and the drop in the atmosphere was highly noticeable.
In LA’s most recent match against D.C. United, both Victoria Block and the LA Riot Squad were silent in the stands. I expect the silent protest from the supporters will continue on Wednesday night. On social media, a growing number of Galaxy fans have made it known that this situation has caused them to put their season-ticket memberships on hold. It’s a situation that could’ve been avoided, and fans have started speaking out about it more.
In my conversations with people in the front office, there has been dialogue from both sides about this situation. I was told that both sides don’t view this current situation like the 2023 fan boycotts. It’ll be interesting to see how the relationship between the fans and the club develops as the season goes on.
Verde All Day is a reader-supported online publication covering Austin FC. Additional support is provided by Austin Telco Federal Credit Union. You can comment here if you’re a subscriber, or reach out via Bluesky.
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