LA Galaxy will play in the MLS Cup final for the first time in a decade, but will do so without one of its most important players. The club announced that Spanish midfielder, Riqui Puig, suffered a torn ACL in the Western Conference final against Seattle Sounders.
"The LA Galaxy today confirmed that midfielder Riqui Puig suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee and will miss the 2024 MLS Cup," the club said in a statement. "Puig sustained the injury in the second half of the match, continuing to play over thirty minutes despite his injury, and providing the game-winning assist on Dejan Joveljić’s 85th minute goal."
Puig was instrumental for LA Galaxy's success in the playoffs, in four postseason games this season, he had a goal involvement in every game, with four goals and three assists total—including the aforementioned game winning assist against Seattle whilst already suffering the injury.
The former Barcelona player had by far his best season in MLS since his arrival in 2022. In 29 appearances for LA during the regular season, Puig had 15 goals and 13 assists, becoming an integral part of one of the most dangerous attacks in the country.
Greg Vanney now faces the tough challenge of finding another player that can fill the void left by Puig in LA Galaxy's lineup, as the team prepares to host New York Red Bulls in the 2024 MLS Cup Final this coming Saturday.
