Greg Vanney says LA Galaxy are at the point where, if they get into the playoffs, they can trouble anyone. That is the message heading into Saturday’s Austin FC vs LA Galaxy meeting, with the Galaxy sitting 10th in the Western Conference and two regular-season matches left to save their season.
The urgency is plain because LA Galaxy are one point behind Real Salt Lake for the final wildcard spot. They host Austin FC on Saturday, then face ninth-place Real Salt Lake on Decision Day, leaving little margin for error if they want the race to still be alive by the final whistle of the regular season.
Vanney’s confidence comes from the way his squad has come together as injuries have cleared. He pointed to Chucky, Hirving Lozano, Kyogo, Furuhashi and Marco Reus as key options when healthy, and said the Galaxy have lost only about three of their last fourteen matches. He also noted that their home form has been sturdy, with seven straight unbeaten matches at Dignity Health Sports Park, where they have gone W4 D3 since their last loss in late July.
That is why the Saturday match matters even with Austin FC already out of the picture. Austin FC’s playoff hopes ended Wednesday in a 2-1 loss to Real Salt Lake, while LA Galaxy are still fighting for the postseason spot Austin can no longer reach. The contrast sharpens the stakes: one team is done, the other still needs results.
There is also a reason Vanney is not treating the Galaxy as a finished project. He said the team was rotated and “got beat up a little bit” in St. Louis, but called that an anomaly. He added that the group has come together late because of the summer movement, and that nobody should want to play them if they do the business over the next two weeks. Joseph Paintsil, who scored both LA Galaxy goals in Sunday’s draw with Los Angeles FC, is part of that push, and Jorge Alastuey added his first career goal contribution in his 15th career MLS match on Wednesday.
The path is simple, even if it is tight: beat Austin FC, then chase down Real Salt Lake on Decision Day. If LA Galaxy can do that, Vanney believes the version of the team that reaches the playoffs will be the version nobody wants to face.
