LA Galaxy Missing Two Key Starters vs. Rapids | OneFootball

Saturday night was a huge night for the LA Galaxy. The defending MLS Cup champions did something rare that they have only done three times before in their previous 26 regular seasons games this year.

The Los Angeles Galaxy upset the Colorado Rapids with a 3-0 blowout victory at home. Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California, has now become the scene of all four wins on the Galaxy's season (4-7-16).

Still, with seven games remaining on their schedule between September and October, the LA Galaxy are still at the bottom of the MLS Western Conference standings, a place they were not at last season.

Two of their regular starters as of late were not in the lineup for the LA Galaxy. Due to reported lower body injuries to both, head coach Greg Vanney kept these players from taking the field against the Rapids.

Who was out on Saturday for the LA Galaxy vs. the Rapids?

In addition to star midfielder Riqui Puig still recovering from ACL surgery, two more players for the Los Angeles Galaxy were on the injury report. The captain, Maya Yoshida, and forward Matheus Nascimento did not play on Saturday against Colorado.

Injuries have affected the veteran defender's season all year. Yoshida had only played in 22 of the LA Galaxy's 27 regular-season games.

He has on the year during MLS play which came last month in the 3-3 draw against LAFC. It was the second time that the Los Angeles-based rivals tied this season.

Yoshida came up big for the LA Galaxy during Leagues Cup play, too. He scored in the 4-0 wipeout victory against Santos earlier this month. That win launched the Galaxy into the Knockout Round of the 2025 Leagues Cup.

Nascimento, another member of the LA Galaxy that was relegated to the sideline vs. the Rapids, has also been clutch for his team during Leagues Cup play. The Brazilian soccer player has three goals and an assist between all four matches for the tournament.

In the 2025 MLS season, the first-year Galaxy player has two goals and three assists. Nascimento has become a starter more as of late.

His one goal and one assist in July both were during victories for the LA Galaxy. In fact, the majority of Nascimento's goal contributions this season have come in winning efforts.

Expectations for Yoshida and Nascimento going forward

Neither injury seems serious enough to keep either player for the LA Galaxy out long-term. Oddly enough, these two stars weren't the only regular starters withheld agaisnt the Rapids.

Vanney chose to rest a lot of his normal starters and inserted a mass infusion of different players in the Starting XI on Saturday vs. Colorado. It paid dividends as backup goalie, JT Marcinkowski, even earned the clean sheet on his first start of the year.

The LA Galaxy will play on Wednesday when they host the Seattle Sounders FC. This is another rematch of the MLS Western Conference Finals from last year in which the Galaxy won, 1-0.

Kickoff is at 7:45 p.m. PT and 9:45 p.m. CT. This game will also be held at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. Hopefully, the LA Galaxy starters are rested including Yoshida and Nascimento.