Riqui Puig Racing Against Time To Recover For Leagues Cup Quarterfinal | OneFootball

Eight months is a long time in soccer…just ask LA Galaxy supporters.

On December 7, 2024, the Galaxy defeated the New York Red Bulls 2-1 via early goals from Joseph Paintsil and Dejan Joveljic to secure a record-extending sixth MLS Cup title, crowning themselves as the best team in Major League Soccer in their own stadium. Fast-forward to today, and Galaxy has the worst record in the entire league, having accumulated just 16 points from 15 matches, 15 points away from the playoff spots with nine matches remaining.

There are plenty of reasons behind the Galaxy’s decline, like the sale of Joveljic to Sporting Kansas or the departures of midfield warriors Mark Delgado and Gaston Brugman – the latter winning the 2024 MLS Cup Final MVP – but arguably the biggest reason has been none other than Riqui Puig’s absence.

Born in Matadepera, Spain, Puig joined Barcelona’s academy in 2013 and rose through the La Masia ranks, eventually making his first-team debut in December 2018. Regarded as one of the brightest talents in the entire academy, Puig was promoted to the first team in October 2020 and scored 2 goals and 3 assists in 57 appearances for the Blaugranas, but he never quite managed to consolidate himself as a regular in the starting eleven. With playing time under Xavi even harder to come by following the arrival of Franck Kessie from Milan, Puig decided to join LA Galaxy on a free transfer on August 4, 2022. The diminutive midfielder didn’t take long to announce himself in North America, salvaging a point in the 89th minute on August 31, 2022, with an audacious finish from outside the box against Toronto FC.

With Puig running the show as an advanced playmaker, the Galaxy went from losing on a regular basis in July to clicking on all cylinders in the final two months, suffering just one defeat in their final 10 regular season matches before defeating Nashville 1-0 in the first round of the playoffs, but they were bounced out in the Conference Semifinals after losing 3-2 to LA in the Conference Semifinals. After regressing to a dismal 13th-place finish in the East (26th overall), the Galaxy bounced back in 2024 by finishing with the fourth-best record in the league, finishing level on 64 points but one goal behind on goal differential. LAFC automatically qualified for the opening round of the 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup on account of having the best record in the Western Conference, but it was their El Trafico rivals who had the last laugh.

Whilst LAFC would end up losing in extra time to Seattle in the Western Conference semifinals, the Galaxy brushed past the rest of the competition thanks to the stellar displays of Puig on the left side of midfield, scoring two braces and an assist in his two matches vs. Colorado Rapids before grabbing an assist in their 6-2 win against Minnesota United. He was the star of the show on November 30 in their Western Conference Final vs. Seattle Sounders, completing 12 out of 17 long balls and three key passes, as well as winning three fouls. And despite rupturing the ACL in his left knee, he soldiered on for over 30 minutes and engineered the game’s sole goal, controlling a ball, hesitating and luring in two green shirts before teeing up Joveljic with an inch-perfect through ball onto the edge of the box, who duly obliged with the winning goal.

Puig is not just respected as one of the best players in MLS by his teammates and coaching staff, but by his opponents as well. When I spoke to CF Montreal’s Caden Clark last December, he told me, “A really good player you can take things and bits from is Riqui Puig. He’s an amazing player, and he’s really fun to watch. Obviously, I don’t play as deep as him, but I’d like to take some of the things he does and bring them to my game. You can see how he floats around. He plays very deep sometimes, but it works for him…If I can take some of those things and bring them up top, be free-flowing and playing in tight pockets, and if I can add that to my game, I can keep building as a player.”

The Galaxy were able to plug Puig’s void for one game and edge the Red Bulls to the biggest prize in American soccer, a trophy that was solely possible thanks to the efforts of Puig. He was voted into the MLS Best XI after scoring 16 goals and 14 assists in 29 regular season appearances (28 starts) – overall, he has registered 29 goals and 32 assists in 82 matches played (79 starts). However, they have been unable to do so on a long-term basis and have appeared devoid of his creativity and dynamism in the final third. Whereas their crosstown rivals, LAFC, have competed in the FIFA Club World Cup and are on pace to qualify for the postseason, sitting fifth in the West, the Galaxy have hit rock bottom. By the time they won their first league match on May 31, they had already lost 12 and drawn four, descending into the bottom reaches of the league. Since then, they’ve managed to find some semblance of form, drawing to St. Louis, LAFC, and San Jose, losing to Colorado and Austin and beating Vancouver and D.C., and they will be facing off against Inter Miami on Saturday.

Despite this historically terrible title defense, there are two reasons for Galaxy supporters to be optimistic: the return of the Leagues Cup, and the return of Riqui Puig. The Galaxy finished with the third-best record out of the 18 MLS teams that competed in the Leagues Cup league phase after demolishing Tijuana 5-2 and Santos Laguna 4-0, and as a result, they have qualified for the Leagues Cup quarterfinal, where they will take on Mexican side Pachuca. A season that appeared to be a lost cause up until last week now has something worth fighting for: becoming the third team to win the Leagues Cup after Inter Miami and Columbus Crew, and qualifying for the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup Round of 16.

It begs the question: Should the Galaxy consider rushing Puig back to action for their upcoming quarterfinal? The 26-year-old midfield maestro returned to training on July 8, and he is registered as part of their Leagues Cup roster. Puig teased a potential return on an Instagram reel on Sunday, featuring a picture with him and the official Leagues Cup ball with an accompanying track of Sam & Dave’s ‘Hold On, I’m Coming.’ Whilst the club has remained coy on the details of his recovery, the clock is ticking for Puig as he looks to make it back to full fitness in time for their Leagues Cup quarterfinal on August 20.

Can Puig finally make it back from his injury nightmare and return for their upcoming showdown against Pachuca? LA Galaxy supporters will certainly be hoping so.