Riqui Puig has undergone another reconstruction surgery on the anterior cruciate ligament of his left knee. The procedure was deemed successful, but the sporting consequence is harsh and immediate: the LA Galaxy midfielder isn’t expected to play again until the start of the 2027 MLS season. In practical terms, that means two full seasons on the sidelines at the exact moment he had become the team’s clear centerpiece. The injury doesn’t explain everything that happened to the Galaxy in 2025, but it helps clarify why the club fell so quickly after reaching one of the highest points in its recent history.
Puig was injured in the second half of the 2024 Western Conference Final. Even so, he stayed on the field and helped the Galaxy advance. A week later, the club lifted its sixth MLS Cup, a league record. That match felt like a crowning moment. Today, it stands as the starting point of a sharp downturn. Without Puig for the entire 2025 season, the Galaxy finished 14th in the West, totaled just 30 points and posted the worst campaign in franchise history.
The player who organized everything
Developed by Barcelona, Puig arrived in MLS to take on a leading role and delivered. In 82 matches for the club, he recorded 29 goals and 32 assists, was a two-time All-Star and earned a spot on the 2024 MLS Best XI.
In 2024, he enjoyed the best season of his career, with 13 goals and 15 assists. The Galaxy set a record by having four players reach double figures in goals in the same season. Without Puig, that model fell apart. The team scored 23 fewer goals in 2025.
Two surgeries and a risk that can’t be ignored
ACL surgery is common in sports, but recovery is rarely straightforward. Puig suffered a setback during the rehabilitation process from his first operation, performed at the end of 2024, and needed another procedure, once again with Dr. Ramón Cugat in Barcelona. The Galaxy’s official stance points to a full recovery, but the timeline calls for two years away from competition during the prime of his career.
The club also paid the price for excessive optimism. In 2025, it chose not to place him on the season-ending injured list, holding out hope for a return that never came. That decision tied up the roster. Puig occupies a Designated Player slot, earned $5.78 million last season, the eighth-highest salary in MLS, and is under contract through 2027 after renewing in May 2024. In a league with a strict salary cap, mistakes like that are costly.
In the end, Riqui Puig’s situation with the LA Galaxy today is defined by data, timelines and medical decisions. The surgery was successful, a return is considered possible, but the club already knows it will have to get through at least one more season without a player who, by recent numbers, played a direct role in one of the most productive periods in the team’s history.