LA Galaxy v Orlando City: Vanney laments injuries in stuttering start

Greg Vanney noted that injuries have hindered LA Galaxy so far this season as they look to get back to their best against Orlando City in MLS.

The Galaxy were MLS Cup winners last season, but the defending champions are yet to win a game in 2025, going winless in their five matches so far (D2 L3).

They have drawn their last two matches against the Portland Timbers and Minnesota United to move off the bottom of the Western Conference, sitting 14th.

Vanney is looking to build on those two results and hopes his injury-hit squad will have recovered somewhat for Saturday’s match.

“Part of this [run] is we’ve had a lot of guys who are out through injury, some in pre-season and others in and out,” he said.

“So, part of it is sustaining and withstanding it all and getting healthy to rebuild this group to where we have as many of our guys available as possible so we can attack these games and try and build some momentum.

“We had two tough road games where we battled to draws, so there’s positives to take.”

Fought ’til the final whistle. pic.twitter.com/1qBJoMuvg7

— LA Galaxy (@LAGalaxy) March 26, 2025

Orlando, meanwhile, got back to winning ways after a two-game winless streak with a 4-1 victory over D.C. United.

They are currently ninth in the Eastern Conference after five games, and head coach Oscar Pareja believes that win was the perfect preparation for their trip to Los Angeles.

“The positive part of our last game is not just winning but scoring the goals, and that raised our confidence to go to LA,” he said.

“We’re playing a team who did a great job last year, though they are struggling, and we’re competing well and demanding a lot. We’ll be ready for it, and hopefully, we’ll have a good performance with a good result.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

LA Galaxy – Christian Ramirez

Christian Ramirez, who has scored two of LA Galaxy’s four goals this season, has scored four career MLS goals against Orlando City (including playoffs).

Only against Real Salt Lake (five) has he netted more in his career.

Orlando City – Martin Ojeda

Martin Ojeda is the only player in MLS with three goals and three assists so far this season.

Ojeda is the second Orlando City player with at least three goals and three assists in his first five games of a season, along with Daryl Dike (three goals, three assists) in 2020.

Wheels up to the West Coast pic.twitter.com/l69krVathX

— Orlando City SC (@OrlandoCitySC) March 27, 2025

MATCH PREDICTION: LA GALAXY WIN

The Galaxy won their first two home matches against Orlando, scoring four goals in each victory. However, the Lions won their last away match against them, winning 1-0 in March 2022.

With two points through five matches, LA Galaxy are off to the worst start by a defending champion in MLS history. The fewest points ever collected by a reigning champion through six games of a season is four (five times, including the Galaxy in 2003).

Orlando have lost only two of their last 13 regular-season away matches against Western Conference opposition (W5 D6). The Lions, who won their last away match against a Western team (3-1 at FC Dallas in September), have not won two straight road games against the West since March-April 2015.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

LA Galaxy – 43.9%

Draw – 26.8%

Orlando City – 29.3%