Commerce City, Colo.- The Colorado Rapids host a fellow MLS original on Saturday night in MLS. It will be LA Galaxy at Rapids for the Gs’ first Western Conference game of 2026. Kickoff is set for 7:30 pm MT. Both teams are coming off good performances and wins last week. We caught up with Edgar from News Across The Galaxy to get caught up on the Gs.
LA Galaxy have played two home games to start the year, a draw with NYCFC, and a win against Charlotte that saw three goals in the opening minutes. What’s gone well in those games? What’s been poor?
The most noticeable thing about this year’s club is the defense, which has long been the biggest weakness in any LA Galaxy roster. In both matches against the Pigeons and Charlotte, Galaxy allowed only one shot on goal. The defense practically suffocated the attack of both teams. On the other hand, Galaxy have had a more difficult time engaging Joseph Paintsil and Gabriel Pec into the attack, the latter of whom remains scoreless, even though he led the team in scoring in the preseason.
Two big acquisitions this winter were signing center backs Justin Haak and Jakob Glesnes. How’s the Gs defense looking this year? It has to be better, right?
This is the best defensive lineup Galaxy have had since the early 2010s squads and is arguably better than those. It must be noted that Justin Haak has been played out of position so far, at CDM, so he has struggled at times, but it just shows how deep LA Galaxy is at center back. Meanwhile, Jakob Glesnes has been butter-smooth, earning praise from pundits and fans alike. Add to that a more mature (we hope) Carlos Garces, and up-and-coming Chris Rindov, and veteran Maya Yoshida, and you have a solid group for any rotation.
As we talked on your show, there’s so many similarities between the center forwards in this game. What’s your first impressions of João Klauss been? What do you want to see more from him?
João Klauss made an immediate impact with Galaxy fans after a shaky preseason, where you could tell he was getting used to a new system and teammates. So far, he’s been better than advertised. Even though he came over with a DP tag, his numbers with St. Louis CITY SC weren’t particularly strong, it was mostly due to him getting very little support on a team that has struggled to recapture their debut season magic. With Pec and Paintsil drawing attention on the wings and potentially feeding him the ball, Klauss is like bull in a China shop, ready to crash through defenses. Other things to admire about Klauss are his willingness to come back and defend and his movement and positioning off the ball.
What do you think LA’s midfield is going to look like in this game? Do we see rotation with Marco Reus starting? What can Rapids fans expect from Lucas Sanabria?
With the match against Jamaica’s Mount Pleasant FA just a few days later, Galaxy manager Greg Vanney might choose to start Marco Reus and switch him up at halftime for Erik Thommy, who has yet to make his debut with the club. Fans have been hopeful that Thommy might help open things up for Pec and Paintsil. Meanwhile, Lucas Sanabria seems to be on a mission to raise his profile among the better midfielders in MLS. Expect him to push extra hard on 50/50 balls and to try to get the ball into the 18 and even run in and take a shot on goal. Edwin Cerrillo or Elijah Wynder will figure into this game, as well, and Vanney might elect to use both, keeping in mind the CCC match next week.
Lastly, what are expectations for the Gs this year? Riqui Puig is going to be out, just like last year. Do the other Killer Ps bounce back? Will it be a tough test for Reggie Cannon and the Rapids backline?
Prior to the season, the expectation was for the Gs to get back to the playoffs and maybe get out of round one. After two amazing defensive performances and clutch scoring by Klauss, Galaxy fans are more optimistic but are wary of the stronger teams in the Western Conference. Joseph Paintsil has extra motivation to give a little extra with the hopes he makes the final 23 of Ghana’s World Cup squad. Meanwhile, after a dismal ’25, Gabriel Pec wants to bounce back and catch the attention of a decent European club. No matter what, Galaxy will have to figure out a way to unlock their potential without Puig. Erik Thommy might help with that, but they can’t rely on one player.
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Spencer Baldwin 
Eamon Shaw 