Riqui Puig: “This year we no longer have any excuses”

All change for Riqui Puig at the Los Angeles Galaxy for the 2024 Major League Soccer season. For a start he has swapped the No.6 jersey for the prestigious No.10 - famously worn by some of the franchises historic players such as Landon Donovan, Giovani dos Santos and last year by Douglas Costa. This will be the Spaniard’s third year with the team to have amassed the most titles in the league and his objectives remain the same - to compete and win the MLS Cup.

One of the reasons why Riqui took the No.6 when he first arrived was because it was the number which Xavi wore at Barcelona. “It’s true that the number six was worn by one of my idols when I was a kid and now that I am in the Galaxy I wanted to have a little more responsibility. Being the leader of the team and I think that the number ten is a very important number since in a team it is the one that has to make the difference. It’s a step forward and I want to show that I want to be here at the Galaxy for many years,” the Spanish midfielder explained.

Top of the list for the new campaign is silverware - something that he has not yet been able to achieve due to various reasons such as problems at the very top with president Chris Klein, who eventually resigned from his position, on top of injuries to key players, as happened last year with Javier Hernández, Martín Cáceres and Gastón Brugman.

These have been some of the factors that have prevented the Galaxy from being a competitive team since Puig joined the MLS franchise in 2022 and something that even called into question his continuity. The Spaniard decided to return and hopes that for this campaign things will change for the good of the team.

“This year we no longer have excuses. The first year I arrived was one of adaptation, the second we had many injuries, but this year we have to produce our best football. It’s a very important year for us, for the players, for the club and for the coach,” he said.

New challenge for the LA Galaxy

He added, “It is true that since I arrived the club has been a little unstable, but I think we have a team to win and do great things. Last year we also had very bad luck with injuries and that made us not compete until the last league game. But we are doing things very well, we all trust in the coach, who is one of the most important pieces and looking forward to starting this year”.

This year, the Galaxy are banking on younger players to strengthen the team following the departures of Javier Hernández and Douglas Costa. They have hired 23-year-old Brazilian Gabriel Pec and 26-year-old Spanish forward Miguel Berry. In addition to reinforcing the defense - one of the Achilles’ heels during the last campaign. They have strengthened that area with experienced Japanese player Miki Yamame, who signed a three-year deal from J1 League side Kawasaki Frontale last month.

Head coach Greg Vanney has put together a team centred around Riqui Puig for the season that is about to begin, something that motivates the Spanish midfielder even more. In two years playing in Major League Soccer, Puig has registered a total of 10 goals and 13 assists in 39 league games played.

“I’ve always liked being a protagonist. I also came to Galaxy with an idea that when I spoke with the coach he told me that I was going to be one of the protagonists of the club and especially of the team. I think it is a responsibility that I have to take and above all demonstrate. That I come from where I come from, I am a player who makes a difference. Last year I think I had some of the best figures since I became a professional player and this year I hope to score more goals, be more decisive and take the LA Galaxy club to the highest level, which is what it deserves,” concluded the Spaniard at the virtual media day prior to the start of the season.