LA Galaxy End Year With 2-1 Home Win Over Minnesota

Los Angeles, Calif. -- The LA Galaxy sent their fans home happy on fan appreciation night as they soundly defeated Minnesota United 2-1 with a composed performance at home on Saturday, October 18, 2025.

The win sees the current MLS Cup champions end the season with a two-game win streak and three wins out of their last four league matches in 2025. 

It also gives LA Galaxy Head Coach Greg Vanney optimism heading into next season. 

The Galaxy boss knows he and his coaching staff will be under a microscope as they work to get the Galaxy back to their 2024 form after missing out on the postseason just one year removed from lifting a trophy. The win over Minnesota is a reminder of Vanney and his team's overall quality.

“Look, I'm proud of these guys. The start of the season was like nothing any of us wanted. But literally at the turn, the halfway point, we started to put some things together, started to find a little bit more cohesion, started to get some results along the way. Better finish,” Vanney admitted, while looking somewhat relieved that a troubled season is over.

Photo Credit: LA Galaxy

LA Galaxy Striker Matheus Nascimento scored the game's first goal with a lovely volley in the Galaxy's 2-1 win over Minnesota United on Saturday, October 18, 2025.

He lauded the professionalism of his players while finding what silver linings he could.

“Everybody stuck together all the way until the last game. And we beat two playoff teams down the stretch, which is a nice statement for where we are. We finished third in Leagues Cup, which makes a statement. I think we're probably one of the better teams that didn't make the playoffs when it's all said and done.”

If this game result is the evidence, Vanney could be right.

The relative ease with which LA dispatched a normally stubborn United side, even though Minnesota got a late goal through Joaquín Pereyra in injury time, is confounding for a team that spent most of the season in last place.

The win over one of the West's top four sides stands in stark contrast to the Galaxy’s position in the table and their fortunes this year. They allowed just four shots on goal and one big chance in just their seventh win all season.

One could almost be convinced that the hosts were the team battling for a top-four spot, and not struggling to not be the last team in the Western Conference. 

“It is what it is. We are where we deserve to be because of how we all started out,” Vanney lamented.

“The guys battled today against a team that had a lot to play for. And we felt we had something to play for, too, for a couple of different reasons.” 

Vanney’s team reminded Minnesota that, despite not making the playoffs this year, they still have enough quality to be dangerous, as memories of last year's playoff matchup surely flashed in Minnesota Head Coach Eric Ramsay's head.

This time, however, someone else besides Riqui Puig was pulling the strings in midfield, causing his team harm.

Elijah Wynder continued his strong end to the season by providing two assists, and the Galaxy got goals either side of halftime from Matheus Nascimento and Joseph Paintsil to seal the victory. But without Wynder, those goals don’t happen.

The first-year player’s development is one of the bright spots of the second half of the season.

“He has great power; he can really cover ground,” Vanney shared of Wynder’s skill set. “He has soft feet for a big man.”

Those soft feet got the Galaxy going early once again, who scored first for their fourth game in a row. 

The Galaxy youngsters combined in the 12th minute to give LA the lead. After Mauricio Cuevas and Wynder combined on the right side, Wynder crossed it across goal, where Nascimento had only to poke it home. 

For the Galaxy’s second, Wynder displayed the patience and vision Vanney will be hoping to rely on next season. 

After receiving the ball on the left channel, he gobbled up ground with his long stride and fed a streaking Paintsil, whose shot cannoned off the crossbar, only for the winger to get his own rebound. 

Paintsil's 52nd-minute goal put the game beyond question. The Galaxy’s Golden Boot winner scored his tenth goal of the season on Saturday and has led the Galaxy offensively since Marco Reus went down injured.

Not satisfied with 2025, the winger is already focused on next season. He had a message for his teammates post-match. 

“I think we as a team as a whole just need to prepare mentally, physically, come face-to-face with each other, and face the reality. This is a league that it's really a strong league and competitive.”

MLS might be a competitive league, but the Galaxy swept away one of its better teams on Saturday night.

The big question is why Galaxy fans didn't get this version of their team until the last half of the season.

There are a myriad of reasons, but for one night at least, the last of 2025, Galaxy fans got to forget the troubles of 2025 and leave the stadium with a comfortable win to their name.