Riqui Puig made a shocking move in the summer of 2022, joining LA Galaxy as a free agent following his time at FC Barcelona. Puig was a part of La Masia, Barca's famed academy, from 2013-2018. He then worked up the ranks to play for Barcelona B and eventually the first team. He scored twice in 42 appearances as a central midfielder for Barca. The question was, how on earth did a player of his quality end up here at his young age? His falling out with his manager, Xavi, played a huge role in that. He was excluded from the US preseason tour and bluntly told he would need to find a new club. That club was LA Galaxy, in which he joined at 23 years old.
Puig was initially signed on a 3.5 year deal on a TAM contract, though he is now deservedly a Designated Player. The move for the Galaxy is definitely up there with some of the best deals the league has seen. To pick up an experienced and polished, yet youthful player on a free transfer? A bargain. His debut came on August 19, 2022, where he substituted in and played 28 minutes during a 3-3 draw with the Seattle Sounders. In his next match against the New England Revolution, he played an inch-perfect through ball to assist Chicharito in a 2-0 victory at Gillette Stadium. The pass was an early statement that Riqui was a special midfielder with rare talent. His first goal for the club came in the next match, against Toronto FC on August 31st. It was an absolute screamer. In the 89th minute to equalize at BMO Field, Puig hit this top corner strike. The rest of the league certainly knew he arrived by now. On September 17th, Puig picked up three assists in one match against Colorado. His arrival impacted the entire team, as they lost one single match in their final 10. Puig helped win their first playoff game, but LAFC got the best of them in the Western Conference semis.
The beginning of the 2023 campaign did not see the same success for Puig and his Galaxy side. His first goal contribution of the entire season came in late April, where he recorded both a goal and assist in the team's first win of the season. His cool finish capped off a much needed 2-0 win against Austin FC. Even after that match, it was quiet from Riqui and the Galaxy struggled to win games. On May 23rd in an El Trafico US Open Cup edition, Puig scored and held his jersey up to the crowd, much to the dismay of the BMO Stadium fans. President Chris Klein, the subject of fan protests was finally fired on May 30th. Galaxy supporters hoped it would rejuvenate the side. They won their match the following day, but struggled to find more victories in quick succession. It wasn't until July hit that Riqui Puig fully re-found his form. The last four matches of league play prior to Leagues Cup all contained Puig goal contributions.
On July 4th, MLS broke its attendance record as 82,110 fans packed the Rose Bowl for El Trafico. After Tyler Boyd and Ilie Sanchez exchanged goals, it was Riqui's time to shine on quite literally the biggest stage an MLS regular season game has ever seen. In minute 73, to win the match, Riqui Puig crashed the box and slid home a match-winner via the Tyler Boyd cross. Once again, he showed the back of his jersey to the mixed Los Angeles faithful. In the next match against Philadelphia, he laced another screaming finish reminiscent of his first goal of the Galaxy back in 2022. Leagues Cup was a pretty brutal tournament for the Galaxy, but Puig did get back on the scoresheet with a tidy finish. In regular season play, LA is blazing. They have lost just once in their last eleven matches, dating back to May 27th. Puig scored his most recent goal on August 30th against San Jose, Matchday 29's Goal of the Matchday. Puig received the ball a few steps ahead of midfield, carried the ball all the way to the top of the D with little resistance, before curling it into the bottom right corner.
With nine MLS matches left to play for LA Galaxy, Riqui Puig has collected 5 goals and 7 assists thus far, counting just MLS matches. The Galaxy are still very much in the running to qualify for the playoffs, no one in MLS has played fewer games than them. They currently sit five points out of the final wildcard spot, with a game in hand. If the Galaxy do make the push and end up in the 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs, it's a guarantee that Riqui Puig will be at the forefront. It's unclear at this time if Riqui will stick around in the States for long, but he seems happy in LA and will continue showing out for as long as he stays. Riqui Puig comes in at #96, but could rise up the future rankings if he keeps playing in MLS at this level.
YEAR | CLUB | MINUTES | GOALS | ASSISTS |
2023 | LA | 2,150* | 5* | 7* |
2022 | LA | 827 | 3 | 5 |
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