The Galaxy have re-signed coach Greg Vanney to a multiyear contract extension, the team announced Friday, ending speculation over the coach’s future the team.
Vanney, 50, led the Galaxy to their sixth MLS title last season, triggering a one-season contract extension. But the team (0-10-3) is winless in its first 13 games this season, the worst start in franchise history, heading in Sunday’s match with cross-rival LAFC.
In four-plus seasons the Galaxy are 54-56-39 in MLS play under Vanney.
In addition to extending Vanney’s contract, the team also hired Ravi Ramineni as director of quantitative analysis, promoted former midfielder Juninho to the newly created position of special adviser to the general manager and promoted Zack Murshedi to director of team administration and player care.
The moves, a team spokesperson said, “reflect a real commitment to the team’s vision.”
“Greg is one of the most respected and successful coaches in MLS history and we are excited to be continuing under his leadership,” general manager Will Kuntz said in a statement. “While this season’s results haven’t reflected our standards, this was a decision made following our 2024 MLS Cup victory and we remain confident in the project we are building with Greg.”
The team had a magical season in 2024, matching a modern-era franchise record with 19 victories and going unbeaten at Dignity Health Sports Park. After finishing in the penultimate spot in the Western Conference standings the season before, the Galaxy tied for the top spot last season, becoming the first team since 2011 to go from second to last in the conference to the MLS Cup in one season.
It was also the first team in MLS history to have four players — Riqui Puig, Gabriel Pec, Joseph Paintsil and Dejan Joveljic — reach double digits in goals scored.
This season has been the opposite. Salary-cap issues aggravated by the team’s success in 2024 forced Kuntz to trade MLS Cup MVP Gastón Brugman, valuable midfielder Mark Delgado and Joveljic, who led the team with six goals in the playoffs. The Galaxy have also missed Puig, their midfield playmaker and assists leader, who hasn’t played since tearing his ACL in last November’s conference championship game.
They did return 11 of the 14 players who appeared in December’s MLS Cup final, but injuries have forced nine players to the sidelines for multiple games. As a result Pec and Paintsil, who combined for 26 goals and 24 assists last season, have just one goal and three assists this season for a team that has been shut out six times.
Only three MLS teams have fewer goals than the Galaxy’s 10 and no club has conceded more goals than the 31 the Galaxy have allowed. The -21 goal differential is also worst in the league.
Vanney, 50, a defender on the Galaxy’s original roster in 1996, played 10 seasons in MLS, making 193 of his 270 league appearances during two stints with the Galaxy, with whom he won three Western Conference titles, a Supporters’ Shield, MLS Cup and a CONCACAF Champions Cup. He also played 37 times for the U.S. national team, making the 2002 World Cup roster before being forced out of the tournament with an injury.
Vanney began his coaching career as an assistant with Chivas USA in 2011 and got his first managerial job with Toronto after Ryan Nelsen was fired with 10 games left in the 2014 season.
In his first full season as coach, Vanney guided Toronto to its first playoff berth. A year later, it played in the first of three MLS Cup finals under Vanney, winning the title in 2017.