From Champions to Crisis: LA Galaxy’s Historic Collapse Reaches New Low in Red Bulls Rout

Less than a year removed from lifting the MLS Cup, the LA Galaxy have stumbled into unprecedented territory. On Saturday night in New Jersey, the defending champions were handed a brutal 7-0 defeat by the New York Red Bulls—a result that not only extended their winless start to a record-setting 12 games, but also underscored the magnitude of their fall.

The loss marked the widest margin of victory ever recorded in an MLS Cup rematch and tied the league’s largest winning margin. The Galaxy now sit at 0-9-3 in 2025, the worst start by a reigning champion in league history. Their -20 goal differential is the lowest in MLS, a sobering indicator of how far the club has fallen since its championship run.

‍

‍

Saturday’s match at Sports Illustrated Stadium was not just a defeat—it was a dismantling. The Red Bulls, relentless and clinical, capitalized on a disorganized Galaxy side that struggled to execute the basics of its revamped tactical setup. Emil Forsberg and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting each netted twice as the home side delivered a statement win that doubled as payback for last year’s MLS Cup final loss.

The night’s final insult came on the last kick of the match, when Galaxy defender Miki Yamane’s back pass caught goalkeeper John McCarthy off guard and rolled into the net for an own goal—a symbolic capstone to an evening where little went right.

Head coach Greg Vanney, visibly frustrated, convened his players in a post-match huddle at midfield, delivering a pointed message amid the Red Bulls’ celebration. Afterward, Vanney didn’t sugarcoat his team’s performance.

‍

“Today we were s—. From start to finish, it wasn’t good,” he said.

‍

Vanney had opted for a five-man backline in an effort to stifle New York’s high-tempo buildup and control the midfield. In theory, the tactical shift was intended to provide structure. In practice, it produced confusion. Despite holding more possession (53 percent), the Galaxy repeatedly gave the ball away in dangerous areas, inviting pressure they could not withstand.

“On the first goal, they kill us off a loss of possession between our lines, and they play right through us, which is typical Red Bull soccer,” Vanney said. “We weren’t connected as much as we needed to be.”

‍

‍

The coach rejected suggestions that the team lacked effort, pointing instead to a complete breakdown in execution. “This is a horrible night,” he said. “But in every game prior to this, we’ve been in it. The margins were small. Tonight, it got away from us.”

The Galaxy’s woes aren’t solely tactical. Injuries and misfortune have plagued the early part of their season, but the sharpness and conviction that defined their championship campaign have been conspicuously absent.

“When it rains, it f—— pours, man,” McCarthy said before the match. “You’ve got to figure out how to get out of it, and no one’s going to help you besides the 28 guys in the locker room.”

‍

‍

Despite the veteran goalkeeper’s rallying words, McCarthy bore the brunt of Saturday’s lopsided result. Still, culpability extends throughout the roster. Defensive lapses, midfield disconnect, and poor finishing have combined to create a team unrecognizable from the one that hoisted silverware last November.

Now, the Galaxy find themselves at a crossroads. With an interconference trip to face the Philadelphia Union looming on Wednesday, the urgency to halt their slide has never been greater. Vanney insists the solution begins with unity.

“We have to stay connected as a group,” he said. “We can’t get disconnected, because then we’ll get exposed, and things can go sideways.”

After Saturday’s display, things already have. The challenge now is whether the Galaxy can arrest a freefall that, just months ago, seemed unimaginable.