When LA Galaxy center back Emiro Garcés signed with the club in April, the 2024 MLS Regular Season was already in full swing.
Speaking through a translator ahead of the Galaxy’s Round One Best-of-3 match at Colorado on Friday night, Garcés, who faced a language barrier when he arrived in LA in April from Colombia, still said he soon felt right at home.
“From the very beginning I felt like it was a family,” Garcés said. “They accepted me, they welcomed me and that made me feel at ease actually. Little by little I started to adapt to all players and the coaching staff but they actually made it very easy on me and I think I’m still adapting well and everything is based on the welcome feeling I have felt and the people that make me feel this way.”
It took the Colombian time to find his way to the field for the Galaxy. He was an unused sub for the Galaxy away to Charlotte FC on May 18 before finally making his debut for the Galaxy in one minute of action against the San Jose Earthquakes on June 29. It was a long road to finding consistent match fitness for Garcés, but his patience paid off.
Garcés has seamlessly slotted into the Galaxy’s backline during the closing stages of this past regular season, earning a start in each of the Galaxy’s final four games before the start of the Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs. Garcés started and played 80 minutes in the Galaxy’s 5-0 playoff-opening win on October 26 that featured zero shots on goal by Colorado. Prior to the final run of games, Garcés had only started once for the Galaxy this year, playing 86 minutes in LA’s Leagues Cup group win over Chivas Guadalajara on August 4.
In each of the last five games that Garcés started, he’s been paired with veteran center back Maya Yoshida, whose career has spanned time in the English Premier League, Italian Serie A and German Bundesliga. At just 23 years old, Garcés is trying to soak in as much knowledge as he can from his 36-year-old central defense partner.
“I think it’s a privilege to play with a world-class defender,” Garcés said. “I learn a lot from my teammates, from Maya, from Jalen [Neal], from Eriq [Zavaleta] and playing with them is something I looked forward to and something that I continue to appreciate every time I’m on the pitch with them.”
Garcés brings things to the table that head coach Greg Vanney said “compliment the rest of our group.” Not only does he have experience to his left in Yoshida, but also to his right stands another veteran Japanese international in Miki Yamane.
“He’s between two guys who have a lot of experience,” Vanney said on October 17. “They can balance and help him in the process as well. We knew midway through the season this was a player we needed to get going and it’s like a new signing if we really get him going and I think now we have him and Jalen and Maya and Eriq and guys who have a good balance of experience and youth who can complement each other when they’re out there together.”
Vanney has said that the physical qualities of Garcés are “off the charts,” emphasizing his aggressiveness in one-on-ones, making up ground quickly, defending in transition and defending open-field plays.
“Everybody sees the qualities that he brings,” Vanney said. “The athleticism, the confidence on his side to defend one-on-one, defend in open space. He’s grown I think in his ball usage in terms of finding solutions and things like that.”
Garcés said he was immediately set on signing with the Galaxy after hearing about the club’s interest in him because of its history. Now, he may write himself into the club’s history too, not just this season but in the seasons to come.
“I actually feel very happy because [general manager] Will [Kuntz] trusted me and the coaching staff trusted me,” Garcés said. “Everybody around me, my family and my whole team, my supporters they feel very thrilled that I’m here and we are here because this is a very big team and something that I’m looking forward in staying and being a part of in the foreseeable future.”
