Christian Ramirez scores goal in fourth consecutive match across all competitions in loss to Orlando; LA Galaxy next play host to Tigres UANL in first leg of 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup Quarterfinals at Dignity Health Sports Park on Tuesday, April 1 at 8:15 p.m. PT
LOS ANGELES (Saturday, March 29, 2025) – The LA Galaxy's three-match unbeaten run across all competitions came to an end following a 2-1 loss to Orlando City SC before 21,722 fans at Dignity Health Sports Park on Saturday night. Next up, the Galaxy play host to Tigres UANL in the first leg Quarterfinal round match of the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup at Dignity Health Sports Park on Tuesday, April 1 (8:15 p.m. PT; FS2, TUDN, ViX).
2025 Concacaf Champions Cup On The Horizon
The Galaxy advanced to the Quarterfinals of the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup after defeating C.S. Herediano 4-2 on aggregate over two legs in the Round of 16. LA fell 1-0 on the road to Herediano in the first leg on March 5, before defeating Herediano 4-1 in the second leg at Dignity Health Sports Park on March 12. In 46 all-time Concacaf Champions Cup matches played, the LA Galaxy hold a record of 22-13-11. The Galaxy hold a 16-3-5 record in 24 all-time Concacaf Champions Cup matches played at home. It marks the ninth time that the LA Galaxy have qualified for the Quarterfinal Round of Concacaf Champions Cup play. This marks the second time that the Galaxy will ever square off against Tigres, last doing so in a 3-0 loss in a World Series of Football friendly match contested at Dignity Health Sports Park on July 17, 2007.
Goal-Scoring Plays
LA – Christian Ramirez (Miki Yamane, Edwin Cerrillo), 14th minute: Edwin Cerrillo floated in a cross towards the right side of the penalty area to Miki Yamane, whose first-time pass was flicked in from close range by Christian Ramirez.
ORL – Martin Ojeda (Penalty Kick), 76th minute: Following a foul inside the penalty area, Martin Ojeda slid his penalty-kick attempt into the back of the net.
ORL – Luis Muriel, 90th minute: Luis Muriel's free-kick effort from over 30-yards away from goal was initially blocked by John McCarthy, but then crossed the goal line after spinning back off his glove.
Postgame Notes
- In eight matches played across all competitions (MLS Regular Season, Concacaf Champions Cup) to begin the 2025 campaign, the LA Galaxy hold a record of 1-5-2 (9 GF, 14 GA).
- In seven matches played across all competitions during the month of March, the Galaxy finished with a record of 1-4-2 (9 GF, 12 GA).
- Saturday’s match marked the eighth all-time regular-season meeting between the LA and Orlando City SC, with the trailing the all-time series 3-5-0.
- In four all-time matches played at Dignity Health Sports Park against the Lions, the Galaxy hold a 2-2-0 record.
- Christian Ramirez has scored a goal in four consecutive matches played across all competitions dating back to March 12.
- Miki Yamane recorded an assist for a second consecutive match dating back to March 22.
- Edwin Cerrillo, who made his 50th career MLS Regular Season appearance for the Galaxy, tallied his first assist of the season in the match against Orlando City SC.
- Diego Fagundez made his 398th career MLS Regular Season appearance, which ranks 15th all-time in MLS history.
- Joseph Paintsil made his 2025 MLS Regular Season debut, logging 30 minutes as a second-half substitute.
Next Game
Next up, the LA Galaxy return to 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup action by playing host to Tigres UANL in the first leg of the Quarterfinal round at Dignity Health Sports Park on Tuesday, April 1 (8:15 p.m. PT; FS2, TUDN, ViX).
2025 MLS Regular Season
LA Galaxy (0-4-2; 2 pts) vs. Orlando City SC (3-2-1; 10 pts)
Saturday, March 29, 2025 – Dignity Health Sports Park (Los Angeles)
Goals by Half 1 2 F
LA Galaxy 1 0 1
Orlando City SC 0 2 2
Scoring Summary:
LA: Ramirez (Yamane, Cerrillo), 14
ORL: Ojeda (penalty kick), 76
ORL: Muriel, 90
Misconduct Summary:
LA: Yamane (caution), 28
ORL: Atuesta (caution), 60
LA: Pec (caution), 62
LA: Parente (caution), 89
ORL: Gallese (caution), 90+6
Lineups:
LA: GK John McCarthy; D Miki Yamane, D Zanka, D Maya Yoshida ©, D Julián Aude; M Isaiah Parente, M Edwin Cerrillo, M Tucker Lepley (Joseph Paintsil, 60), M Diego Fagundez (Matheus Nascimento, 85), M Gabriel Pec, F Christian Ramirez (Miguel Berry, 71)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Novak Mićović; D Emiro Garcés, D Harbor Miller, D Eriq Zavaleta, M Elijah Wynder, F Ruben Ramos Jr.
TOTAL SHOTS: 10 (Christian Ramirez, 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 2 (Christian Ramirez, Gabriel Pec, 1); FOULS: 14 (Julián Aude, Isaiah Parente, 3); OFFSIDES: 1; CORNER KICKS: 6; SAVES: 2
ORL: GK Pedro Gallese; D Rafael Santos (David Brekolo, 66), D Robin Jansson (C), D Rodrigo Schlegel, D Alex Freeman, M Cesar Araujo, M Eduard Atuesta (Joran Gerbet, 90+3), M Ivan Angulo (Duncan McGuire, 66), M Marco Pasalic (Dagur Thorhallsson, 82), F Luis Muriel (Kyle Smith, 90+3), F Martin Ojeda
Substitutes Not Used: GK Javier Otero, M Colin Guske, M Gustavo Caraballo, F Ramiro Enrique
TOTAL SHOTS: 15 (Three players tied, 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 4 (Four players tied, 1); FOULS: 12 (Eduard Atuesta, 4); OFFSIDES: 2; CORNER KICKS: 2; SAVES: 1
Referee: Jon Freemon
Assistant Referees: Stefan Tanaka-Freundt, Kevin Lock
Fourth Official: Gerald Flores
VAR: Ricardo Montoya Araya
Weather: Partly Cloudy, 60 degrees
Attendance: 21,722
All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial
LA GALAXY POSTGAME QUOTES
LA GALAXY HEAD COACH GREG VANNEY
On the outcome of the match after 60 minutes of strong play:
"The [turn of the game] coincides with the soft penalty kick call. The problem I have in this situation is there are three other situations that are no less contact than that, and he always looked at us as if we're diving. The whole time, he says "play on" every time one of our guys is in a situation like that and gets a moderate amount of contact and goes down. For him, it's always diving. Miki [Yamane] early; it was others along the way. But in this one, he decides he wants to change the game, and that's tough. We have to be more resilient in this situation when it happens. Yeah, we gave up a goal and went to 1-1. And we have to be able to compose ourselves or recompose ourselves, reassert ourselves into the game, get on the ball, and again, one play at a time, try to grab back hold of the game and create some chances and see if we can win it but stay steady in our positioning. I think once it goes 1-1, we get a little bit erratic in some of our actions. We try to do more than we need to do in situations instead of letting the ball just move and move them around, and the game starts to get a little bit transitional. They are starting to hit in balls behind the back line of us. The game is getting very vertical at that point. And so then, what are you going to say about the second goal? Honestly there's nothing to say about it. At the end of the day, it should have ended 1-1 on what I think is a soft penalty call. But we allowed another goal. That just can't happen. Ultimately that becomes the difference in the result. I think the control of the game changes a little bit because of the emotion of the game, and us maybe getting a little bit, I don't know, overeager or pressing a little bit once it goes 1-1, and we press ourselves out of good positions and things like that where we had good, solid control prior to that.”
On subbing in Joseph Paintsil for Tucker Lepley:
"I thought Tucker had a good night. Reality is, in the grand scheme of things, we've got to get Joe going. And the next stage for Joe is to build his fitness and his minutes. And he doesn't get the 45 minutes without getting 30 minutes; and he doesn't get to 90 without getting 30. So you bring him in because you hope Joe can give you something in transition. We're up 1-0 and you think, oh, there's going to be some transition moments in which we can put Joe in behind the back line and we can create some problems. I don't think we lost control in that moment. I think it was a little bit after that, honestly, because I still thought we were able to get Joe on the ball in some good areas. I thought Diego [Fagundez] was popping into some good spots. I thought Isaiah [Parente] was able to carry through pressure a number of times and get us moving into the other direction. I think it becomes the decisions that we're making in the final actions. And I think the game sort of switched more on the defending and the situation that led to the penalty and thereafter. I do feel like after that it started to adapt; when Christian came off. I feel we were having a hard time playing though our striker, which Christian did a nice job of through the course of the night. And of course, we went to two strikers when we were chasing it a little bit, and I don't think we got a whole lot out of that either.”
On if there is still competition between starting goalkeepers:
“It could be. It certainly could be if they both want to keep leaving the door open for one another. I hope not. Somebody needs to take ownership of it and be the guy. John did it all of last year and he's capable, and he needs to bounce back. But we'll see as we move forward.”
On scoring the first goal, and then the change in momentum ending in a loss:
"The way it slipped away is part of the problem. Because I can go through, I don't know how many goals we've given up over the course of the season, I'd have to add them up, but at least half of them have been somewhat ridiculous for us. There's points inside of those goals that we've lost because of it; and that, to me, is unacceptable for where we are at this point, and coming back as champions to be giving up these types of soft goals in ways that, you know, again, I mean, you're losing points. I understand we're not scoring a ton of goals at the moment and creating a boatload of chances. That is going to continue to grow and evolve with this group. As we continue to get healthier, connected, more detail-oriented in some of those things. I think we're going to improve in those ways. But there's no reason why we're giving up these types of goals. We had some other okay looks, decent looks. We hit the posts. We had some other good spots. I thought we had some really good spells of possession. I thought for 60 minutes, 50 minutes, I thought they didn't have great solutions for us. They tried to change the way they were pressing us. We reorganized the way we were setting up, and then we were able to break their lines and go at them again and again. Again, I thought there were tons of solutions inside the game, and we did a pretty good job of finding them. But you kill yourself when you do things to give away your goals. And then it changes the emotion of things because we've been battling to put ourselves in position to get three points, and then we lose that in one, two, swift actions. That's the disappointing part.”
On Joseph Paintsil’s 2025 regular season debut:
"I think he looks good moving-wise. I think he's going to continue to have to be sharp. He has not played a game since the MLS Cup. So it's been a while since he's had real match minutes. I think those things are going to come. For Joe, it's almost like he's in a preseason, but the rest of us are in a season, and we're in a season where we need to kick it into gear real fast. So I think it's just for him to establish a rhythm, get inside of the group. Get aggressive about his plays. Sometimes he slows down the ball. Want to see him speed up the game, and I think he's going to get there. Again, it's a matter of getting rhythm and getting going. His preseason is going to be out there for everybody to see. He doesn't get to do it out in Coachella where you get to make mistakes and do things where it's free and all that. Now, unfortunately, he has to go through it in the regular season while the team is pushing to get on the right side of some of these results. But he's a pro and he's hell of a player, and we'll work through it. Minutes' restrictions, yeah, we're having to build him up. It's more important for us to get Joe healthy and build him in the right way, and not just throw him out there and see what happens. We'll definitely be mindful of this next stretch of super busy games.”
On the fourth goal from Christian Ramirez in four games, and his performance in the match:
“I think he's adjusted, where before he was hanging out in midfield positions and spending time in these low positions. I think now he's starting in high positions, and when we need him, he's arriving into the position, linking up the play and he's getting out. And then that's putting him in better positions when we do get into final actions where he's able to work the spaces behind the center backs and get himself into good scoring positions. So yeah, I think he's adapting to the group and the needs of our group. We need to keep providing him with opportunities, and hopefully he'll keep finding the back of the net. It's good to get him into rhythm. It's nice when you have forwards that score, but we have to continue to contribute around him as well.”
On relying on his Ramirez’s form while also encouraging other players to help offensively:
"Christian is a cerebral player when he's out there. So he also helped us on the defensive side. I think he was really smart about how he was sitting on pivots, dictating the direction of the game, to letting them come in between us a lot of times. He was very wise about how he was also working on the defending side, in addition to the attacking stuff that I think is improving. I think his overall contribution was really solid. I'm pretty confident that Gab [Gabriel Pec] is going to find his way into goals and assists and get going. As we can create more danger from different areas of the field, it starts to soften areas around Gab where teams have focused a lot on Gab's side and trying to even overload that side defensively or not release out, sometimes just sit inside of there, which has made it hard for Gab. But I think as guys start to contribute, I think things will start to open up for others, and that's something we need to happen, and I think it will as Joe gets going. And obviously I thought Tucker had a good night, and I do like Diego on the inside at times being able to help us, which is something we haven't really been able to do through the course of the season. So these are things that I think will help us on the attacking side as we continue to move forward.”
On if he was surprised the referees didn't review the play and what the vibe was in the locker room after the game:
“To me, the only reason you call that is because you're antsy and you want to get involved in the game and you want to make a call. It was really like a tap on the heel, and the player obviously kind of throws himself onto the ground. It's at the corner of the box. It's not going anywhere. There's nothing there. Again, once you make the call, the threshold to change the call is so extraordinary that if becomes almost a waste of time. Like if there's any contact at all, they are just not going to change it, right, and so that becomes the issue. And then it's the people in his ear that are telling him one thing or another. They are the ones that would have to advise him to go to actually look at if they think that he clearly and obviously, which should be a high threshold, got it wrong. It's extraordinarily soft and you shouldn't have made the call, but you did get a piece of him, you still can't change it. Once it's called, it's called. That became the issue. As far as the group, yeah, they are frustrated. I thought they had a good stretch of the game tonight, and I thought there was some good performances to a point where we have the self-inflicted wounds. And then I think that is starting to wear a little bit because it's obviously not getting results, especially at home. It becomes emotional in terms of the energy; energy in the group and the team. As I said to them, and they see it; it's not so much that we are like playing poorly through the games. Because it's like from box to box, we have been okay. In all of these games, we really have not been played off the field in any of these games. It just comes down to mistakes and the way we are giving up goals, and the fact that we are not scoring more goals than we are giving up, which is going to be a work-in-progress. You know, I think the frustration is just it's results, and it's the way we're giving up goals as much as anything.”
MIDFIELDER JOSEPH PAINTSIL
On how it feels to be back on the field:
“It feels really great. Being out the whole of the preseason, and me having minutes now, I would just say a big thanks to God. And the people who are also making me work out and making sure I am always back as soon as possible, and as you can see, I feel really happy, and I really appreciate also, the crowd, them being happy that I'm back. Even though it isn't the result that we wanted -- it wasn't what we wanted but hope is not gone. We still have hope. We are the champions. And we will do everything possible to bounce back as we have since last year.”
On how hard it was not playing with the team and what needs to change around the organization to start getting the wins:
"I would say the team is not playing bad. We are playing football, but the result is what's not coming, and all that we need to do is all of us need to make sure that whenever we are on the field, we are the champions. We should play like a champion, especially playing on our home pitch. You can see the home crowds are dropping out and not coming to the game. But I can rest assured you that with time, everything is going to be peaceful and successful for us. We’ve been watching them from behind since I was injured, I wouldn't say they are playing bad. It's just the result that wasn't coming. As you can see, football is always like that. You can start bad and then end up winning the championship again, and people need to know we have a whole lot of games. People will be thinking we need to win the points and points and points, but once again, we also need to focus, also, playing one game after the other. Even though we don't have the points, we keep going, and I still assure that with everything that we have working with the coaches and the staff, we are doing everything to be in the top as a champion that we were last year.”
On when exactly he got injured:
"It was a training here with a friendly game. That's where I got hurt.”
On when his rehab started picking up to get to this point:
“So when that happened, I felt good within a couple of days. I was told not to shoot. But as a player, sometimes it just happens or you try to shoot and I felt the quad, that's what needed really long for the healing. It's something that maybe I could have solve it, but as a player, whenever you have the ball, you always want to shoot. Even though you see the goal, you never say you're going to play the ball back. I just try to do what I need to do, and it just resulted in a sharp pain. So I just needed to come out from the training and just do the MRI. So after the MRI it was said to be seven weeks out.”
On how he’s going to feel for the match on Tuesdays
"It depends on the staff, whatever they decide. I'm always there to make an impact. I still have quite a long way to go because I just came back. I just need to be feeling and also make sure that I'm on the level of all the players so that I can also give whatever I need to give. But even though I'm injured and everything, and no matter the minutes they gave me or the opportunity I have, I need to always help my team with my strength, which is the speed. As time goes on, it's really going to feel really good for the team and for everyone.”
On the challenge of getting up to speed against players and anything off the field he’s doing differently to prepare:
"They had a lot of -- the preseason, I was really out. I just need to also find my way healthy, strong, especially my strong side, making sure that I work more on it because that's really my strong side. I will just, you know, keep working. Nothing is going to change. The only thing that is going to change for me is just to keep on working day-in and day-out to build my lungs, and also the type of play that we have to play; how I need to also, you know, watch whatever the other players are doing so that when I have a chance, I can also fix in and also do the same thing. As you can see, I have a little bit of a way to go, but it's just one after the other.”FORWARD CHRISTIAN RAMIREZ
On if he feels like everything is clicking for him:
“I'm starting to get comfortable and understand my teammates, and the more I understand them, the more they understand me and my movements and where I'm going to be. Stuff like tonight will happen. Those are great moments, and it's a great understanding of Miki and a great understanding by myself to understand the play that's being built; the interaction that Gabe’s causing in that pocket to allow Miki in behind, and I'm seeing that run. It's a great team goal, and just wish it would have been on the end of a win.”
On if he feels like he’s coming along defensively:
“I think everything was going to plan today. I don't think they were very dangerous. I think we were in control for a large portion of the game, and in times when they had stretches of possession, I don't think they are very dangerous. It's just going around us, and that was something that we knew they were going to do and try and pick us apart. And then they started to overload numbers in the middle of the field behind myself and Tucker when Tucker was in, or it was Diego. But I think we handled that very well, and they didn't really pose a threat.”
On the collapse of the game for the team:
"I think it's just the story of our season so far. Trying to get over that hurdle, and when you don't get over that hurdle, every action just becomes a bit more important or a bit more of -- you keep looking over your shoulder, and the time seems to not be moving. It happens, but we have to stick together in this locker room and turn it around. I think the majority of us playing that stretch and now getting healthy again is a vote of confidence, and now we just have to put it together for 90 minutes and regroup and re-energize for Tuesday.”
On if there was any pent-up joy in his goal celebration tonight since he didn’t celebrate in Minnesota out of respect:
“It's been a tough couple days for my family. My dad had to fly to Colombia to see his dad pass away but he was able to get there today, and he passed during the game. I knew that he was watching by his side. So it was cool to score in that moment. It was a release of energy. I think the last time that we played here in regular season, it wasn't too fun of an afternoon for myself after being subbed out. It's come a long way in six weeks and I’m enjoying myself, and I can't ask for a better place to be in the moment and a better challenge than to get us moving in the right direction.”
On any future goal celebration plans:
“I always ask my daughters what celebration they want to see, and I let them go for it. They had told me that I had not done that one in a while, and I used to do that one with Couchie (Cucho) in Columbus, so they asked me to do it. So it's a cool one that I think will stick with me a lot more.”
On how the team can compartmentalize and move forward to Tuesdays game against Tigres:
“We understand it's a knockout round and there's a desperation that comes with it. I think that will help us, like it did the last time we were in this situation for league play because it brings that intensity and desperation that we need right now. So this is something that is good to get us going. But yeah, I think we understand that this team is last year's champions, and we're getting everybody's best game. We have to, like the manager said in the dressing room, we have to play with a chip on our shoulder and understand that and put our best foot forward for a complete game.”
On the difference when Paintsil is on the field and how things flow on the offense:
“I'm happy to have him back. I know how hard he's been working on the sideline. It's great. I was hoping to get a few minutes with him, and I'm glad I did. He almost broke through on one, and then if the ball gets played to him, I have a tap-in. I know that there's a threat on both sides now and behind to be able to read those balls being played to them. Gabe had one, also, in the second half that he gets fouled and he tried to stay up on his feet and if he gets through, I'll have another tap-in. Just trying to read those plays because those guys are the highest of quality.”
On how it feels to currently be the club's most consistent scorer and if we can expect more goals from him this season:
"Yeah, I mean, I hope so. Like I said before, for me, it's more about the win columns. I'll just continue to do the dirty things and the little things that maybe don't pop up on the stat sheet, the defensive work, the tracking back so it helps free other guys. But I'll continue to put myself in those situations, and on this team, the guys also continue to find me. Yeah, hopefully more goals that lead to victories.”
