Los Angeles Galaxy’s hopes for a strong start to the 2025 MLS season have taken a major hit with the news that star winger Joseph Paintsil will be sidelined for 6-8 weeks due to a quad injury.
The Ghanaian international, who played a crucial role in LA’s title-winning campaign last season, is now set to miss the opening weeks of the new season.
Paintsil’s absence is a significant setback for the Galaxy, who were counting on his attacking prowess to lead the team’s offence.
The 27-year-old had an outstanding debut season in 2024 after arriving from Belgian club Genk for USD 10 million.
He tallied 10 goals and 10 assists in the regular season and played a pivotal role in LA’s playoff run, adding four more goals and an assist to help secure the club’s first MLS Cup since 2014.
With Paintsil sidelined, LA Galaxy will need to rely on other attacking options to fill the void.
The team is already without Spanish midfielder Riqui Puig, who is recovering from an ACL injury.
The Galaxy will kick off their 2025 season on February 23 against expansion club San Diego FC, hoping to overcome these early challenges and defend their MLS title.
