Starting XI: GK JT Marcinkowski; D John Nelson, D Maya Yoshida, D Jakob Glesnes, D Mauricio Cuevas; M Edwin Cerrillo, M Justin Haak; M Joseph Paintsil, M Gabriel Pec; F Christian Ramirez, F Matheus NascimentoÂ
Substitutes: GK Brady Scott, GK Novak Mićović, D Emiro Garcés, D Julián Aude, D Miki Yamane, D Harbor Miller, M Lucas Sanabria, M Tucker Lepley, M Marco Reus, F Ruben Ramos Jr., F João Klauss
Lineup Notes:Â
- #12 JT Marcinkowski, 28, joined the LA Galaxy ahead of the 2025 campaign and recorded one clean sheet in three spot starts for the club in league play. Marcinkowski has earned 98 MLS appearances in his career. The Alamo, California native signed a Homegrown contract with the San Jose Earthquakes in 2017 after developing in the club’s academy. The 2021 MLS Regular Season saw Marcinkowski post a career-high five shutouts and 129 saves in 33 matches played (all starts) for the Earthquakes. In total, Marcinkowski logged 19 shutouts and 330 saves in 96 appearances (95 starts) in five seasons with San Jose.
- #14 John Nelson had his contract extended following a strong 2025 campaign that saw him named LA Galaxy’s Defender of the Year. The 27-year-old appeared in a career-high 31 matches with 24 starts and added a career-best three assists. Defensively, Nelson recorded 36 aerial duels won and 22 clearances while playing a key role in two of the Galaxy’s four shutout wins across all competitions. A steady presence on the back line since joining the LA Galaxy ahead of the 2024 season, Nelson recorded his first career MLS goal (Regular Season or Playoffs) and an assist in LA’s 5-0 win over the Colorado Rapids at Dignity Health Sports Park in the Round One Best-of-3 Series opener of the 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs on Oct. 26, 2024. In his two seasons with LA, Nelson has made more than 70 appearances, contributing one goal and three assists. Drafted 10th overall by FC Dallas in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft after a standout collegiate career at the University of North Carolina, the Medina, Ohio native spent two seasons with Dallas before joining FC Cincinnati ahead of the 2022 campaign.Â
- #2 Miki Yamane, 32, has appeared in 80 matches in all competitions for LA since joining the side in 2024. The mainstay on the back line has tallied a goal and 11 assists in 6,277 minutes. Prior to joining the Galaxy, Yamane recorded 14 goals and 27 assists across 196 J1 League appearances with Shonan Bellmare (2016-19) and Kawasaki Frontale (2020-23). Notably, Yamane was named to the J1 League Best XI in three consecutive seasons (2020, 2021, 2022), and helped Kawasaki Frontale earn two J1 League titles (2021, 2020), two Emperor’s Cup titles (2020, 2023) and one Japanese Super Cup (2021). Yamane has recorded two goals and four assists across 16 appearances (12 starts) for Japan since making his debut for his country in 2021.Â
- #5 Jakob Glesnes, 31, joins LA having spent six seasons with the Philadelphia Union, where he became a two-time MLS Best XI member (2022, 2025), a three-time MLS All-Star (2022, 2023, 2025), and was named the 2022 MLS Defender of the Year. In the 2025 season, the center back totaled three goal contributions (1 goal, 2 assists) and 30 clearances in 31 matches played (30 starts) across MLS competition. The Norwegian recorded the second-most minutes (2,626) for the club in the 2025 season and led the Union defense to a best-in-league fewest goals conceded (35) and 14 clean sheets. Glesnes has played 181 games with 178 starts in his MLS career, recording nine goals and 10 assists. Before joining the Union, Glesnes played in Norway’s top division, the Eliteserien, representing Strømsgodset Toppfotball.Â
- #19 Mauricio Cuevas, 22, has notched three goals and eight assists in 61 career appearances (19 starts) across all competitions for the LA Galaxy since 2023. In 2025, the Los Angeles native scored two times and added six assists in 1,155 minutes across 31 appearances in all competitions. The year prior, Cuevas tallied one goal and one assist in 18 appearances during the 2024 MLS Regular Season. In addition, he added an assist in three appearances in the Leagues Cup, and a postseason appearance during the club's storybook sixth MLS Cup run. Cuevas played two seasons for LA Galaxy II (2019-20) in the USL Championship, recording four goals and five assists in 21 matches played (21 starts) across all competitions.Â
- #6 Edwin Cerrillo, 25, enters the 2026 season on the back of a year in which he led the LA Galaxy in both games started (43) and minutes played (3,602) across all competitions. The Waco, Texas native played and started in every match that he was available during the campaign, missing just two matches to yellow card accumulation. In total, Cerrillo has registered one goal and five assists in 95 career matches played (84 starts) across all competitions with the LA Galaxy since his arrival in August 2023. Cerrillo has tallied one goal and six assists in 160 career MLS regular season matches played (124 starts).Â
- #15 Justin Haak, 24, joins the LA Galaxy after seven seasons with New York City FC for which he appeared in 111 matches (75 starts) in all competitions. In 2025, Haak appeared in all 34 matches (all starts) for NYCFC and came just 50 minutes shy of an Iron Man season in MLS play. In addition, the Brooklyn, New York native recorded one goal and four assists while also scoring his first career playoff goal in the club's loss to Miami. Haak’s professional career began with NYCFC in 2019 when he signed a Homegrown contract following four years of development within the club’s academy system.Â
- #28 Joseph Paintsil, 28, finished the 2025 campaign with 15 goals and six assists across 34 matches played (31 starts) in all competitions for the LA Galaxy. Last season, Paintsil became just the third Galaxy player all-time to score a first-half hat trick in an MLS match in the team’s 4-1 win over Sporting Kansas City on September 27. The performance earned Paintsil the MLS Player of the Matchday for Matchdays 36 and 37. He has recorded 47 goal contributions (30 goals, 17 assists) in 71 career matches played (67 starts) across all competitions for LA. Paintsil was acquired by the Galaxy from Belgian Pro League side K.R.C. Genk as a Designated Player and was signed to a four-year contract through the end of the 2027 MLS season. During the 2022-23 Belgian Pro League season, Paintsil notched 28 goal contributions (14 goals, 14 assists) in 30 league appearances (28 starts), helping Genk qualify for the 2023-24 Europa Conference League. At the international level, Paintsil has notched two assists in 15 appearances (9 starts) for Ghana. The team qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup by defeating Central African Republic and Comoros in October 2025.Â
- #11 Gabriel Pec, 25, enters the new campaign on the heels of a strong preseason in which he scored three goals in two games at the Coachella Valley Invitational earlier this month. He finished the 2025 MLS Regular Season with a team-high nine assists (tied with Marco Reus) and a team-high 15 total goal contributions (six goals), tied with Joseph Paintsil. In two full seasons with the LA Galaxy, the 2024 MLS Newcomer of the Year has recorded 32 goals and 24 assists across 81 appearances in all competitions. Prior to his arrival in LA, Pec notched 26 goals and 14 assists in 178 appearances in all competitions with Vasco da Gama (2019-23). The Petrópolis, Brazil native was initially acquired ahead of the 2024 season from Brazilian Série A side Vasco da Gama as a Young Designated Player and signed a five-year contract through the end of the 2028 campaign.
- #17 Christian Ramirez, 34, joined LA in 2025 after spending the previous two seasons with Columbus Crew, where he recorded 23 goals and 12 assists in 77 matches played (44 starts) across all competitions and helped his team win MLS Cup 2023 and Leagues Cup 2024. In eight seasons played in MLS, Ramirez has recorded 55 goals and 21 assists in 185 MLS Regular Season matches played (121 starts). At the international level, Ramirez has tallied one goal in two appearances for the U.S. Men’s National Team since scoring in his debut on Jan. 27, 2019.
- #9 Matheus Nascimento, 21, had his loan extended this offseason after initially joining LA as a U22 Initiative Player on loan from Brazilian Série A side Botafogo ahead of the 2025 campaign. Last season, Nascimento notched four goals and three assists across 22 appearances (13 starts) in MLS Regular Season play. The Brazilian youth international forwarded also added three goals and two assists in 2025 Leagues Cup competition. Notably, Nascimento is the youngest player (16 years old) in the Brazilian club’s history to debut for Botafogo. The Niterói, Brazil native notched 12 goals and 7 assists in 98 appearances (55 starts) across all competitions in six seasons played with Botafogo (2020-25). At the international level, Nascimento has made multiple appearances for Brazil at the U-16, U-17, U-18, U-20 and U-23 age groups. The forward was part of the Brazilian National Team side that won the 2023 Pan American Games gold medal after defeating Chile in penalties on Nov. 4, 2023.