A Year in Review: Defenders' Edition 2.1

What changes within a team from year to year is truly remarkable. The Los Angeles Galaxy went from the second worst team in Major League Soccer's Western Conference in 2023 to the second best team in terms of regular season standings.

That epic turnaround paved the way for head coach Greg Vanney and general manager Will Kuntz to help forge a roster with results netting them the franchise's sixth MLS Cup title. A record tenth Finals appearance set up the stage for the LA Galaxy to shine.

While most of the season, the Galaxy's offense received much of the notoriety and praise, their defense was often disregarded. Aging superstars including their captain Maya Yoshida made the team's defenders questionable due to multiple players being older than 30 or even 35.

As the stars would align, the LA Galaxy would rise to the occasion and regain their status as the league's best team. It only took the six-time MLS Champs to reclaim their throne after a ten-year hiatus.

Now, let's review a few members of the Los Angeles Galaxy's defense. We shall review how the elder statesmen of the roster did.

1. Maya Yoshida, Defender

The 6'2'' player in the backfield for the Los Angeles Galaxy made another strong impact in for the team in 2024. In his first season with the Galaxy, Yoshida scored once and had three assists.

This past season, the Japan native scored two goals and added another assist to his stat sheet. Both scores came in front of the home crowd in Carson, California.

Yoshida found the back of the net for his second career goal with the LA Galaxy against St. Louis City SC. The game ended in a 3-3 draw. His other score came in a 4-3 win against the San Jose Earthquakes.

The captain's passing for a second year in a row was superb. Yoshida finished back-to-back seasons for the LA Galaxy with better than a 90% passing percentage.

After only playing in 12 games for the Galaxy in 2023, Yoshida did not miss a single contest in the regular season. He started all 34 games for the Los Angeles on the back line.

Yoshida still showed he can hang with the young guns. In 2024, he logged over 3,000 minutes of playing time. That's nearly three times as much than the season before.

2. Miki Yamane, Defender

Despite being a few inches shorter, fellow-native of Japan is about six years younger. Yamane made a splash in his first season with the Los Angeles Galaxy.

This particular defender for the Galaxy was able to contribute to the team's offense without having to score. During the 2024 MLS regular season, Yamane tallied five assists.

There was a stretch of three consecutive games where the now 30-year-old defender earned an assist. The LA Galaxy went 2-1 in that span.

He played and started in all but one of 34 games for the Los Angeles Galaxy this past season. Yamane was 75 minutes shy of breaking the 3,000 mark.

Just like Yoshida, Yamane also had a passing percentage higher than 90% during the regular season. The addition of Yamane proved to be yet another viable signing for the LA Galaxy by Kuntz.

3. Martín Cáceres

The oldest member of the Los Angeles Galaxy last year is not expected back for the team's title defense in 2025.

He, too, has been a member of the team since 2022. While Cáceres did not score in 2024, he found the back of the net twice in the season before.

The veteran defender out of Uruguay was on one the few players for the Galaxy to be issued a red card last season, too.

The Los Angeles Galaxy is the only MLS team for Caceres. He previously played for clubs like Villareal, Juventas, Sevilla and a few others.

Caceres began his professional soccer career with Defensor. He scored just as many goals during his tenure with the team (4) as he has with the Uruguay Nationa Team.

The former Fiorentina player could return to play for Vanney, again. While his days as a full-time starter may be over, he could provide quality minutes for Yamane and Yoshida going into the Galaxy's 30th MLS season.

Overall Grades

Yoshida and Yamane were stellar for the Los Angeles Galaxy. Given their age, they were not a hinderance or liability playing alongside youngsters like Aude, Nelson and Neal.

Both Yamane and Yoshida get an A- on their performance in 2024. Afterall, the pair of veteran defenders were regular starters for the newly crowned MLS Cup champions were major contributors in the team's success.

Caceres gets a B- since he did not play in as many games. His presence in the locker room was felt and he has left a lasting impression on the LA Galaxy.