The Last 'John' Standing for LA Galaxy This Season

The Los Angeles Galaxy's roster has seen several changes. Not one position has been safe from trades, loans and other deals.

Two years ago, the LA Galaxy missed the playoffs, something they never did in the first 10 MLS seasons. General manager Will Kunz became aggressive with improvements to the personnel that his head coach, Greg Vanney, needed to keep the team competitive.

One of the first swaps was at the goalkeeper position. Kuntz brought in veteran goalkeeper John McCarthy. The writing was on the wall for Jonathan Bond to continue his playing career elsewhere after the LA Galaxy only won eight games in 2023.

With the 2022 MLS Cup Finals MVP now on the Galaxy's depth chart, two more players with the name John or Jon remained on the team. Jonathan Perez and John Nelson. Only one took the field on Saturday in the 3-0 victory over the Colorado Rapids.

Where did Jonathan Perez go?

The Los Angeles Galaxy's team site reported the news that "the club has acquired $1,500,000 from Nashville SC in exchange for midfielder Jonathan Pérez. LA will receive up to an additional $300,000 if certain performance-based incentives are achieved by Pérez. Additionally, the Galaxy will retain a sell-on percentage of the transfer fee if Pérez is sold to another club."

It marked the second time that a deal was struck with Nashville SC in nine months. Weeks after winning the 2024 MLS Cup Finals, the LA Galaxy traded midfielder Gaston Brugman to the MLS Eastern Conference team. Brugman was also named the MVP from the championship game last year.

Perez was not the the only Galaxy player that shared a first name with teammates to be traded before the transfer window closed.

The LA Galaxy ship off another MLS Cup Finals MVP.

John McCarthy took back over the starting duties in goal for the Los Angels Galaxy after their 0-0-3 start with Novak Micovic failed to get the defending champions off to a good start. Micovic allowed seven goals in his first three starts, but only had one goal of support (Gabriel Pec) in those games.

The LA Galaxy's team site also reported the terms of the trade involving McCarthy. The six-time MLS Cup winners stated that "the club has acquired the New York Red Bulls’ natural Third-Round pick in the 2026 MLS SuperDraft in exchange for goalkeeper John McCarthy. Additionally, the Galaxy can acquire up to $150,000 in conditional General Allocation Money (GAM). The transaction was completed prior to the close of MLS’ Secondary Transfer Window."

McCarthy now plays for the team that he defeated in the 2024 MLS Cup Finals last December. That leaves just one last 'John' remaining.

John Nelson is still a member of the LA Galaxy.

Yes, the defender who scored his first-ever MLS Goal in last year's opening round othe playoffs against the Colorado Rapids remains on the Galaxy roster.

The 27-year-old is a free agent after this season. However, he has shown that he is a viable option on the backline for Vanney in his 4-2-3-1 formation. Nelson has appeared in 24 MLS regular season games (17 starts) this year.

With Bond, Perez and McCarthy gone, Nelson stands alone, sharing his first name with no other teammate, for now. The LA Galaxy's next game is Wednesday at home against the Seattle Sounder in the semifinals of the 2025 Leagues Cup.

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