Occupying eighth place in the Western Conference after 34 matches played, LA Galaxy was not even able to qualify into the Playoffs on the MLS 2021 season. Then, it is natural that the strategy is nurturing Greg Vaney's roster to have a better performance. The last arrival to the white-shirted squad is goalkeeper Richard Sanchez.
Sanchez arrived at Galaxy as a free agent and signed a one-year contract with an option to extend it for 2023. The Mexican American player is not the first zero-cost incorporation LA has made in the current Transfer Window. It seems that this may be an interesting strategy to strengthen its roster without harming its financial health.
Richard Sanchez will have to compete against both Jonathans, Bond, and Klinsmann for a spot in the starting lineup of Greg Vanney. The California native was raised at the FC Dallas Academy and was signed by that team in 2011, however, he made his debut and most of his MLS appearances with Chicago Fire. He moved to Sporting Kansas City in 2020 but after just 4 games played in the season, he left the team and joined USL League One North Texas SC.
LA Galaxy zero cost signings so far in the 2022 Transfer Window
On the current Transfer Window, LA Galaxy has said goodbye to several players such as midfielders Sebastian Lletget, Jonathan dos Santos, and Victor Vazquez; also, defenders Giancarlo Gonzalez and Danilo Acosta, and goalkeeper Justin vom Steeg. However, Chicharito's club has aimed to fill these empty places with interesting players, in addition to Richard Sanchez, arriving without spending any money.
Raheem Edwards. The Canadian left winger left his former team but not its city: from the LAFC arrived in LA Galaxy. He made 27 appearances with the black-shirted squad in the past season. So far he has played 93 MLS games, scored 5 goals, and given 13 assists.
Kelvin Leerdam. Inter Miami was the former team of the Surinamese defender. Leerdam is a product of Feyenoord's Academy, from where he moved to Vitesse, Seattle, and Miami. At the MLS, he has played 120 games, most of them during the 4 seasons he has spent with the Sounders.
Draft arrivals. The MLS Cup top winner has welcomed three talents to its roster directly from the winter draft. The U-18 central midfielder Callum Johnson, the 21-year-old defender Chandler Vaughn, and the Zimbabwean right-winger Farai Mutatu.
