LA Galaxy's Gaston Brugman sidelined with knee injury
- Galaxy's injury problems get worse
- Brugman is a key midfielder for the Gs
- Not the first injury setback LA has encountered in 2023
LA Galaxy midfielder Gaston Brugman will be out of action for the foreseeable future after suffering a knee injury in the 1-0 loss to Club Leon in the Leagues Cup.
Just when things were starting to look a little better for the Galaxy, another setback hits them hard. Head coach and sporting director Greg Vanney won't know how long he'll be without the midfielder until the 30-year-old undergoes a medical procedure next week to repair a torn meniscus.
"Unfortunately, we lose an important player in a situation that isn't much of a situation," Vanney said.
"It's a bit of how things are going, so we feel for him and hopefully when they get in there the news will be that it's not a big tear. Hopefully it's just a smaller one they can clean up and we move on."
This isn't the first injury setback LA has faced in 2023, as they already have forward Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez out for the rest of the season with a torn ACL and defender Martin Caceres dealing with a knee injury.
Injuries have certainly played a part in how LA's season has unfolded.
Vanney added: "It's one of these scenarios where for sure in the short-term it's just the next guy has to step in and fulfill the responsibilities of the position, but in the way that that player plays the position. He doesn't need to be Gaston, he doesn't need to do anything other than just be himself and trust the system and trust what we're doing."
In the meantime, Vanney has Efrain Alvarez, Marco Delgado, and Riqui Puig to rely on in the midfield for the Galaxy.
The team currently sits in last place of Leagues Cup's Group C, needing a win against the Vancouver Whitecaps to secure a place in the next round. While in MLS, the Western Conference giants slipped to 13th place before the regular season paused for the multi-league tournament.
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