How would signing Luis Suarez impact the LA Galaxy: A deep dive into a possible transfer

The LA Galaxy may have their next big-name signing lined up. Catalan journalist Roger Saperas of Esports RAC1 in Barcelona reports that ex-Barcelona and Uruguay striker Luis Suárez will join the LA Galaxy after the 2022 World Cup. Suárez currently plays for Club Nacional de Football in the Uruguayan top flight. 

The 35-year-old has four goals in eight games for Nacional since joining the club this summer, most recently at Atlético Madrid, but was rumored to be MLS-bound before making the move to his home country. 

LA has added two fellow Uruguayans, Gaston Brugman and Martín Cáceres, in the lastest summer and both have helped the club climb into fourth place in the Western Conference.

Suárez's current contract with Nacional expires at the end of December, right after the World Cup. To get playing time and in shape for the World Cup is why he returned to Uruguay.

But how might the Galaxy make room for Suárez? And how would that move affect the current tactical setup for LA?

Let's dive into what this possible transfer will do to shake up SoCal (and, to a degree, the entire league).

Gotta keep 'em designated? 

A player with the pedigree and caliber of Suárez would be joining Major League Soccer on a designated player (DP) contract.

As of this writing, the Galaxy’s DP slots are occupied by Douglas Costa, Kevin Cabral, and Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez. Chicharito confirmed last week that his club option to stay on in 2023 was triggered due to performance metrics he has completed during the 2022 MLS season. Costa's contract runs until the end of the 2023 MLS season and Kevin Cabral signed a five-year deal with the Blue, White and Gold in 2021.

Selling or loaning one of these players would be the easiest way for the Galaxy to free up a DP spot and bring Suárez to the Galaxy. The club also has the option to buy out a player’s contract during the offseason to free up the roster spot.

Costa is about to wrap up his first season with the Galaxy, tallying four goals and one assist. He’s yet to score from open play and has been inconsistent throughout the campaign. The Galaxy did not make a lengthy commitment to the Brazilian, with the ’23 season being the second and last year on his contract. With that one year left, the option to buy out Costa’s contract would cost around $3 million, as that was his 2022 salary, according to the MLS Players Association.

Cabral was an investment the Galaxy made and is yet to see the production in front of goal expected for a designated player. With just one goal and three assists during his second season, his future might be in question given his lack of production. He is in year two of his five-year guaranteed contract, and according to MLSPA, his 2022 salary was a hefty $1.65 million. Finding a way to loan him is most likely the way LA could free up his DP roster spot if they struggle to locate a buyer. 

It’s also important to consider that Cabral is a young designated player. This allows the Galaxy to have three U-22 roster spots. Dejan Joveljić, Efrain Alvarez, and Julian Araujo currently occupy those roster spots. However, there is a strong possibility that Alvarez and Araujo leave the club during the winter transfer window, with reported interest outside of MLS.

Chicharito has scored 17 goals for the second consecutive season and is a proven goal scorer in Major League Soccer. As one of the faces of the league and his goalscoring form under Greg Vanney, the Galaxy would have to think hard about selling him. His salary is $6 million, according to the MLS Players Association.

To make room for Suárez, the Galaxy will have to find a way to free at least one DP spot and change their core of franchise players once again.

How to fit him in?

Suárez will need to be on the pitch. You don’t bring a player of his caliber to sit on the bench to start a game, especially if he’s a DP. Chicharito has been the starting no. 9 for the past three years and has produced at an elite level in his last two seasons. Galaxy coach Greg Vanney will likely have to tinker with formations and tactics to make this work.

Vanney has committed to a system with wingers to bring pace and width when the Galaxy are in possession. It’s worked in getting the best of the players on the pitch and using the strengths of the current roster to make the team play at its best.

The Galaxy have played in a two-striker system during some matches in the current season but have not played their best soccer in that set up. With Suárez, building around having two no. 9s is what Vanney will be forced to do.

A 5-3-2 is a formation that conceivably takes advantage of the LA Galaxy’s strengths while preserving a dual-striker approach

With no true wingers on the team, the fullbacks have to be pushed forward. That's not an issue given Raheem Edwards and Julian Araujo are huge contributors to the Galaxy’s attack already. Having a three-center back defense also helps the fullbacks not worry so much about getting caught higher up the pitch on counter-attacks Sega Coulibaly is best at progressing the ball with his feet and one of the most accurate passers in the league. He can push up higher on the pitch to add an extra number in the midfield.

The trio of Riqui Puig, Mark Delgado, and Gaston Brugman is one of the best in MLS and functions well together during games. The 5-3-2 allows for the group to stay on the pitch and keep the same tactical instructions that have worked. Vanney wants his team to control the midfield and a three-midfielder setup does that. Delgado and Brugman can be a shield in front of the back three and keep the ball moving when the Galaxy are in possession.

Puig stays as the team’s primary playmaker and now will be looking to feed both Suárez and Chicharito. With no wingers on the field, however, the wide outlets that Puig has been able to hit when he switches play will not be there. The fullbacks will be the main way the Galaxy creates width and speed to stretch out their opponents — a risky move that could regress how the Galaxy play. The current 4-3-3 system gets Puig to be a creator and have the space in the midfield to have quick one-two passes while also a reliable way to get the ball out wide and forward.

Chicharito and Suárez will have to figure out how to co-exist with one another. Chicharito tends to come inside to drag a defender out of position as well to help the build-up play. He’s able to play excellent through balls and his hold-up play is good at buying time to get the Galaxy attackers into position. With Suárez on the field, it won’t be surprising to see Chicharito do this often.

Getting chemistry going between the two starting strikers is key to making them work well and produce on the pitch. Both have to be conscious of their positioning to make sure they don’t occupy the same space while also being able to move the opponent's center backs to create spaces for teammates to run into.

The Galaxy is playing their best soccer in 4-3-3 to finish the season with a single striker upfront. Adding Suárez to the roster will force Vanney into finding a system to play with, when improved wing play in the current formation would really serve the Galaxy best. 

There's another striker to consider

If Suárez does indeed join the LA Galaxy and split duties with Chicharito, we’ll have to wait for the self-proclaimed “future of LA Galaxy” to get his shot at being the starting no. 9 for the Blue, White and Gold. 

Joveljić was brought to the LA Galaxy as a player for the future and the likely successor to Chicharito. He was signed as a U-22 initiative player in the middle of the 2021 season, to a four-and-a-half-year contract keeping him in Carson through 2025.

Joveljić has made 31 appearances this season with just seven starts. He’s tallied 10 goals and three assists in 978 minutes. The Serbian has shown his sublime finishing ability and scored game-winning goals to become a fan favorite at Dignity Health Sports Park. The crowd’s energy gets reignited when the 23-year-old gets subbed on the field.

If the Galaxy brings Suárez in, how does that affect Joveljić? He’s shown he can score in this league, Vanney has committed to a one-striker system ... so what would be his future at the club?

In the four games that Chicharito and Joveljić have started together, the Galaxy are 1-2-1. LA has played their best soccer with dual wingers and a sole striker. It’s not that Vanney hasn’t tried to play two forwards to involve Joveljić more, but this roster was set up to use wingers. As a sub, the Serbian scored eight goals in eight games. You could argue Vanney has tried to get him on the field as much as he could but it didn't correlate to wins for LA.

If the Galaxy brings Suárez under the DP tag, it’ll be what makes Vanney set up a two-striker system for 2023, even though striker obviously isn’t an area of need.

Joveljić is a 23-year-old striker who was recently playing in Europe and scoring goals in the Austrian Bundesliga. Coming to MLS was an interesting change to his career path, but being a player for the future and learning under Chicharito was attractive enough for him to take it. If Suárez comes in, it likely means Joveljić will be on the bench until both are no longer with the club. The two are elite strikers, with Suárez being one of the world’s best at a point in his career, but every player wants to be on the pitch and have a shot of being an impact player. It’s been a year-and-a-half that Joveljić has been in this substitute role.

Earlier in the season, Joveljić was vocal about wanting to play more and see the field longer than five minutes. If there are offers for Serbian to be a starter at other clubs, it may tempt him out of the City of Angels — even though he might be able to learn some things from Suárez. But with both veterans showing no signs of decline, Joveljić would possibly need to look elsewhere for a place to be "the guy."