LOS ANGELES (March 11, 2026) – The LA Galaxy today announced that the club has signed forward and former academy product Julian Placias to a Short-Term Agreement from MLS NEXT Pro affiliate Ventura County FC (VCFC) ahead of its 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16 first leg fixture against Jamaican Premier League side Mount Pleasant FA (6:30 p.m. PT, FS2/TUDN) at Dignity Health Sports Park tonight, Wednesday, March 11.
Placias, 19, joined the Galaxy Academy in 2021 and competed with the program through the end of the 2023-24 season. He was a key member of the 2023 U-17 MLS NEXT Cup Championship team, scoring two goals in the final against Real Colorado in a 4-0 win to lift the trophy. Throughout the cup, Placias tallied a tournament-high six goals and was named the MLS NEXT Cup Top Scorer. Two months later with Ventura County FC, Placias notched his first professional goal in a 4-0 victory over Houston Dynamo 2. Over the next two seasons, Placias spent time with both USL Championship side North Carolina FC and in Belgium with K.V.C. Westerlo. The Rancho Santa Margarita, California native returned to VCFC in 2026 and has had an instant impact, scoring in both of the MLS NEXT Pro side’s first two matches so far.
Per MLS rules, a club may sign a player, age 25 or younger, during the league season from its MLS NEXT Pro affiliate to a maximum of four Short-Term Agreements (up to four-day contracts) each season (maximum of 16 days). An individual player may be included on up to four MLS league season match rosters each season; however, that player may appear in no more than two MLS league season matches. An individual player may also appear in any number of non-league games during the terms of his four Short-Term Agreements.
Transaction: LA Galaxy sign forward Julian Placias to a Short-Term Agreement from MLS NEXT Pro affiliate Ventura County FC on March 11, 2026.
Julian Placias
Position: Forward
Height: 6’2
Weight: 170
Date of Birth: April 6, 2006 (19)
Birthplace: Rancho Santa Margarita, CA, USA
Citizenship: USA
