LOS ANGELES (August 1, 2026) – The LA Galaxy announced today that the club has signed 16-year-old midfielder Vicente “Vinny” Garcia and 17-year-old midfielder Brett Phan to Short-Term Agreements from MLS NEXT Pro affiliate Ventura County FC (VCFC) ahead of the club’s MLS Regular Season match against FC Dallas. Phan receives his second short-term call-up of the season with the LA Galaxy, while Garcia earns his first.
Garcia, 16, became the fifth youngest player to sign a professional contract in MLS history (14 years, 198 days) when he signed with the Galaxy as a Homegrown player in January 2025. Two months later, the West Covina, California native became the fifth youngest player in MLS NEXT Pro history (14 years, 255 days) in his Ventura County FC debut against Tacoma Defiance on March 7, 2025. Garcia has recorded three goals and four assists in 15 appearances so far this season for VCFC. He scored his first professional goal and added an assist in the club’s 3-3 (10-9 pens) draw against Portland Timbers 2 on May 10 and went on to record a goal and an assist in back-to-back games. Most recently, Garcia scored in the club’s 3-1 win over Real Monarchs on June 27.
At the international level, Garcia has made appearances for both the U.S. Men's Youth National Team and the Mexico Youth National Team at the U-15 level. Most recently, he was named to the final roster for the U.S. Soccer U-17 Youth Men’s National Team for the program’s international training camp in Brazil this past June. Notably, Garcia helped the LA Galaxy Academy reach the 2024 U-15 MLS NEXT Cup Championship at the age of 13. He will officially join LA on an MLS contract beginning in 2027 at the conclusion of his current MLS NEXT Pro contract.
Phan, 17, joined the LA Galaxy Academy at the age of 9 in 2018 and has since risen through the club’s professional development pathway, becoming a two-time MLS NEXT Cup champion. He has appeared in 10 matches for Ventura County FC this season and recorded his first professional assist against Portland Timbers 2 on May 10, setting up Garcia for his previously mentioned first pro goal. Notably, Phan received a call-up to the U.S. U-16 Youth Men’s National Team camp in 2023.
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 midfielders Vicente Garcia and Brett Phan to Short-Term Agreements from MLS NEXT Pro affiliate Ventura County FC on August 1, 2026.