Starting XI: GK Novak Mićovic, D John Nelson, D Maya Yoshida(c), D Emiro Garces, D Mauricio Cuevas, M Diego Fagundez, M Edwin Cerrillo, M Elijah Wynder, F Joseph Paintsil, F Gabriel Pec, F Matheus Nascimento
Substitutes: GK JT Marcinkowski, F Miguel Berry, F Tucker Lepley, F Christian Ramirez, D Miki Yamane, D Zanka, D Eriq Zavaleta
Lineup Notes:
- Brazilian youth international forward Matheus Nascimento, who tallied two goals in LA’s 4-0 win over Club Santos Laguna on Aug. 7, again starts up top in tonight’s match against MNUFC. The Niterói, Brazil native has notched three goals and three assists in 21 appearances (12 starts) for the Galaxy during the 2025 MLS Regular Season. Nascimento joined LA as a U22 Initiative Player on loan from Brazilian Série A side Botafogo on Feb. 19, 2025. Notably, Nascimento is the youngest player (16 years old) in club history to make their debut for Botafogo. Nascimento notched 12 goals and 7 assists in 98 appearances (55 starts) across all competitions in six seasons played with Botafogo (2020-25). At the international level, Nascimento has made multiple appearances for Brazil at the U-16, U-17, U-18, U-20 and U-23 age groups. The forward was part of the Brazilian National Team side that won the 2023 Pan American Games gold medal after defeating Chile in penalties on Nov. 4, 2023.
- 2024 MLS Newcomer of the Year Gabriel Pec, 24, who has recorded nine goals and ten assists in 38 matches played (36 starts) across all competitions for LA during the 2025 campaign, returns to start on the right wing against MNUFC. In the Galaxy’s 2-1 defeat against FC Dallas last weekend, Pec recorded one goal and one assist. Pec has totaled 57 career goal contributions (30 goals, 27 assists) in 79 appearances (74 starts) across all competitions in two seasons with the LA Galaxy (2024 - Present).
- Joseph Paintsil, 27, returns from international duty to start on the left wing against MNUFC. Paintsil scored a first-half hat trick in the Galaxy’s 4-1 win over Sporting Kansas City on September 27, marking the third time a Galaxy player has scored a first-half hat trick in an MLS match. The performance earned Paintsil the MLS Player of the Matchday for Matchdays 36 and 37 and Team of the Matchday for Matchday 36. Paintsil previously notched one goal and one assist in the last match played on Sept. 20 against FC Cincinnati on Matchday 36. He has been directly involved in 14 goal contributions (10 goals, 4 assists) in his last 12 matches at Dignity Health Sports Park. He has recorded 44 goal contributions (28 goals, 16 assists) in 67 career matches played (64 starts) across all competitions for the Galaxy (2024 - Present). Paintsil was acquired by the LA Galaxy from Belgian Pro League side K.R.C. Genk as a Designated Player and was signed to a four-year contract through the end of the 2027 MLS season. During the 2022-23 Belgian Pro League season, Paintsil notched 28 goal contributions (14 goals, 14 assists) in 30 league appearances (28 starts), helping Genk qualify for the 2023-24 Europa Conference League. At the international level, Paintsil has notched two assists in 15 appearances (9 starts) for Ghana. The team qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup by defeating Central African Republic in Meknès, Morocco on October 8 and Comoros in Accra on October 12.
- All eyes are on Midfielder Diego Fagundez, who scored his 79th career MLS goal in the match against FC Dallas on Oct. 4, and recorded his 79th MLS assist in the Galaxy’s 4-1 win over Sporting Kansas City on September 27, pushing him forward in his quest to join the 80/80 club for MLS. Fagundez enters this match against Dallas with 78 goals and 79 assists in 421 career regular season MLS matches. He is the eighth player in MLS history to record at least 75 goals and 75 assists in league play: (Landon Donovan; 145 G, 136 A), (Jaime Moreno; 133 G, 102 A), (Dwayne De Rosario; 104 G, 77 A), (Diego Valeri; 86 G, 91 A), (Preki; 79 G, 112 A), (Steve Ralston; 76 G, 135 A), (Luciano Acosta; 77 G, 98 A). In the 2025 Regular Season, Fagundez has made 27 starts of 30 games played and has notched six goals and three assists. Fagundez became the youngest player (30 years, 89 days) in MLS history to make 300 career regular season starts, surpassing Andrew Farrell's previous record (30 years, 182 days).
- Edwin Cerrillo, 25, who has tallied one assist in 39 matches played (39 starts) across all competitions during the 2025 campaign, starts again as the holding midfielder against MMUF. Cerrillo has registered one goal and five assists in 88 career matches played (77 starts) across all competitions with the LA Galaxy (2023 - Present). Cerrillo has tallied one goal and six assists in 160 career MLS regular season matches played (124 starts).
- Midfielder Elijah Wynder, 22, makes his 12th career start (21st appearance) across all competitions this season for the Galaxy in tonight's final match against Minnesota United FC. Wynder earned his second MLS career goal in last weekend’s match against FC Dallas. His first career MLS goal was scored in the win against Colorado on August 23 and he notched his first career MLS assist against Vancouver on March 2. During the 2024 USL Championship Regular Season, Wynder recorded six goals and two assists in 33 matches played (32 starts), en route to being named the 2024 USL Championship Young Player of the Year, earning USL Championship All-League Second Team honors and helping Louisville City capture the club’s first-ever USL Championship Players’ Shield.
- John Nelson, 27, tallied his third assist for the season in 30 appearances (23 starts) in the 2025 MLS Regular Season. He again starts at left back in the match against MNUFC. John has been a steady presence in the back line. In the 2024 match played against Colorado at Dignity Health Sports Park, Nelson recorded his first career MLS goal (Regular Season or Playoffs) and an assist in LA’s 5-0 win over the Colorado Rapids in the Round One Best-of-3 Series opener of the 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs on Oct. 26, 2024.
- Team Captainand defender* Maya Yoshida*, 36, again starts for the last match of the regular season. Yoshida has tallied six goals and five assists in 85 appearances (82 starts) across all competitions for the LA Galaxy in three seasons for the club (2023 – Present) since signing as a free agent on Aug. 3. His goal against the Sounders in the Club’s regular season match on Sept. 13 helped to mark the first instance that two Japanese born players on the same team scored in the same MLS match (Yamane scored the second goal to bring the game to a draw.) Yoshida made over 450 professional appearances in the top leagues of England, Germany, Italy, Japan and Netherlands since making his professional debut in 2007 with J1 League side Nagoya Grampus. The Nagasaki, Japan, native made 29 appearances (28 starts) for FC Schalke 04 during the 2022/23 Bundesliga campaign. Yoshida recorded nine goals and four assists in 194 appearances (172 starts) across all competitions for Southampton. Yoshida tallied six goals and four assists for Southampton in 154 career appearances (135 starts) in the Premier League (2012-20). Yoshida has tallied 12 goals and two assists in 126 career appearances (120 starts) for the Japanese National Team. Yoshida has played in three FIFA World Cups (2014, 2018, 2022) and captained Japan to the Round of 16 of the 2022 edition of the FIFA World Cup.
- Emiro Garces, 24, recorded an assist in the team’s last match against FC Dallas. His first career MLS and Galaxy goal came in the club's 2-2 draw against Minnesota United FC on March 22. Garces has totaled two goals and three assists in 45 career appearances (36 starts) across all competitions for the LA Galaxy (2024 - Present). Garces made 67 appearances (57 starts) across all competitions for Deportivo Pereira (2021-24), helping the club win its first-ever league title during the 2022 Liga BetPlay Dimayor I campaign. At the international level, Garces was previously called up to by the Colombian National Team for a domestic training camp back in October of 2022.
- Mauricio Cuevas, 22, has tallied three goals and six assists in 49 career appearances (13 starts) across all competitions for the LA Galaxy (2023 – Present). Cuevas earned a secondary assist in Diego Fagundez’s goal last weekend against FC Dallas, and he finished with a left-footed shot from the right side of the box into the bottom left corner off Paintsil’s assist in extra time during the Sept. 20 match against FC Cincinnati. Cuevas tallied one goal and one assist in 18 appearances (1 start) during the 2024 MLS Regular Season. In 22 appearances (2 starts) across all competitions during the 2024 campaign, Cuevas notched one goal and two assists. The Los Angeles, Calif., native played two seasons for LA Galaxy II (2019-20) in the USL Championship, recording four goals and five assists in 21 matches played (21 starts) across all competitions.
- Serbian goalkeeper Novak Mićović, 23, makes his 27th start across all competitions during the 2025 campaign in tonight’s match against Minnesota. Mićović, who holds a 1.94 goals-against average this season, recorded his third shutout of the season in LA’s 4-0 win over Santos Laguna to advance to the Quarterfinal round of Leagues Cup 2025 on Aug. 7. In his match against the Seattle Sounders, Mićović made seven saves.
