LA Galaxy Are Becoming Road Warriors and Columbus Has No Defense Against It

The Los Angeles Galaxy are about to do something they couldn't do all of last season: rack up serious road points. A win at the Columbus Crew on Wednesday night would give LA eight points away from home, surpassing their entire 2025 road point total in one early season push. That's not just improvement. That's a fundamental shift.

Last year? The Galaxy were brutal on the road. Zero wins, ten losses, seven draws. A complete disaster. But this season is different. They're 1-1-2 in away matches after rallying from two goals down for a 2-2 tie at FC Dallas on Saturday. They've already got a win at Austin and a draw at Portland under their belt.

Joseph Paintsil Is Back and Changing Everything

The timing couldn't be better. Joseph Paintsil returned from a hamstring injury that sidelined him since March 7, and he immediately made an impact against Dallas. He scored the tying goal and dished out an assist in that comeback. Coach Greg Vanney didn't mince words: "You see that Joe makes a huge difference. The chances that Joe gets with his quality and velocity, speed, things like that, it changes the group."

With Paintsil healthy, the Galaxy have legitimate firepower on the road. Defender John Nelson summed up the mentality perfectly: "I think maybe even last year we would have maybe put our heads down and just kind of gave up, unfortunately. But I think this year, the Austin win and now this going into Columbus, it's everything."

Columbus Is Falling Apart at Home

The Crew look vulnerable. They're sitting at 1-4-3 with just six points on the season, and their home record is especially concerning at 0-1-2. Under first-year coach Henrik Rydstrom, they've won just once in their past five matches overall.

Things got worse when leading scorer Wessam Abou Ali suffered a torn ACL and meniscus damage to his right knee on April 12 against Orlando City. Finding offensive rhythm without him in a second straight match will be a massive challenge.

Vanney knows LA faces a brutal stretch ahead with four of their next six matches on the road, but the Galaxy are building the road warrior mentality they desperately lacked a year ago. Wednesday at Columbus is another chance to prove this team has turned a corner.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.