Riqui Puig undergoes ACL surgery, expected to return for 2027 season start in MLS

By Canadian Press on January 3, 2026.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder Riqui Puig has undergone anterior cruciate ligament reconstructive surgery on his left knee.

The team said Saturday that Puig is expected to make a full recovery and be ready to rejoin the Major League Soccer team for the start of next season in July 2027. The surgery was done in Barcelona, Spain, and it occurred just over a year after a similar procedure in late 2024, which caused him to miss the entire 2025 season.

Puig originally got hurt in the 2024 Western Conference Final in Carson, California, where he had the game-winning assist in a 1-0 victory over the Seattle Sounders. The Galaxy went on to win its sixth MLS Cup title without him playing.

Puig, who is from Spain, had 17 goals and 20 assists in 36 matches for the Galaxy in 2024.

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The Associated Press