The Los Angeles Galaxy have strengthened their defensive unit by acquiring Maya Yoshida on a free transfer from Schalke 04 of the 2. Bundesliga. Yoshida had previously played for Schalke 04.
As a result of an injury that will keep center back Martin Caceres out for the remainder of the season and the late-June release of Sega Coulibaly, the Galaxy needed to bring in reinforcements to their defense, and they have done so by bringing in Yoshida, a player who represents Japan internationally in soccer.
The 34-year-old player brings a wealth of experience playing in Europe to the struggling Galaxy. Prior to joining Schalke in the Bundesliga, he competed for Sampdoria in the Italian Serie A, Southampton in the English Premier League, VVV-Venlo in the Dutch Eredivisie, and most recently for Schalke in the German Bundesliga.
Yoshida played for the Saints for over two decades and also represented Japan in the FIFA World Cup in 2014, 2018, and 2022. In total, he played 126 times for Japan and scored 12 goals during his time with the national team. Yoshida made nearly 200 appearances with the Saints. Yoshida has agreed to sign a contract with Los Angeles that will go through the 2024 season.
Greg Vanney, the sports director and head coach of the Los Angeles Galaxy, expressed his excitement over the addition of Maya to the team. Maya is a top-tier center back who contributes to our club with her great expertise as well as her leadership qualities. Moving forward, we are excited about the prospect of incorporating him into our group.
Due to Los Angeles FC’s infractions of Major League Soccer roster and salary budget standards, Yoshida signed with the club after the league’s secondary transfer window (which ran from July 5 to August 2) had closed. After the transfer window had ended, the Galaxy could only sign players from other countries, which meant that they could only sign free agents after the window had closed.
When league play resumes on August 20, the Galaxy will face Real Salt Lake at home at Dignity Health Sports Park. Yoshida may be in line to make his debut with the Los Angeles club at that time. The Galaxy are currently in 13th position in the Western Conference with 22 points after playing in 22 games.