CARSON, Calif. — The LA Galaxy announced the signing of 29-year-old defensive midfielder Gaston Brugman to the club on Wednesday. The Galaxy acquired Brugman via a transfer from Italian Serie B side Parma. Details and fees for the transfer were not released by the club.
He will be signed to a 3 1/2 year contract that will run through 2025 with a club option for the 2026 season. Brugman was signed using Targeted Allocation Money although the exact amount is unknown. This puts his salary between $612,501 and $1,612,500.
The Uruguayan spent the previous season with Spain’s La Liga 2 side Real Oviedo where he played in 34 games across all competitions, scored three goals, and added six assists while amassing 2,589 minutes. And was rated as one of the better players on the squad for the season.
Overall he’s tallied 26 goals, and 31 assists in 303 games across all levels of professional soccer with 90 games played in Serie A.
Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney spoke about Brugman as a player they had been targeting since last year.
“We spent time working on this player as a player we tried to get in [to the team] a year ago,” Vanney explained. “And there were certain dynamics that it didn’t work. So we’ve spent a lot of time watching the player and how he plays. We’ve spent a lot of time in communication with the player. This is not something that happened overnight.
“I think the characteristics of the player in every way fit into our group and the way he plays the game and the way he views the game and his awareness of things. He’s keenly aware of the league. He has friends who play in the league. So he’s been able to track us and our style of play really suits him.”
Brugman will be expected to fill a role that pushes current midfielders Rayan Raveloson (who scored twice during Monday’s emphatic 4-0 win over Montreal) and Mark Delgado further up the field. Meaning, that Brugman will be part of an inverted triangle in the midfield. Vanney expects this move to generate more offense from Delgado and Raveloson in hopes of boosting the Galaxy’s somewhat anemic offensive output (they sit 13th in the league in goals scored).
But Brugman is also expected to add some bite in a midfield that can sometimes lack a true defensive stopper. He’ll join a Galaxy defense that is tied for 3rd best in the league.
“We have been tracking Gastón for the past few years and he fits a specific need in our midfield and how we play,” said LA Galaxy Technical Director Jovan Kirovski. “This is a significant addition to our team as we continue to move forward.”
The Galaxy are not considered to be done with this transfer window, however. With Vanney expressing interest in adding one more player. Apparently with some talks already taking place.
“We’re trying to sign two,” he said. “But right now we have one that’s essentially there. Right? And so the second one is still a work in progress. We’re speaking to a couple of people that might end up being the second.”
The Galaxy traded $200,000 in General Allocation Money to acquire an additional International Slot from Charlotte just prior to the announcement of Brugman.
He will be added to the roster pending the receipt of his P-1 Visa and his International Transfer Certificate.
