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The LA Galaxy are finalizing a deal to sign free agent center back Justin Haak, sources briefed on the deal tell The Athletic.
Haak departs NYCFC, where he signed as a homegrown player in 2019, as one of the marquee free agents remaining on the market. Haak, 24, delivered a breakout 2025 season, starting all 34 games for NYCFC in helping the club reach the Eastern Conference final. He came up in NYCFC’s system as a midfielder but excelled as a ball-playing center back. He can play either position, adding to options for Greg Vanney’s Galaxy, who are in the midst of a defensive overhaul.
They’ve already added former MLS Defender of the Year and 2025 MLS Best XI center back Jakob Glesnes in a trade with the Philadelphia Union.
The move for Haak only adds to the Galaxy’s offseason resurgence. A year after winning MLS Cup in 2024, they were among MLS’s worst clubs in 2025 (30 points in 34 matches; 14th in the Western Conference), playing the entirety of the season without Riqui Puig, who tore his ACL in the 2024 MLS Western Conference final. With their new reinforcements in tow and Puig due back at full fitness, it’s quite possible that they’ll once again be among the contenders in the Western Conference.