Will Kuntz knew he had to get this right.
In MLS, the success of Designated Players often determines the success of a team. And so the LA Galaxy general manager set out last winter to fill two open DP slots, knowing the investments would dictate the club’s trajectory for 2024 and beyond.
Kuntz has evaluated talent for years. Before joining the Galaxy, he worked across town at LAFC. Before that, he was in the MLS office and was the director of pro scouting for the New York Yankees. He can see a player’s strengths on tape and interpret the numbers to know if they match the eye test.
What’s harder is evaluating fit. Will a player vibe well with the players currently in the locker room? Will he accept a slightly different role than the one he plays with his current team? Is he a good guy who will be easy to get along with, or will there be off-field issues that create problems?
“It’s definitely something that is more art than science,” Kuntz told MLSsoccer.com. “The biggest thing you can do is try and find out as much as you can about not just who the player is but what makes them tick.”
"They all wanted to win"
Kuntz began to zero in on Joseph Paintsil, a Ghanaian international winger based in Belgium, and Gabriel Pec, a Brazil U-23 player who had only played for Vasco da Gama. He liked that both had room to grow and were younger than past Galaxy DPs. All signs pointed to them complementing Riqui Puig, the Galaxy’s remaining DP who brings elite passing and dribbling to the No. 10 role.
As deals got over the line (combining for reportedly over $20 million) and the 2024 season unfolded, the fit proved better than Kuntz could’ve hoped.
The trio came from three different continents, yet were unified by the Galaxy’s goal of winning a record sixth MLS Cup. They simply understood each other, pushing LA on an Audi MLS Cup Playoffs run and to Sunday’s Western Conference Semifinal vs. Minnesota United FC (6 pm ET | MLS Season Pass).
Puig, Pec and Paintsil all scored at least 10 goals and had 10 assists this season, joining the 1998 Galaxy trio of Cobi Jones, Mauricio Cienfuegos and Welton as the only three teammates to be in the double-double club at the end of the year. Pec and Paintsil are the first teammates to do it in their debut campaigns.
It all points to a competitive drive that bonds the young players despite their varied backgrounds and interests.
“You don’t ever really know how people are going to fit together, but what we knew is they all wanted to win,” Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney said.
Puig, Pec and Paintsil are different people from different places. They have different hobbies, preferences and even ways of seeing the game. However, they are united by a strong desire. They want to compete. They want to win. And they want to end the Galaxy’s decade-long MLS Cup drought this season.
Less than one year in, it’s clear Kuntz got his DP signings right.
Instant chemistry
The "Killa P’s" like each other just fine off the field. Love each other, even. But they’re not kicking it together on Venice Beach, heading shopping on Rodeo Drive together, or spending every moment off the field getting to know each other better.
Now and then, Puig has the team over to his place for a barbecue. Uruguayan veteran Gastón Brugman brings the meat, Puig appoints himself the chef, and “we all help,” Puig says. “It’s all about getting the group together and hanging out off the field because then, on the field, you see those connections.”
The connections were clear early this year, perhaps even as early as a season-opening draw with Inter Miami CF that Paintsil started and Pec entered as a substitute.
Paintsil wasn't sure exactly what to expect when he arrived for preseason but immediately realized he, Pec and Puig were forming a connection that would blossom into a group worthy of the Killa P's nickname.
“We saw the chemistry, the love, the work coming, and everything was perfect,” Paintsil, 26, said. “We really felt at home. Having Riqui by our side was also great for us because we knew Riqui and what he does. On the pitch, we’re the same. We love each other and work for each other no matter what.”
While he was at the African Cup of Nations, Paintsil learned of the Galaxy’s interest and remembers the calls with Kuntz when the GM was trying to learn more about his personality and how he’d fit at a club playing a similar style as KAA Genk, his team at the time.
“When they came for me, they asked questions about philosophy," Paintsil said. "How Genk was playing was the same as [Vanney] is also playing; he likes having people run behind defenders. Adapting to the system was much easier because of the trust and confidence the coach gave me.”
After learning more about the club, Paintsil said he and his twin sister both felt at peace that he was supposed to sign with LA. A singer in his spare time, Paintsil's enjoying life in Los Angeles and said the club has helped him adapt in his first year in the U.S.
Pec also values his family connections and is guided by his faith. The 23-year-old hesitates when asked what defines him beyond his passion for God and his devotion to his wife; such is the depth of the importance of those two loves.
“I’m a very simple guy. I’m always happy and love to bring joy wherever I am. I love my family and friends and being surrounded by them,” Pec said through a translator. “My wife always tells me I haven’t lost that little boy inside me. Playing soccer on the streets like we do in Brazil, playing hide and seek, flying kites, those are things that tell you a lot about me. I love the fact that I’m still that same boy.”
But rather than marvel in childlike wonder after joining the Galaxy, Pec quickly adapted to MLS and ended up as the Newcomer of the Year. His strong relationship with the members of the trident and forward Dejan Joveljić led to a 16-goal, 14-assist season.
“Riqui and I are so connected that when we’re on the field and he looks at me, I know exactly what to do, where to send the ball,” Pec said. “With Joseph, too, he’s a great player. I’m so happy we’ve been working well together. I’m trying to assist each one of them as much as possible, and together we want to get this title, which brings me a lot of joy.”
Joy wasn’t abundant in 2023 when the Galaxy won just eight matches and finished 13th in the Western Conference. Puig suffered through that season and said his new teammates’ hunger to win has reinvigorated him.
Though just 25 years old, Puig is the known quantity of the group. He arrived in LA from FC Barcelona in August 2022.
The Spain native said while the desire to succeed was obvious in last season’s DPs Javier “Chicharito” Hernández and Douglas Costa, linking with two players who are on the rise rather than players who already had spent time on the top has made a difference on and off the field in 2024.
“I think age really helps. Last year, the DPs were older. That doesn’t mean they don’t have hunger or competitiveness. Actually, Chicha and Douglas were players with tremendous ambition. But injuries and the club’s situation didn’t help,” Puig said. “This year, with Gabriel and Paintsil being young guys who want to make a name in this club, in the city, this new league, for them, motivates them a lot.”
"In a sweet moment"
The biggest motivation for the Killa P’s is winning the Galaxy’s first MLS Cup since 2014, but Vanney had to get the players to buy into the goal and understand the club’s history and expectations.
The Galaxy coach tries to evaluate three parts of each person he works with: The competitor, the human and the player.
“For each of those guys, I try to find the connection within those three parts of the individual. As I do that, I try to assess how our pieces are going to fit together,” Vanney said.
“It takes a little bit of time to really get to understand each of our guys and understand how they’re going to fit together best to put our best, most cohesive group on the field together.”
That can require sacrifice. Paintsil and Pec both prefer to play on the right side, but after an injury put Paintsil on the shelf for a few weeks in May, Vanney convinced him to occupy the left.
The results largely have spoken for themselves. The Galaxy secured the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference and rolled past the Colorado Rapids in Round One with 5-0 and 4-1 wins. All three Killa P's scored in the second leg, the fourth time this season they've all been on the board.
In virtually the same number of minutes this year, Puig (13g/15a) nearly doubled his goals and assist tallies, showing he can be the star the Galaxy felt they were acquiring when he arrived two years ago.
“When you play with world-class players like Gabriel and Paintsil are – having played at really good teams and seeing in the first day of training that they’re different payers – on the field, it’s true, you need a game or two to figure out when he wants it to his feet, when he wants it to space, you adapt yourself a bit to what your teammates want,” Puig said.
“With Gabriel and Paintsil, the adaptation was really fast because I always understood who Gabriel likes to play, how Paintsil likes to play.
"We’re in a sweet moment where we understand each other well, and it shows on the field.”
Now, the Killa P’s are looking to make that moment last. Puig has spoken about his desperation to play again, and the match with Minnesota finally comes Sunday. The Galaxy hope it’s one of three remaining playoff tests as the trio and the entire squad can return the club to the perch they feel they should occupy.
