CARSON, Calif. -- The LA Galaxy’s search for their next attacking centerpiece has ended with one of the most polarizing names in Mexican soccer.
As first reported by The Athletic's Tom Bogert, the Galaxy have acquired forward Hirving “Chucky” Lozano on loan from San Diego FC. Lozano is expected to join LA as a Designated Player, giving the club another major attacking piece as it continues reshaping its roster during the second half of the season.
The move gives Lozano an opportunity to restart his career after a complicated ending in San Diego, where the club’s first-ever Designated Player went from the face of an expansion project to a player training away from the team.
San Diego made Lozano the centerpiece of its inaugural MLS season in 2025, but his time with the club unraveled after an October locker room altercation following a halftime substitution against the Houston Dynamo. Lozano was left off the squad for San Diego’s regular-season finale and later returned in a limited role during the playoffs.
By January, San Diego sporting director Tyler Heaps announced Lozano was no longer part of the club’s plans moving forward. The winger has not appeared for San Diego in 2026 and has spent the season training separately from the first team.
Now, the Galaxy are betting that a change of scenery can bring back the player who showed his quality during his first MLS season.
Despite the turbulence surrounding his exit, Lozano's on-field production was never the issue. The 31-year-old recorded nine goals and 10 assists in 27 regular-season appearances during San Diego’s debut campaign, then added two more goals and an assist during the playoffs.
That production is exactly what LA is looking for as the club continues a midseason overhaul of its attack.
The Galaxy have already added Japanese forward Kyogo Furuhashi and winger Robert Taylor while moving on from Gabriel Pec, who was transferred to Cruzeiro for a club-record fee. Adding Lozano gives LA another proven attacking threat as it tries to climb back into the playoff picture.
Following Saturday's scoreless draw against FC Dallas, general manager Will Kuntz hinted that the Galaxy were on the verge of completing another marquee signing.
"I think we are very close to our third DP," Kuntz said. "Our expectation is that he'll be here by the end of the week."
Kuntz emphasized that LA’s roster moves were about building a group capable of making a late-season push. The Galaxy currently sit outside the playoff positions in the Western Conference, but the front office believes the team has not reached its potential.
“We haven’t been good enough so far this year,” Kuntz said. “I think everybody would acknowledge that. I think we have a better group than we’ve shown.”
The addition of Lozano fits the Galaxy’s desire to add more quality to an attack that has struggled to consistently produce. Kuntz pointed to the team getting healthier and integrating new additions as the key to finding a turnaround.
“This is a league where playing your best later in the season matters more,” Kuntz said. “I feel really positive that as we get healthy, and as these new guys come in and gel with the group, that we have a chance to be pretty dangerous.”
For Lozano, the move comes with plenty to prove. After years as one of Mexico’s most recognizable players, including starring moments at the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, his 2026 has been defined by inactivity.
The Galaxy are giving him a chance to change that.
LA will hope Lozano can rediscover the explosiveness that made him a star in Europe with PSV Eindhoven and Napoli and a player capable of changing games on the international stage. With the club still chasing a playoff spot and adding pieces around Furuhashi, Taylor and the rest of its attack, Lozano’s arrival represents another major step in the Galaxy’s attempt to turn their season around.
The spotlight that followed him to San Diego will now follow him up the freeway to Los Angeles. This time, the Galaxy are hoping the next chapter looks much different.