It hasn’t taken long, but it is clear that the Galaxy have their guy.

Last season, the Galaxy struggled with production out of the forward position.

With Riqui Puig on the season-ending injury list, the Galaxy made a big offseason move in acquiring João Klauss in a cash trade with St. Louis CITY SC.

In the first two league games, Klauss has three goals, including a pair in last Saturday’s 3-0 win over Charlotte FC. He also had the assist on the lone goal in the CONCACAF Champions Cup first-round series against Sporting San Miguelito, which ended up being the eventual series-clinching goal.

“He sets the tone,” Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said of Klauss. “When everybody behind looks to the guy in front who is working like he’s working, you have no choice but to work with him. That’s what I love. His mentality has been fantastic.

“He’s a great guy for our locker room and when he goes out there, he goes out there to work. He leads us on the defensive side. Never takes shortcuts. Obviously, he’s big and he’s strong and hard to deal with for center-backs. I like the work he’s putting in.

“When your striker is leading you in those kinds of ways, you have to commit and go with it. One of two things will happen. He’s either going to stop working or the rest of the group is going to keep up. For me, the rest of the group is going to need to keep up. I think that’s one of the things we really liked about him. He’s defensively aware and he will put in the work.”

Klauss made his MLS debut in 2023 with St. Louis and scored 10 goals in just 21 games. After a down year in 2024 (five goals), he reached 10 goals again last season.

He made an early good impression on his new fans, scoring inside the first two minutes of the Galaxy’s home season opener, Feb. 21, against New York City FC.

“During my career, I’ve always played a role in the team, that is the hold-up play (with the ball), but I also think that I’m a guy that has the qualities to go outside of the box and combine and create for the team as well,” Klauss said. “I’m not a striker that wants to stay in the box for 90 minutes and maybe touch the ball five or six times. Of course, I know my job, as a 9, you have to score goals, but I enjoy a lot to go out of the box, create, combine and I think I can help this way as well.”

The Galaxy envision Klauss bringing that impact to the field, which should unlock Joseph Paintsil and Gabriel Pec.

“I think it’s very easy to create relationships with great players,” Klauss said. “With their qualities, it’s not difficult. Coming into the team, I think my job is to make things easier for them. I think they are the stars, I think they will create the most (goals) for the team. It’s very easy to create connections with them.”

GALAXY at COLORADO RAPIDS

When: Saturday, 6:30 p.m.

Where: DICK’S Sports Goods Park; Commerce City, Colorado

How to watch: Apple TV

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