The day after the 4-2 home victory against Portland Timbers was designated as a full recovery day for the LA Galaxy first team. Alex Rivera arrived at the training facility in the morning wearing a light tracksuit. His body felt refreshed after the controlled substitution and professional performance in the previous match.
The physio team put him through a gentle routine — light swimming, yoga, mobility work, and a short massage. No heavy loading, no sprinting. While he recovered, Coach Victor Morales called the squad into the main meeting room for a short tactical preview of the next matchday.
Morales began straight away:
"Gentlemen, before we look ahead, here is the current Western Conference Standings before the next matchday."
Western Conference Standings (Before Next Matchday)
Seattle Sounders – 61 points
LAFC – 59 points
Houston Dynamo – 57 points
Minnesota United – 56 points
LA Galaxy – 55 points
Real Salt Lake – 52 points
Portland Timbers – 48 points
Vancouver Whitecaps – 44 points
Austin FC – 42 points
Colorado Rapids – 41 points
FC Dallas – 40 points
Sporting Kansas City – 38 points
San Jose Earthquakes – 36 points
St. Louis City SC – 34 points
Morales continued: "We are in fifth place with 55 points after the Portland win. We gained three points and moved up one spot. The gap to fourth place is now one point, and we are seven points clear of the playoff line. This is good progress, but we are not in Top 4 yet. Our target remains finishing in the Top 4 this season to secure better playoff seeding and automatic qualification for next year's CONCACAF Champions Cup."
He then displayed the Next Matchday Schedule that he had prepared:
Next Matchday Schedule (Matchday 29)
LA Galaxy vs Minnesota United (Away)Seattle Sounders vs Houston DynamoLAFC vs Real Salt LakePortland Timbers vs San Jose EarthquakesVancouver Whitecaps vs Austin FCColorado Rapids vs FC DallasSporting Kansas City vs St. Louis City SC
Morales pointed at the fixture list. "Our next game is away against Minnesota United in five days. They are in fourth place and fighting to stay in the Top 4. We must treat this as a must-win if we want to keep climbing. Alex, you will start again, but we will manage your minutes carefully. The rest of the squad — full focus on recovery and preparation."
The meeting ended with a short video analysis of Minnesota United's recent games. Alex made notes on their high defensive line and set-piece weaknesses. The system gave him a small update:
[System Notification]
Tactical Awareness +2
Overall Rating: 92 (steady)
Mission "Climb to Top 4" – Progress: Steady (currently 5th)
After the meeting, Alex spent the rest of the day in light individual work — some passing drills and free-kick practice — before heading home to rest. The long push to Top 4 was continuing, one professional step at a time.