Eriq Zavaleta departed Toronto FC, the MLS club where he spent the longest stint in his career, after the 2021 season, and as a player not yet 30 at the start of the 2022 season, he was an intriguing pickup for the LA Galaxy.
There is the personal connection, of course, with Zavaleta Greg Vanney’s nephew. Vanney has worked with Zavaleta in the Real Salt Lake academy, and then at TFC from 2015-20. Zavaleta has always been a rotational center back, aside from 2017, when he helped anchor arguably the best team in MLS history, but a veteran CB who can give you some starts and be at the ready when needed?