LA Galaxy sign forward Gordon Wild

The LA Galaxy announced on Tuesday they have signed forward Gordon Wild for the 2020 season.

The 24-year-old, a preseason trialist for LA, has spent time on two MLS rosters the last two years, first for Atlanta United after being drafted by them in 2018, and at D.C. United last year. While he has yet to make an appearance at MLS level, Wild spent extensive time on loan at USL Championship club Charleston Battery in 2018 and another USL Championship side, Loudoun United in 2019.

“Gordon is an attacking player who will add depth to our squad in multiple positions,” said LA Galaxy General Manager Dennis te Kloese in a team statement. “We believe he has his best years of soccer ahead of him and can grow as a player in MLS. We are pleased to add Gordon to our roster.”

Wild is a native of Germany but played collegiate soccer at the University of Maryland. I asked my colleague Jason Anderson of SB Nation’s D.C. United site Black and Red United about Wild, given Jason has watched him for several years at this point. Jason said Wild is a natural second forward-style player, very left-footed, and capable of playing a little deeper in attack while still being a player who looks to score first.

Based on the preseason, it seems Wild will be a bench option and something of a Cristian Pavon-style playmaker backup. He does not seem to be on the level of Pavon, of course, but could spell him in dying moments and offer some versatility in attack off the bench, and I do expect he’ll make his MLS debut, finally, for his third MLS team.

The Galaxy will open the 2020 MLS regular season on Saturday at the Houston Dynamo.

What do you think about the signing? Will Wild offer something solid to the roster this year? Let’s chat about it in the comments below!