LA Galaxy star Dejan Joveljic in search of MLS goals record

The Serbian striker is now the main man for Greg Vanney’s side and he can make history by scoring against Seattle Sounders.

William Gittins

William GittinsWillGittUpdate: Mar 30th, 2024 17:30 EDT0

LA Galaxy star Dejan Joveljic closes in on MLS goals record

X: @JoveljicDejan

LA Galaxy’s impressive start in the Eastern Conference has been one of the stories of 2024 so far in MLS. In previous years Greg Vanney’s side had looked confident in possession but struggled to provide the necessary cutting edge to make the most of their chances.

The off-season acquisition of Joseph Paintsil and Gabriel Pec has strengthened the Galaxy’s offensive capabilities but the real game-changer has been the incredible early-season form of Dejan Joveljic. The Serbian striker has scored in each of the Galaxy’s first five games of 2024, levelling the all-time MLS record.

The only other player to score in each of the first five games of an MLS season was Brian McBride, who managed that feat for Columbus Crew in the 1998 season. McBride would go on to achieve great success and spent eight years in England, most notably starring for Fulham in the Premier League.

Dejan Joveljic kicked off his 4th season with the @LAGalaxy in a historic way: 5 goals in 5 games.Watch him and LA take on the @SoundersFC tomorrow at 10:30pm ET on #MLSSeasonPass: https://t.co/rxKssHoYbu pic.twitter.com/C2qe8vAXK0

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 29, 2024

Dejan Joveljic focused on goal-scoring

The 24-year-old striker is now in his fourth season with the Galaxy but is finally the first-choice striker at Dignity Health Sports Park. He came through the prestigious youth set-up of Red Star Belgrade and signed his first professional contract in 2016, aged just 16.

His prodigious talents saw him shortlisted for the Golden Boy award in 2017 and he was signed by Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt in 2019. But he failed to make an impact in the German top flight and, after spells on loan in Belgium and Austria, moved to the Galaxy in 2021.

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Initially he was a back-up to former Manchester United and Real Madrid star Javier Hernandez but now, after Chicharito’s departure to Chivas Guadalajara, is relishing his opportunity to be the main man.