Most notably, the Galaxy became the third straight team to win consecutive Supporters' Shields, after D.C. United (2006–07) and Columbus Crew (2008–09).

The Galaxy clinched their fourth Shield on October 8, after Seattle Sounders FC lost 0–2 at home to Philadelphia Union.

Along with these competitive tournaments, the Galaxy played in the friendly-match World Football Challenge, losing to Real Madrid and drawing to Manchester City.

That's pretty obvious..." The Galaxy opened the MLS regular season with a 0–1 victory over the Sounders at Qwest Field in rainy Seattle on March 15.

Traveling to Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah without captain Landon Donovan (who was away on international duty with the USA national team), the Galaxy lost 4–1 to Real Salt Lake.

To be fair, Rio Tinto is a difficult venue for any visiting club, as Real hasn't lost at home in nearly two years.

[citation needed] The Galaxy rebounded from the loss to Real Salt Lake with a 1–0 victory over the Philadelphia Union at the Home Depot Center on April 2.

A 53rd minute red card for Chris Birchall meant that the Galaxy had to spend the majority of the second half protecting their narrow lead a man down.

To complicate matters, the Galaxy would be without captain Landon Donovan, who did not travel with the club while he nursed a knee injury.

But Charlie Davies drew a dubious penalty and converted from the spot himself in the 90th minute to save the draw for D.C. United.

These two events meant that the Galaxy would be without 3/4ths of their preferred midfield (Donovan, Beckham, and Juninho) when they finished their trip on April 17 in Bridgeview, Illinois against the Chicago Fire.

Although there was one concerning casualty on the Toyota Park field – Leonardo picked up a right knee injury late in the match.

It was revealed a couple days later that he tore the ACL and LCL in the knee, and he is expected to miss the remainder of the season.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply.

Los Angeles maintains the MLS rights to Edson Buddle after the player declined a contract offer by the league and signed overseas on a free transfer.