It’s official. CITY SC original João Klauss has been traded to the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Sporting director Corey Wray wasn’t expecting to start the 2026 season without a key striker. When the Galaxy offered a $2.37 million cash trade in the wake of losing DP midfielder Riqui Puig for another season, however, it quickly became an option.
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Klauss is entering the final year of his contract, following the club’s decision to pick up his option last season, and Wray is looking to add more flexibility to CITY’s $6.15 million General Allocation Money (GAM) war chest. (GAM can be used to “buy down” the amount that a player counts against the salary cap.) The $2.37 million fee outpaces the $2 million that CITY paid to the Minnesota United for Jeong Sang-bin last summer and is the highest fee paid for a player on the final year of their contract.
“While we did not plan to make this move ahead of the season, this was an opportunity that made sense for both Klauss and the club, especially with his contract expiring at the end of the season,” Wray said. “The funds we receive give us meaningful flexibility, and we’re excited to reinvest into the roster as we continue to build and improve the squad over the upcoming transfer windows.” (The club announced another move on Tuesday, with the acquisition of 27-year-old Brazilian left back Rafael Santos.)
Klauss will return to St. Louis with the Galaxy on October 11 in what is bound to be an emotional evening.
The Background
Klauss arrived in St. Louis as the club’s first-ever designated player, signing with the expansion club after spending the previous season on loan at Belgium club Sint-Truidense V.V. for a reported fee of around $3 million. Klauss joined the club early, making four appearances for CITY2 in the lead-up to the club’s first year.
That first year squad sprinted out of the gate, thanks in large part to Klauss’s five goals over the first five matches. Since then, it’s been a winding road for the towering striker. He delivered in big moments, with the first-ever game-winning goal in Austin, braces against rivals Sporting Kansas City and the Chicago Fire, and a hat trick last season against the Galaxy. He also struggled through a 22-match goalless streak through the end of 2024 and into 2025, however, finding his form again as caretaker manager David Critchley became the club’s second interim manager in as many seasons.
The story of Klauss’ time in St. Louis is analogous to the club’s own successes and failures. As Klauss thrived, so did CITY. But with changes at both manager and sporting director, there was a chance to turn another page on the expansion era.
It will be tough to immediately replace the only attacker who played more than 1,500 minutes last season, but the club can use this as an opportunity to bring in a different type of attacker to supplement Marcel Hartel’s ability to create chances. Hartel created 99 chances last season, the fourth most in MLS, with only four assists to show for it. A striker who is more clinical in front of dangerous chances—and who could combine well with fellow strikers Cedric Teuchert and Simon Becher—could turn that ratio around, even if that comes at the expense of Klauss’ ability to create when dropping back into the midfield.
While there’s a clear way forward for the club in replacing Klauss’ impact on the roster, it will be hard to replace Klauss’ presence off the pitch. His jovial personality, displayed after goals and big moments, carried into a close-knit locker room that seemed more competitive when he was in the mix.
