Galaxy forward Gabriel Pec voted MLS Newcomer of the Year

Galaxy forward Gabriel Pec didn’t have the smoothest start this season with the Galaxy.

He didn’t score in his first four games, but quickly found his footing and Monday, he was announced as the MLS Newcomer of the Year. He scored his first goal, in a 1-0 win against Seattle March 30.

Pec, who joined the Galaxy from Vasco da Gama as a Young Designated Player, finished with 16 goals and added 14 assists this season. He became the youngest player in club history to record 30 goal contributions in a single season.

Galaxy signed Pec to a five-year contract through the 2028 season. He only missed one game this season and that was due to his wedding.

Pec swept the Media, Player and Club vote, finishing with an average of 37.53 percent, finishing ahead of Inter Miami’s Luis Suarez (27.63 percent) and FC Cincinnati’s Luca Orellano (12.53 percent).

He is the first Galaxy player to earn the award since Zlatan Ibrahimovic in 2018.

“When he came to us from Brazil, he was very much a winger in a 4-3-3 who was heels on the sideline,” Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said. “The team’s job was to get him the ball and he would go one-on-one and try to make things happen, and a lot of times he was in isolated one-on-one situations.

“I wanted him to not just always be heels on the sideline. I want him to sometimes come inside, pick up the ball in the gap, but work in a relationship with two and three people to create different types of scenarios, not just him one-on-one all the time.

“I think he’s really evolved in terms of understanding how to take up different positions in the attack, how to work with other runners and other players and not always be one-on-one.”