Joseph Paintsil reflects on successful first season with LA Galaxy

Black Stars winger Joseph Paintsil has expressed his satisfaction with his first season at LA Galaxy, calling it "productive and fulfilling" as he helped the team claim the Major League Soccer (MLS) Cup.

The former Genk star joined LA Galaxy on a three-year deal, becoming one of their three Designated Players.

Paintsil is part of a growing group of Ghanaians who have made an impact in MLS, joining the ranks of Jonathan Mensah, Harrison Afful, David Accam, and Yaw Yeboah.

Paintsil made an immediate impact with a stunning debut against the San Jose Earthquakes, scoring a goal and providing two assists.

By the end of the season, he had recorded 10 goals and 7 assists in 30 regular-season appearances, plus 4 goals and 1 assist in the playoffs.

Reflecting on his debut MLS season, Paintsil shared his excitement with 3Sports, saying, "My season was really great.

I had a great season. It was fantastic, especially coming to a league like MLS. It’s a different league but the same football.

It was a different style of play but altogether it was an amazing season for me because I had a great season scoring a couple of goals and giving more assists which resulted in LA Galaxy winning the Western Conference and the MLS Cup."

The victory in the MLS Cup marked LA Galaxy’s first title in 10 years, with their last championship win coming in 2014. Paintsil highlighted the importance of the achievement, saying, "It feels really great; it is something that every player really wants to have in his books.

We have Messi, Busquets, and the other players in the league, and winning the league is really important because it’s not that easy.

It has been like 10 years since LA Galaxy won the trophy. So, breaking the record was an amazing feeling for us, and for me also, it added to my record for having a trophy with LA Galaxy in my first season."