Justin Haak is leaving New York City FC and he's staying in Major League Soccer, crossing the country and signing with LA Galaxy, according to a report from Tom Bogert of The Athletic.
No terms of the new contract with the Galaxy were mentioned in the initial report, but the safe assumption is that Haak will receive a very significant increase on the $225,003 base salary he earned with New York City last season as part of his move to Los Angeles.
🇺🇸 BREAKING: The LA Galaxy are finalizing a deal to sign free agent center back Justin Haak, per sources. Haak, 24, was one of the marquee free agents. Had a breakout 2025 season. Galaxy now reload with Haak and Jakob Glesnes. Big winter. www.nytimes.com/athletic/691...
— Tom Bogert (@tombogert.bsky.social) 2025-12-24T17:52:20.907Z
The 24-year-old Haak enjoyed a breakout season in 2025, named in the Starting XI for Pascal Jansen in every one of New York City's 43 matches played across all competitions. He was a key reason why New York City reached the Eastern Conference Final in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
Haak excelled while primarily playing as a central defender last season, despite a history coming up through the NYCFC Academy and breaking into the First Team while playing mainly as a defensive midfielder. The positional flexibility offered by Haak helped Jansen navigate a first season in MLS played with a shifting roster that at alternating times had holes in midfield and central defense, though with Haak proving to be the most consistent solution at the back alongside Thiago Martins.
Haak had been signed to the senior NYCFC roster as a Homegrown player since 2019, the third Homegrown signed in the club's history and the longest-tenured one left with the team, since James Sands and Joe Scally, first and second Homegrowns respectively, now play in the German Bundesliga.
His 2025 breakout and his generally solid performance prior to becoming a full-time starter meant that Haak went into the offseason as one of the top-rated MLS free agents, someone who'd shined in MLS while playing on a low prior salary who was now available to sign with whatever team he preferred. That team becomes the Galaxy, who have already added former Philadelphia Union center-back Jakob Glesnes via trade this MLS offseason as they try to bounce back from a rough 2025 season.
Since Haak hit outright free agency and was completely unattached, NYCFC receives nothing in return for one of their top performers from 2025 leaving to join the team they'll face in the very first match of the 2026 season, on February 22 at DignityHealth Sports Park in Carson, California.
Haak seemed to have a rocky end to his New York City FC tenure, with the Brooklyn native outspoken about a difference of opinion with former Sporting Director David Lee, with Haak telling Trey Fillmore of the BlueBalls podcast that Lee told him he didn't believe he was an every-match starter in MLS.
There was a mini-saga over Haak's free agency, with multiple reports claiming he had tons of suitors in MLS and overseas, a separate report about talks between NYCFC and Haak "improving," then what looked to be a final nail in the coffin, when it was reported that talks between NYCFC and Haak "broke down."
Broke down did this relationship, and now Haak's NYCFC career ends with 111 total appearances made in all competitions, having scored three goals and dished out five assists. New York City loses one of its most reliable and versatile contributors from a successful 2025 season and the club's new Sporting Director Todd Dunivant now faces a significant missing piece from the club's depth chart heading into the 2026 season.
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