Head coach Greg Vanney has praised Joseph Paintsil for his adaptability and attacking threat following LA Galaxy’s draw against Vancouver Whitecaps.
The Ghana international has remained a key figure for the American side since arriving in 2024, playing a major role in their title-winning campaign during his debut season.
Despite missing a few matches this season due to injury, the 28-year-old has returned strongly, scoring twice in his last three Major League Soccer appearances.
Paintsil was once again decisive over the weekend, rescuing a point for his side, and his performance drew strong admiration from his manager.Vanney highlighted the attacker’s pace and unpredictability, stating, “What he gives us is he’s fast as hell, and he can run behind anybody from anywhere at any moment. It gives you something that the opposition really has to respect.
It gives you something that the opposition is fearing at all times.”He explained that Paintsil’s speed creates opportunities not just for himself but also for the entire team. “And that can help everybody a little bit. And so for us, he’s a guy that with his pace and with his direct running, he’s going to get chances that nobody else can get because he’s able to do some of those things.
“Vanney also pointed out that playing Paintsil in a more central role has increased his involvement in matches. “So again, when he’s in a central part of it, I feel like he’s sometimes more involved in the game than when he’s on the wing. Sometimes I feel like you can see him in stretches and not see him in stretches.”He added that the recent positional adjustment has made a noticeable difference.
“And I feel like now that he’s been in the middle the last few games, I feel he’s really involved in more actions.”The coach further explained why Paintsil poses a serious challenge to defenders. “And for center backs who sometimes like bigger guys they can deal with, when they have a small, quick guy who is as shifty and as fast as he is, it’s a nightmare for those guys.”Vanney concluded by emphasizing the player’s versatility and attacking value.
“Again, when we can use him in different places, he always brings the thing that Joe brings, which is the capacity to get behind the opposition and cause all kinds of problems both in transition but in also sometimes in just our attacks, our building of our attacks.
Everybody needs something that does that — or someone who goes behind, and Joe is our No. 1 guy in being able to do that for sure.”Paintsil’s growing influence continues to underline his importance to the team as they push for another strong season.
