TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Extension
LAFC have re-signed defender Ryan Hollingshead to a three-year deal, the club announced Thursday.
The 31-year-old fullback first joined the Black & Gold ahead of the 2022 season in a trade with FC Dallas that sent defender Marco Farfan to the Texan club. His new extension will now keep him with LAFC through the 2025 season.
“We are incredibly excited to come to terms with Ryan on an extension as he played a critical role in our 2022 championship campaign. He is among the top fullbacks in the league, and we are confident he will contribute to further success at LAFC,” co-president and GM John Thorrington said in a press release. “We are proud to have Ryan, his wife Taylor, and their children as part of the LAFC family. I also want to thank his representative, Shaun Higgins, for his professionalism throughout the process.”
Hollingshead proved well-suited to his new home, tying his career-best six goals in a season, the most by any defender this year. He also won the Supporters' Shield and MLS Cup in his first year at LAFC, scoring a penalty in the decisive shootout win over the Philadelphia Union.
Prior to joining LAFC, Hollingshead played eight years for FC Dallas, where he established himself as one of the league's most consistent and productive right-backs, winning both the US Open Cup and Supporters' Shield in 2016. Over the course of his nine-year MLS career, he's played in 223 regular-season games and scored 24 goals, second most of any defender dating back to 2010.
He's also been recognized for his positive work off the field, earning the MLS Works Humanitarian of the Year award in 2017 for risking his safety to help a stranded motorist on an icy highway and for his work with the Jessie Rees Foundation, Never Ever Give Up.
Though Hollingshead has spent the bulk of his professional in Dallas, this will be the second time the Granite Bay, CA native enjoys a multi-year stint in LA, having first played four years of college soccer with UCLA.
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