Elijah Wynder had his first real encounter in Los Angeles on Wednesday. Trying to navigate the freeway. “I had to go up to Beverly Hills (for testing) and I was in traffic for an hour and a half,” Wynder, who is from Louisville, Kentucky said. “They don’t have freeways like that in Louisville.” Wynder will have time to get accustomed to getting around town. Last year’s USL Championship Young Player of the Year, joins the Galaxy on a three-year contract through 2027 with a club option for 2028. The move was officially announced Sunday. The Galaxy reportedly paid a $400,000 transfer fee, which according to the USL is “the largest fee received by a USL Championship club in a domestic transfer.” “It was a pretty quick process,” Wynder said. “They wanted me to come in, so I had to pack up my apartment in a couple of days. I’m staying at a hotel right now. Had a chance to meet the guys — great group — and get in my first training session. “This is a historic club, the biggest club … when you think of MLS, you think of the Galaxy. It means a lot to be a part of it.” Wynder, 21, made 33 appearances with Louisville City FC, playing in 2,781 minutes and scoring six goals. He signed a USL Academy contract with Louisville City in 2019 and made his debut in 2020. After going out on loan, he returned in 2022. He joins a Galaxy midfield that has seen the departures of Gaston Brugman (traded to Nashville FC) and Mark Delgado (traded to LAFC), and a group that will be without Riqui Puig for the majority of the season as he recovers from an ACL injury. “I feel like whatever the club needs, I’ll try my best to work,” he said. “I feel like I can cover a lot of ground, good with the ball, I’m good in attack, and defensively as well.” Galaxy general manager Will Kuntz compared Wynder to Mark Anthony Kaye, who was a key midfield cog on the first LAFC teams. “Despite his young age, Elijah established himself as one of most talented players in the USL Championship,” Kuntz said. “We are excited to be adding his athleticism, technical ability, and competitiveness to our midfield, and look forward to his continued development with the Galaxy.” Wynder said he would prefer to play in the “8” role instead of a true No. 6 (defensive midfielder) role. Related Articles Los Angeles Galaxy | MLS Cup champion Galaxy face busy schedule while retooling roster Los Angeles Galaxy | LAFC acquires midfielder Mark Delgado in first trade with Galaxy Los Angeles Galaxy | Galaxy captain Maya Yoshida signs new 2-year contract Los Angeles Galaxy | Galaxy trades Jalen Neal to Montreal for allocation money, international roster slot Los Angeles Galaxy | Galaxy selects Michigan’s Jason Bucknor in first round of MLS SuperDraft Elijah is the older brother of Joshua, 19, who is currently at Benfica in Portugal. Joshua, who was also at Louisville City, signed his professional deal in 2021, and two years later Benfica paid a reported $1.2 million transfer fee for him. Elijah recently traveled to see Joshua play against Porto. He also has the ultimate dream of making it to Europe. Before that, he’s looking forward to the new phase of his career with the Galaxy. “I had a setback with an injury, but I felt like last year, I really took off,” he said. “This year, my personal goal is to get as many consistent minutes as I can, score some goals, break up plays (in midfield), and help the team in any way I can.”