LA Galaxy II head coach Curt Onalfo described Los Dos' 2-1 extra time defeat to the Rochester Rhinos in the 2015 USL Championship as heartbreaking but admitted that Galaxy II have plenty of reasons to hold their heads up high despite the loss.
An Ariel Lassiter goal in the 65th minute had Galaxy II on the brink of the USL title before an Asani Samuels goal in the dying moments sent the match into extra time. In the second period of extra time, the Jamaican forward struck again on a near identical tally to give Rochester the title.
Although Galaxy II could not hold on for the win, just reaching the USL Championship with a youthful squad shows that the project is continuing to pay dividends for the club.
"It speaks volumes. When we started the project, Chris Klein told me that this was a significant step for the club and maybe as significant as the signing of David Beckham because it's the future of our club. I took that very seriously and worked my fingers to the bones over the last two years," Onalfo said. "I'm really proud of what we've shown on the field. I think that we play with style, and people want to watch us play because we play well. In this process, we have a lot of young, exciting players who are positioning themselves to play in MLS and hopefully for the Galaxy."
