CARSON, Calif. – Soccer can be a rewarding game, which LA Galaxy defender Daniel Steres experienced just prior to last Thanksgiving when club officials informed him they wanted to sign him to a first team contract.
Steres said he was “extremely thrilled” at the honor.
“I was home in Long Beach, woke up and got a nice call from the front office,” he said. “My family was super excited and I was happy I could stay in LA.”
But the game also has its unforgiving side, which Steres saw first-hand in last Saturday’s 2-1 preseason victory over Armenian side FC Shirak at StubHub Center.
It was in the 75th minute and the Galaxy were clinging to a 1-0 lead when Steres, a second-half substitute, attempted a poor clearance that was intercepted and led directly to Shirak’s Viulen Ayvazywan scoring the equalizing goal. The Galaxy’s Jose Villarreal fortunately scored the game-winner five minutes later.
Steres said he’s replayed the sequence several times in his mind and has not been hesitant to watch a replay.
“I’m pretty aware of what happened,” he said with a grin after training Tuesday. “There’s plenty of things I know I should have and could have done. Just a little casual on my part, but it’s just learning along the way.
“Obviously it was a quick, ‘What was I thinking?’ It was an unfortunate mistake, but I kept telling myself it’s 1-1 and still had more time to show what I can do for the team.”
Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena, among those Steres is trying to impress as he attempts to secure a spot on the first team, downplayed the mistake.
“Those plays happen and you move on,” he said.
Added veteran defender A.J. DeLaGarza, “Everyone’s going to make mistakes, miss passes. It doesn’t matter if it’s the first game or the last game. It’s going to happen. You move past it and keep working.
“It’s only a concern if it happens over and over. I’m sure that won’t happen.”
It’s not like Steres is an untested newcomer with the Galaxy. The 25-year-old captained the club’s USL side, Galaxy II, last season and even made first-team appearances in International Champions Cup matches against FC Barcelona and Club America.
He was born in Burbank and selected by Chivas USA with the 28th overall pick in the MLS Supplemental Draft in 2012. But what followed was a circuitous route to the Galaxy’s first team that included stops with Seattle Sounders (via the 2012 MLS Waiver Draft) and USL side Wilmington Hammerheads before returning to Southern California and signing with Galaxy II in 2014.
Now he’s with the big club and hoping he can stick around. He said he feels confident about his progress and Arena said he’s liked what he has seen at this point in the preseason.
“He does a good job,” he said. “He’s moving forward as a defender and I think playing on our team day in and day out he’s just going to get better.”
Steres said he’s simply hoping for a chance.
“There’s a lot of good guys here, a lot of vets,” he said. “I just have to keep pushing, do what’s asked of me by the coaches and just be there whenever they need someone.
“When an opportunity comes be ready for it. Anything to make the team better is what I want to do.”
