PORTLAND, Ore. – A.J. DeLaGarza had a four-word assessment for Raul Mendiola’s exceptional performance in the LA Galaxy’s 1-0 U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 victory over the Portland Timbers.
“He was a man tonight,” DeLaGarza said after the Galaxy advanced to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup.
DeLaGarza’s words certainly rang true as Mendiola scored a goal and excelled defensively during his 63 minutes of action on Wednesday. Despite a strong showing in the most hostile environment in the league, Mendiola refused to revel in his achievement.
After all, it was all in a day’s work.
“I just do my job. The coach tells me to start, and I just do my job like anyone else. I work for the team. I don’t have to score, I don’t have to do anything, I just work for the team,” Mendiola said. “I want to out-compete everyone and just help my teammates. I just work, and it pays off at times. I work for everyone.”
The youngster’s workman-like attitude was on full display on Wednesday as the right-sided midfielder put Los Angeles ahead in the fifth minute and then set out to help the team keep the shutout. After Portland had wrestled control from the Galaxy following Mendiola’s goal, the young attacker was a frequent sight winning balls in midfield and tracking back to halt Timbers’ attacks.
Mendiola ended his shift with six recoveries, two clearances and two tackles—statistics more suited for a defensive midfielder than a creative attacking player. Although he was forced to exit in the 63rd minute, he drew high marks from Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena.
“He’s a hard-working kid. He was aggressive getting forward. He’s a very competitive player,” Arena said. “You can see tonight that he wasn’t bothered by the environment and the challenge for us.”
Whether not Mendiola sees minutes next Monday against Vancouver Whitecaps FC is up to the “boss” as the youngster from San Bernardino says, but if he gets another start in the quarterfinals against Seattle Sounders FC later next month, Mendiola will surely be ready.
“This [tournament] is important to the club,” Mendiola said. “If the coach decides to play me, I’ll be ready. I’m in it to win it.”
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog at www.LAGalaxy.com/Insider and contact him at LAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com.
