CARSON, Calif. – The LA Galaxy II project has flourished since its foundation nearly three years ago, and the future remains bright for Los Dos.
Since the establishment of the Galaxy's second team in 2014, head coach Curt Onalfo has led Galaxy II to a 42-25-18 record, a USL championship appearance, while also providing invaluable playing time for Galaxy Academy products, young talent, and returning first team players.
As Los Dos down the stretch run of the 2016 campaign, it’s impossible not to be impressed with the project’s development.
“It’s very early in the process. We’ve had successes coming from Galaxy II. It’s a testament to our environment and our staff, especially Curt Onalfo and his staff. Like most clubs around the world, the identity of your second team is always in question because it serves multiple pieces of your club,” club Vice President of soccer operations Pete Vagenas said. “It’s serving your first team and the Academy players within your system.
“In the three years, we’ve learned about ourselves and we continue to narrow the focus, but it’s really revolutionized our club and the way we progress our players through the system.”
To date, four Galaxy II players (Clement Diop, Daniel Steres, Dave Romney, and Jack McBean) have graduated from Los Dos to earn contracts with the first team. After successful tenures with Galaxy II, all four have made appearances under first team head coach Bruce Arena in 2016, with Steres becoming a fixture in the starting XI this season.
In addition to the four players to move to the first team, Galaxy II originals Alejandro Covarrubias and Lee Nishanian appeared on game day rosters for the first team during their 2016 U.S. Open Cup campaign.
For technical director Jovan Kirovski, who was one of the primary architects of the program, the ability of Los Dos graduates to succeed at the MLS level showcases the importance of having a second team.
“These guys are given a place to develop, and the success of Steres is a prime example. You can see the benefits in the first team already. You see players like Steres, Romney, and Diop in the mix with the full team,” Kirovski told LAGalaxy.com. “In such a short space of time, these guys have come through and made an impact in our first team.”
In addition to developing players for the first team, Galaxy II have shown an ability to remain competitive in the USL’s Western Conference despite boasting one of the younger rosters in the league.
After reaching the USL title game last year, Onalfo’s squad is once again putting together a strong campaign with a 9-6-9 record this season. Los Dos presently sit in sixth place in the Western Conference with 36 points, seven behind leaders Sacramento Republic, with two games in hand.
Click here to buy LA Galaxy II tickets
Leading the way for Los Dos this season are former Academy stalwarts like Jose Villarreal (active leader in goals scored), Jaime Villarreal (co-leader in assists), Ryo Fujii and Nathan Smith. However, the team hasn’t exclusively relied on Academy graduates with players like 2015 MLS SuperDraft selection Josh Turnley currently tied for the team lead in assists.
With the team continuing to progress, Galaxy brass like Kirovski are eager to reap the rewards.
“Imagine down the road five years from now,” Kirovski said. “How many more academy kids and how many players that we can develop can make an impact for our first team. It’s fantastic.”
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog atLAGalaxy.com/Insiderand contact him atLAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com
