CARSON, Calif. – Josh Turnley believes in the value of a little good ol’ fashion hard work, and that seems to be paying off for the LA Galaxy II defender in his rookie campaign.
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Drafted with the No. 42 pick in the third round of the 2016 MLS SuperDraft out of Georgetown University, the 22-year-old outside back has found his footing with Los Dos. After training with the Galaxy’s first team at the start of the preseason, Turnley has looked at home with Galaxy II, notching four assists in 21 appearances.
Tied with the Villarreal brothers for the team-lead in assists, Turnley is pleased with his level of adjustment in his first season as a professional.
“I feel I’m doing pretty well. It took a little while to get adjusted to a new city and the team. But I think once I got over the initial adjustment, it got easier as I started to feel more comfortable with the guys and the best parts of my game started to come out,” said Turnley, who admits he’s become a more dangerous attacking player since his college days.
“Recently, in the last couple of months, I’ve come into a good stretch of form and am playing some of my best soccer.”
Turnley’s steady play drew him praise from Galaxy II head coach Curt Onalfo who admits that the team struggled when the outside back went down with a knee injury earlier this summer.
“He’s done a really good job. He ended up hurting his knee and was out for a month and during that stretch, we didn’t get the results,” Onalfo told LAGalaxy.com. “It’s good to have him back. He’s had a very good season for us.”
The adjustment was not always an easy one for the Beaver, PA native. Nearly a continent away from his family and friends on the East Coast, Turnley revealed that the adjustment to the Southern California lifestyle was initially a difficult one for him to make.
However, with the aid of his teammates, and some solid play on the field, he’s found his groove.
“I love a challenge and being 3,000 miles from my comfort zone caused me to grow more than if I was closer to home,” he said. “The ability to adapt and grow with a group of guys has made this a success. I think that experience has elevated my level.”
As successful as the Georgetown product has been for the second team, Turnley still has his sights set on following in the footsteps of Daniel Steres and Dave Romney as other young projects to earn their way onto Bruce Arena’s squad.
Achieving that task will be no easy feat, but the 22-year-old believes with some hard work and consistency, he can prove his worth.
“I still have my sights set on getting to the first team. That’s going to take a lot more hard work and good play over the course of this season and next season,” Turnley said. “I think I’m on the right path, I’m raising my level little by little each day, and if I can continue to do that and keep my mind focused on making it to the next level, with a little bit more time and consistency and more games. That’s my end goal. That was the goal when I got here; I haven’t lost that goal since.”
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog atLAGalaxy.com/Insiderand contact him atLAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com
