CARSON, Calif. – Now comes the hard part for LA Galaxy central defender Daniel Steres.
Breaking into the team a year ago, when he earned a starting spot and steadily developed into one of the team’s most consistent performers, was one thing. But now he is tasked with proving he was not a one-hit wonder.
He finished the 2016 season playing 37 games across all competitions, including 33 starts, and was named to mlssoccer.com’s team of the week for his efforts in a 1-0 victory over the Houston Dynamo on Oct. 16.
But now comes the follow-up. The 26-year-old native of Calabasas says he feels more than ready for the challenge to prove he belongs. Again.
“I have to come out this year and do the exact same things, if not better,” he said after training this week.
His partner in central defense, Jelle Van Damme, was confident Steres will do well in that regard. But he also wouldn’t be surprised if there are a few roadblocks along the way.
“It depends how you deal with it,” Van Damme said. “For him it’s going to be harder. He had a good first season, and in one way it should be easier for him in knowing the team and knowing what to do.
“But opponents know him, too.”
Steres was a former captain of Galaxy II, the parent club’s reserve team, when he burst onto the scene. Injuries along the back line gave the 6-foot, 175-pounder an opportunity for playing time and he became a fixture in the starting eleven almost from the beginning.
Steres, who scored his first MLS goal in a season-opening 3-1 victory over D.C. United, did have his share of rough moments – Seattle’s Jordan Morris, for example, badly victimized him for a goal during the Sounders’ 4-2 victory on Sept. 25 at StubHub Center – but he clearly was one of the team’s biggest surprises a year ago.
Van Damme came away impressed, to say the least. So did left back Ashley Cole, who told LAGalaxy Insider Adam Serrano, “Daniel Steres is really one of the veterans now.”
Van Damme said he remembered asking Steres what his goals were early last season, and they were modest. But it wasn’t long before Steres easily surpassed them.
“I was trying to set my goals small so I could actually achieve them,” Steres said with a grin. “But the opportunity came and I took advantage of it, and everything worked out great.
“Now I’m just trying to come into this year with that confidence again and show that it wasn’t a one-year thing.”
Said Van Damme, “He ended up playing a lot of games. He did well. He’s a great guy off the field, he has a great mentality, he’s a hard worker and he wants to learn every day.
“He’s a good professional.”
Steres said he generally was satisfied with how the 2016 season transpired – from a personal standpoint, that is.
“I had good weeks and bad weeks,,” he said, “but I felt I finished pretty strong. Going out in the playoffs the way we did was tough, but I was pretty pleased with the way I showed myself throughout the year.
“I just have to take it up a notch and show there are other things I can do as well.”
