CARSON, Calif. – The LA Galaxy Under-18’s return to Texas this week for the Development Academy Playoffs and will be eager to apply the lessons of their last trip to the Lone Star State.
In March, the Galaxy went 1-2-0 during their participation in Dallas Cup, finishing third in the group. Although the Galaxy were unable to advance to the knockout stages, they were competitive in their two defeats to eventual tournament champions Fulham and Brazilian power Coritiba.
As they look to this week’s Development Academy Playoffs in Frisco, Texas, which begin with a match against the San Jose Earthquakes on Monday, the Galaxy look to show off what they learned at Dallas Cup.
“I think that we got a good experience off of that,” said midfielder Jaime Villarreal. “We played lots of good teams from across the country and it helped us more when we came back because we saw their high expectations. It was good for us and made us a better team.”
Galaxy Under-18 head coach Alex Yi believes that having played against some of the top teams in the world will aid his team as they look to advance from a tricky group 8 that includes San Jose Earthquakes, Dallas Texans, and the New England Revolution.
“I think it’ll help a lot,” said Yi. “For kids who aren't professionals and aren't used to having to bring that type of focus and competitiveness to every game, having been to those types of games gives you calm and confidence.
“They can think that ‘I've been here before; I've been in these types of situations or I've played against a Fulham who won at Dallas Cup and we could have gotten something out of that game,’” Yi added. “It lets you know how fine a line it is between success and failure. It helps them know what it takes to succeed in those types of environments.”
