CARSON, Calif. – It wasn’t long ago that Daniel Steres was captaining LA Galaxy II and leading his side to the 2015 USL Western Conference Championship.
But fast-forward a year and his circumstances are dramatically different. The 25-year-old native of Calabasas is firmly entrenched as a starter in central defense of the five-time MLS Cup champions. Steres was even named to MLSsoccer.com’s team of the week for his performance in last Sunday’s 1-0 victory at Houston.
The soft-spoken Steres downplayed the honor – “We all played well; they picked someone and I got lucky,” he said with a grin – and admitted he still can’t believe his good fortune.
“It’s been unexpectedly great,” he said of the regular season, which concludes Sunday with a match against FC Dallas at StubHub Center (1 p.m., Fox Sports 1, Fox Deportes). “I’ve been saying all year, to be in this position at this point of the year I always thought and believed I could. I’ve been working the last few years to get to this point.
“It’s been a really good year and I want to finish it out strong.”
He has played in 31 games, including 29 starts, and has combined with Belgian international Jelle Van Damme to form a strong center of the Galaxy defense, but his season has not gone without its rough moments. There was, for example, Seattle’s Jordan Morris roughhousing him for a goal in the Sounders’ 4-2 victory on Sept. 25.
Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena said he’s generally been pleased with the newcomer’s play.
“I think he’s experienced all the highs and lows you have in your first year in the league and being a relatively young player,” he said. “He had a little bit of a rough patch in the month of September, and he’s starting to get back again to playing well.
“It’s nice to be recognized.”
A.J. DeLaGarza, his central defense partner in the win at Houston – Van Damme was suspended for yellow-card accumulation – said he’s been impressed with Steres’ efforts.
“I think he’s been one of our most consistent players,” DeLaGarza said. “I think anyone coming from Galaxy II and having the impact he’s had you could say is surprising. But I’m not really surprised.”
He said Steres’ comfort level has grown noticeably as the year has gone on.
“He’s someone we trust and believe in.”
Steres said his confidence continues to grow, but he also admitted he needs to work on his consistency and keep up with the learning process.
Every week, he explained, presents something new in the form of a difficult opponent. Toronto’s Sebastian Giovinco, who stands just 5 feet 4, and Montreal’s 6-2 Didier Drogba are perfect examples of what he faces.
“Completely different players,” Steres said. “That’s the thing with this league, you get all sorts of forwards that come at you.
“You have the Drogbas who are big guys, target forwards. Then you have the little guys like Giovinco, guys who are tricky.
“Every week is a different challenge.”
