Lineups

Jon Kempin; Nathan Smith, Dave Romney, Hugo Arellano, Josh Turnley; Rafael Garcia ©, João Pedro; Bradford Jamieson IV, Raul Mendiola, Ariel Lassiter; Jack McInerney

Bench

Clement Diop, Jelle Van Damme, Jaime Villarreal, Jose Villarreal, Emmanuel Boateng, Jack McBean.

Storylines

• Similar to the team’s Fourth Round U.S. Open Cup contest against Orange County, the LA Galaxy will again field a lineup that showcases the success and significance of LA Galaxy II: 9 out of the 11 starters Wednesday night have either been products of or spent significant time with LA Galaxy II in previous years, in addition to Head Coach Curt Onalfo.
• Wednesday night’s game is once again great picture of the important of the Galaxy’s launch of LA Galaxy II and how it has come full circle: the very same players that developed and were signed through Galaxy II’s USL system are now the ones the first-team is relying on in their first match of the U.S. Open Cup. Playing in the Track & Field Stadium is a nice additional emphasis on that point.
• Specifically, four players were signed directly from LA Galaxy II (Nathan Smith, Dave Romney, Hugo Arellano, Ariel Lassiter), four players have all been regular contributors to Los Dos throughout the past three years (Jon Kempin, Rafael Garcia, Bradford Jamieson IV, Raul Mendiola) and one player is a current member of LA Galaxy II (Josh Turnley, who is being temporarily loaned up to the Galaxy in order to play).
• The team, led by former Los Dos Head Coach Curt Onalfo, is playing in StubHub Center Track & Field Stadium, the home of LA Galaxy II, against a USL side.
• Wednesday night will mark Josh Turnley’s first-ever appearance with the LA Galaxy during a competitive match. Turnley was originally drafted by the LA Galaxy in 2016 before signing with Los Dos. He is currently captain of LA Galaxy II in USL.
• Turnley was a four-year starter at Georgetown University, earning second Team All-Big East Conference en route to leading his team to a 16-2-3 record with shutouts in half of their games.
• Curt Onalfo will once again trust his young guns in the U.S. Open Cup contest: in the starting 11, only one player (Rafael Garcia) is over the age of 24.

Open Cup Info

• The Galaxy advanced from the U.S. Open Cup’s Fourth Round after a 3-1 win over USL side Orange County SC at StubHub Center Track & Field Stadium on June 14.
• The June 28 fixture will be the first-ever competitive meeting between LA Galaxy and Sacramento Republic FC.
• The Galaxy have recorded a 30-16-1 all-time record in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
• They have entered the Open Cup every year since 1999, winning the tournament in 2001 and 2005 while reaching the Open Cup Final on two other occasions.
• Last year, the Galaxy fell to FC Dallas in the semifinals of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
• Should the Galaxy advance, they’ll play away against the winner of San Jose Earthquakes vs. Seattle Sounders FC.
• Match preview

Escape – Rupert Holmes Lyrics

I was tired of my old club, we´d been together too long

Like a worn-out recording, of a favorite song

So while Sacramento lay there sleeping, I read the paper in bed

And in the personals column, there was this letter I read

If you like Piña Coladas, and Galaxy games in the rain
If you’re not into NorCal, if you have half a brain
If you like scoring goal in extra time, in the dunes of the pitch
I´m the love that you´ve looked for, write to me, and escape

I didn’t think about old club, I know that sounds kind of mean

But me and my old club, had fallen into the same old dull routine

So I wrote to the paper, took out a personal ad

And though I´m nobody´s poet, I thought it wasn´t half bad

Yes, I like Piña Coladas, and Galaxy games in the rain
I’m not much into health food, I am into champagne
I’ve got to meet you by tomorrow noon, and cut through all this red tape
At the StubHub Center, where we’ll plan our escape

- Rupert Holmes (1980)