Since I see no way they expand the track stadium, I assume this means the GII games will be in the main stadium next season so that the team will comply with D2 stadium requirements. https://www.si.com/soccer/2017/10/03/usl-division-2-application-us-soccer-nasl-lawsuit-jake-edwards
Interesting link. But very expensive to open the main stadium. Isn't there room for additional bleachers at the south end of the T&F stadium - not that I think they want to do that. But isn't that an option if the main stadium is prohibitive?
Perhaps, but I think they would need something like 3000-4000 more seats for it to satisfy the minimum. That's a pretty big upgrade.
Just finished the 3-0 loss against Oklahoma and it's pretty much the same to me, except for the midfield. Starting the young Mendez and Hernandez brang a little bit of creativity. Still not impressive but it was an upgrade over the last few games. We looked a little bit more comfortable in the final third thanks to both (Mendez playing as a 8, Hernandez as a 10) but they're still too young. Hernandez is skilled and works his ass off but needs to be more effective and play simpler. I thought Arteaga had another good game until he was completely humiliated on the second goal. But worth a look in the next few years. Agree on Engola, MOTM with Vom Steeg who looked solid. Last home game of the season tonight against Portland 2.
I was wondering about that. Really wanting a win or no reason to keep these players out for the first team?
We don't play this weekend so maybe it's a matter of giving playing time to the young (but not so young) guys. And maybe a win is really wanted for the last home game of the season on fan appreciation night? HT : 1-0 for Portland, who could have add a second without two big consecutive saves from Vom Steeg and Smith. LA tried but were not that dangerous in the end. Lassiter and Mendiola were active but Raul missed a golden pass to McBean who should have make it 1-1. Best player of the half for Los Dos was Payeras to me. Edit : things gonna be interesting : Efrain Alvarez about to make his @LAGalaxyII debut in the second half of #LAvPOR. Watch. https://t.co/fV3yliQ2gx #LAGalaxy— Adam Serrano (@AdamSerrano) October 8, 2017
Goal Lassiter after a beautiful move on the left side, an attempted cross to McBean (or a shot) is deflected into the net. 1-1, deserved goal.
Goal McBean! And an assist for Efrain Alvarez! Alvarez took a good FK slightly defected by McBean and it's 2-1 LA Portland is playing with ten men after a red card.
Goal Portland after Turner was beaten on the left side. And stoppage time goal by Payeras who collects a ball after a cross from Mendiola and slots it home!!! FT : 3-2 Galaxy. Congrats to the guys, it wasn't perfect but it's a hard fought win.
First time I saw Efrain Alvarez on a soccer pitch last night. He is left-footed, and played almost as a second striker next to McBean. Obviously he looked skilled, but what I liked is that he didn't try to do too much most of the time. He didn't look exceptional but wasn't out of place either. And he had an assist. We should absolutely hang on to Lassiter. He is the greatest goal scorer from the corp of McBean, BJIV, Villarreal and Mendiola. I can't predict if he'll be successful at the MLS level, but IMO he has room for improvement. And Payeras, especially with his game winning goal, was the MOTM. I always liked him, but he seems to be ready for the first team. Not a starter of course, but guys like Steres and Romney gave us cheap minutes, and he's not worse than them.
It was fun to watch a game that we win in the last minutes! I agree with all of the above. Alvarez has a particular style; he floats around and then does something good with the ball. He has weaknesses. He's neither quick nor fast and doesn't seem to have a hard shot, but he has a good shot and is great a free kicks. In some ways (and some ways not) he reminds me of Mendiola and I hope we don't screw him up. Raul has become a smart and hard worker but he's lost the specialness that I thought he had before. IMO, Alvarez can only play as a second striker or a 10 in a 3-5-2, but I think he's good enough that I would start him in that position next season for G2.
I watched the replay of the last match just to see Alvarez' debut. Agree with most of the assessments here, I was impressed with his composure and decision making at such a young age, but his athleticism is pretty unremarkable, probably to be expected.
Ended the year with a loss, because how else. Vera had a nice goal that showed some effort and skill, so I can see what led him to be signed, but it's not consistently enough. Engola had a deserved red card.
2-1 loss against Real Moarchs SLC for the last game of the season. Two goals conceded on corner kicks in the first half, Engola lost his man on the first and Vera on the second, but Fuji also missed a relatively easy clearance on the second, it was abysmal. Vera finished an OK second half of the season with a goal, after a good but a little bit lucky give and go with Jaime Villarreal. Dhillon Zubak Vera Villarreal Covarrubias Fuji Arellano Engola Payeras Turner Vom Steeg Payeras was once again our best player and almost never put a foot wrong. He's ready for the first team IMO. Vera did OK on the wing, he is one of the most improved player of the year, and there are not too many. Villarreal was OK in the final third and managed to do a few dangerous passes, but his lack of athleticism and anonymous defensive play make me really think he will have a hard time making it to the first team. Arellano, who's still not a LB, had a bad game. Engola did OK but got a deserved red card in the end. Dhillon and Zubak still can't finish, and I still want to see more of Ethan on a wing. His play is simple (maybe too simple in fact) but more useful to the team. That said, he's often a turnover machine so I'm not sure I want to see him in the building of our plays. And for those who remember we traded for him at the beginning of the year, Miguel Aguilar played the last ten minutes. In fact he only played in the first and in the last games of the season, most likely because of a serious injury (but it was undisclosed). End of a bad year for G2, in fact the worst year of their history. I will make a review of every player during the offseason. Have a good holiday.
“Lack of athleticism and anonymous defensive play” is a very articulate and accurate description of his play in general. It’s easy to get blinded by his nice touch and occasional beautiful play and miss the fact he is largely ineffective on both ends of the field. His first game on the senior team was quite promising but unfortunately turned out to be his peak.
2017 review of the GKs : - Lopez (1999) : very solid season for a 18 years old. Relatively good at everything you can ask to a goalkeeper, he sometimes had crazy reaction saves. Not helped by his teammates, he was named the defensive player of the year for G2, rightfully so IMO (Payeras not being long enough with the team). He was our best player a lot of times. Could have been the starter next year without a problem. - Vom Steeg (1997) : came with a good reputation, and did "just" OK. He was solid, but I wanted maybe a little bit more from him. A player to follow next year, I just hope it won't slow Lopez's progression. - Sneddon (1997, ironically he's one day older than Vom Steeg) : not very often a good save, but far too many mistakes which haven't been fixed since last year. Can't see the field next year with Lopez, Vom Steeg and the first team GKs. Diop and Kempin (both born in 1993) also played a few games with Los Dos, but you already know them. Kempin had the best stats of every GK listed above, confirming he could be a solid number 3 in the depth chart of the first team IMO.
RB : - Turner (1996) : was our first choice RB this year after being dumped by Orlando. Did OK this year, worked his ass off and added a little bit to the attack but still too inconsistent. A few solid emergency defending but it sums up his game : can sometimes pull a great tackle but lose his man a little bit too often. Honestly he's far from trash but I'm not sure he can make it to the first team. Next year will be clutch for him. - Smith (1994) : you already know him, can play RB but also LB. Physical player, maybe too much sometimes. Otherwise he has progressed (especially on the offensive side, he didn't add much to the attack last year) and was OK in USL play but still not MLS ready. And you know why? He's played more games with the first team than with Los Dos this year... I say it again : he should have played the whole year with the USL. Now I'm not sure what to do with him : he's not first team material but he's already 23. Maybe one more year with G2 and if he's not impressive, good bye? - Bailey (2000) : young promising guy who played in five games. Looked calm and effective with the ball, not much to say.
CB : - Arellano (1998) : signed with the first team this year, but mainly played with G2. Because he's left-footed he played both CB and LB, but he's much better at CB (same can be said with Romney, they're a little bit similar). He's a complete player : he reads the game well, can make some pretty good tackles, solid passer, solid in the air, and fast enough for a CB. He will turn only 20 next year and should be the starter with Los Dos next year. Looked better and better with the first team as he got more minutes. I like him. - Payeras (1993) : solid player too. Physically impressive, he can manhandle the opposite player to put his body between the ball and the opponent. He's impressive when he does this, without being reckless. He reads the game well too, he often manages to intercept the opponent passes. His biggest weakness might be that he's not that good in the air. He's first team ready to me. Yes he is old for a G2 player (just turned 24), but a guy like Steres gave us solid minutes at the age of 25, and I think he may be better than Dan. - Engola (1997) : one of the two Cameroonian we signed this offseason. Engola is a left-footed beast who played only CB this year. Physical player, good in the air, he's often intractable with his opponent when he's back to goal but sometimes too brutal. His passing was terrible at the beginning of the year, better at the end. Overall he was one of the most improved player over the year, and despite I'm not sure he can join the first team someday, he should get playing time next year. The problem is that he plays at the same spot than Arellano, and I don't want to see Engola at LCB and Arellano at LB (which we saw too much this year) because we should definitely develop the later in the center. - Castellanos (1998) : Omar 2.0 so far. Very good in the air, OK in one vs. one defending. The biggest problems are his passing who can be terrible and lead a few times to an opposite goal this year, and overall he must be more focused because he makes too many mistakes. Was solid at the beginning of the year when he was paired with Arellano (who steered him a little bit IMO) and had a couple of horrid games in the middle of the season. He completely disappeared after, I think he had a serious injury but the Galaxy never communicated about it. He's still young, he should get playing time next year. - Arteaga (2000) : the most impressive Academy player with G2 this year IMHO. His biggest quality : he looks so calm with the ball (maybe better than all the players listed above), and almost never lose it. Reads the game well and solid in the air. Must improve his one vs. one defending. Should definitely see more minutes next year. For the record the three best G2 players this year were IMO Lopez, Payeras and Arellano (in no particular order). Adrian Vera (the official MVP) would be only fourth, but TBH he played a lot more games so I can live with this.
LB : - Turnley (1993) : I think both the club and me had hopes for Turnley before the beginning of the season. He did OK with the second team last year (4 assists in 24 games) and he was a relatively high pick in the 2016 SuperDraft (42nd). He didn't live up our expectations, appearing in just 11 USL games (and started an USOC match with the first team), mainly because of injuries (I guess). He has an interesting profile : he's an attacking-minded LB, but not ala Roberto Carlos : his passing is solid and allows him to participate to the building of our attacks, his crossing is solid, and he also takes corner kicks sometimes. His weaknesses are his relatively slowness, and his defending skills are just OK. I don't know what to do with him because I'm not sure he's good enough for the first team even in a backup role, and he will turn 24 next month. Trial with the first team this offseason and if he's not good enough, move on? - Lonergan (1999) : played in seven games, mainly at the beginning of the season (injury?). Small player who looked OK, I didn't remember any particular quality/weakness. - Sepulveda (2001) : started four games at the end of the season (because of Turnley and Lonergan injuries I guess), and didn't look good, constantly beaten by runs from behind him. He's just 16 so not a big deal.
CM (where disaster begins...) : - Covarrubias (1991) : maybe our best CM this year and it says a lot about our midfield. Covarrubias is our oldest player (just turned 26), and originally left the club for Oklahoma at the end of the 2016 season, but was brought back early in 2017 when we figured out that we hadn't a real DM in our roster. Cova is a decent USL player, a hard-fighting DM who makes a lot of fouls and earns a lot of cards. He can sometimes hit a great diagonal ball, and has a solid shot. Just an OK player, hard to see him playing for the first team. - Fuji (1996) : terrible season. Turnover machine. He seemed to play with zero confidence. Seriously I can't take any positive, he was way better last year. - Zanga (1997) : the other Cameroonian, overall a bad season. Zanga is a physical force in the midfield who uses his body to run at the opposite lines. A few times he can be effective but he doesn't know much what to do with the ball in the final third, doesn't have a good shot and has almost zero creativity. Disappointing season, can't see more than a bench role next year IMO. - Jaime Villarreal (1995) : Jaime is good at combining in tight spaces, his passing is solid. But he's not physical enough for the top level, it's too easy to dispossess him, and he's not impactful enough on the defensive side. It makes him an average player. 22 years old, just been waived from the first team, if I have to bet he's gone. - Aguilar (1993) : traded from FC at the beginning of the year, I think he was supposed to be one of the best player of the team, but a serious injury limited him to just 41 minutes this year. Bad luck for him, I think he's gone. - Alvarez (2002) : still don't know what's his best spot, so he's on this list. For more information about his play, see my post after the Portland game (10/09/2017). Alex Juarez (1998), Ulysses Llanez (2001) and Alex Mendez (2000) are all Academy players who played a few games for us, but nothing to say more.
Wingers : Vera (1997) : the 2017 MVP, Vera was IMO the most improved player of the team (with Engola). He finished the season with 6 goals and 2 assists in 30 games and mainly played LW this year. Most improved player, best midfielder of the team but... Nothing really impressive. Vera is not particularly fast, he's not a good dribbler, his crossing is average, but his passing in tight spaces is decent and his finishing was solid. That's why I don't think he can turn into a solid winger, but his qualities are more adequate with a CM/8 role. I'm not sold on him but he has earned the right to have more chances. Mendiola (1994) : you already know him. Mendiola did OK this year, but not great. A few moments of brillance and overall a good fighting spirit but not consistent and probably not physical enough. He's probably gone. Jonathan Hernandez (1997) : mainly played as a RW this year, but also as a fullback where he was terrible. A few decent skills but otherwise he's average at the very best for the USL level. Don't play him over younger and more talented players please. Jorge Hernandez (2000) : just turned 17 a week ago, Hernandez maid a few appearances mainly as a sub at the RW position (and had an assist on a beautiful cross). He looks very much like Jose Villarreal : small player, great dribbling skills, earns a lot of fouls, good crossing, and he's maybe a little more faster than Jose. Overall he was inconsistent but IMO this is natural at his age and with his style of play. The Academy POTY sould see more playing time next year.
Forwards : Dhillon (1995) : finished the year as the leading goalscorer of the team (tied with Vera). I didn't realize but he had solid stats : 6 goals and 2 assists in 21 games (13 starts), 1240 minutes. This is not bad. Dhillon is a good athlete, physically gifted but fast for a man of his height. The problem is his finishing, which is too much inconsistent. Dhillon can miss opportunities an average striker whould have scored, but also can score a 25 yards screamer or a beautiful lob above the keeper at the top of the box on the next opportunity. He's relatively old but he has earned the right to have another chance next year. I'm not sold, in a certain way he reminds me of Alan Gordon at the beginning of his career but we're not in the 2008 MLS anymore. Zubak (1998) : sold by the club as a promising player, Zubak had a bad year. 4 goals and 3 assists in 28 games (21 starts) is not good enough. Zubak has speed, but that's all. His finishing has been bad so far, don't let his wondergoal (the fastest goal ever scored in USL) blind you. He does one thing very well : when he's on a wing, he can take a speedy cut back and beat his opponents with a run and send a dangerous low cross. That's a trademark move who makes me think he could be better as a winger. But his passing and his defending are just average, and he sometimes play with too much individualism. I don't like how the club is selling him and I warn you : he's far from being first team ready. That said, he's 19 years old so he deserves a few more chances. Amaya (1996) : 2 goals in 11 games before he tore his ACL. Skilled player, OK finishing, but almost always making the wrong choice, must play simpler. I'm not a fan and I don't think he will be first team material one day, especially after his severe injury. Maybe keep him for the bench this year and if he doesn't pan out, good bye. Estrada (2000) : will turn 17 at the end of the year, Estrada played a few games and scored a goal. Doesn't look to have any impressive quality and sometimes looked a little bit lost, but he was just 16. McBean (1 goal in 7 games) and Jose Villarreal (1 assist in 6 games) : I've already told about them, I think they're gone. Lassiter (1994) : 5 goals in 9 games, 6 starts, 659 minutes played, and he played both forward and LW in that time. That's impressive. Ari must be more consistent but he's a pure goal scorer who could score at any position. I like him, the next step now : more playing time with the first team. Jamieson IV (1996) : and Bradford is exactly the best example of what I said. He has been completely average at best for two years in the USL (1 assist in 5 games at the beginning of 2017), he had his chance with the first team and looked much better. I'm not sold on BJ4 as a MLS starter (far too inconsistent so far), but he is a good example of something : the best way to improve your attacking young talents is to play them at the highest level. I bet if Jose Villarreal would have had more playing time (and less injuries TBH), he would have had success with the first team (McBean had his chance but wasn't talented enough). Keep playing them in the USL is not a solution, so give Lassiter his chance! That's all for me, if you have any question or something to add, don't hesitate!
We don't have an LA Galaxy II Roster Moves thread, so I'll just put this here: No surprise on Covarrubias, who they brought back last year only because they needed some help with the youth. Castellanos was a young guy you hoped would develop, but I guess they felt it wouldn't happen. Turnley was the closest to the first team in the sense that he was a draft pick who played some games in preseason with the senior squad, but he's probably USL caliber rather than a prospect.
Yeah, none of these guys impressed me. Fuji was a disappointment because he was well thought of when he arrived. He probably should have stayed at Santa Barbara and got his degree. I'm curious who they will sign from the next academy class. I'd like to see them sign before the start of the USL season.