Not the most important post on this board today, but quick recap of the 2-2 draw (won in shootout) against Vancouver 2 this week-end. Great game from Saldana, a couple of good recovers and nifty moves to get out of pressure. Tellez, who looks like the same type of player, had a nice entrance too. It's getting better offensively for Los Dos : Alcala, Calderon, Picazo, Villalpando have flaws (final ball is very erratic) but collectively there are more and more nice sequences. Micovic didn't impress in any way (and conceded exactly the same goal Bond conceded last weekend against Charlotte) but credit to him for stopping two PKs. Zapien once again struggled.
Here's the LA Galaxy II 18 for the game tonight against North Texas. Incidentally, not that we should read too much into this, but Carson Klein isn't in the 18 in the first game since he dad was fired. DALE DOS 🗣️Your Starting XI for #NTXvLA!#LosDos x @MLSNEXTPRO pic.twitter.com/GLLSJ10eqZ— LA Galaxy II (@LAGalaxyII) June 4, 2023
Pretty uninspiring game that the G2s lose 2-0. Didn't test the keeper much and a lot of sloppy passes. Final from Arlington.#NTXvLA x @MLSNEXTPRO pic.twitter.com/1yAsQbCQ68— LA Galaxy II (@LAGalaxyII) June 5, 2023
I am with you @Benny Dargle. I watched the first 70 minutes and fell asleep, and Los Dos didn't show anything. As usual Jillson looked OK but I can't give you another G2 player who had a good game. Axel Picazo is OK at dribbling, but not fast enough for a winger and not so sharp in the final third. The fact we kept him in the roster for this season is still a mistery to me, I don't understand what the club sees in him. Aaron Bibout is second in the Golden Boot race with 7 goals but his first touch is terrible and his finish is so inconsistent... He's good at two things : solid in the air, he scored a couple of good goals with his head, and his pressing has created a lot of turnovers recently. I'm sorry to regularly criticize him but there is a big gap between the stats and his effectiveness on the field.
Our Starting XI to face Real Monarchs 👊#SLCvLA x @MLSNEXTPRO pic.twitter.com/5IAdXvz5ej— LA Galaxy II (@LAGalaxyII) June 10, 2023 If you don't have enough of RSL, here comes a game against their MLS Next Pro side.
Galaxy lose a 3-2 lead to a late goal and then lose in PKs 5-4 to come out with only the 1 point. Bibout scored his 8th goal for the first goal for the G2s, which is good since they may need to bring him up to the first team when Jovelic is away on int'l duty with Chicharito out Lighting fast response from Los Dos ⚡️Bibout nets his eighth goal of the campaign, joint best in MLS NEXT Pro, and @LAGalaxyII levels things up! pic.twitter.com/w2hG7GnEgf— MLS NEXT Pro (@MLSNEXTPRO) June 10, 2023 Alcala put on a clinic dribbling through the defense for the second goal Put on your dancin shoes 🕺Alcala shows off some shifty moves and eventually puts home the equalizer for @LAGalaxyII! pic.twitter.com/ZXUyOVbKaV— MLS NEXT Pro (@MLSNEXTPRO) June 10, 2023 Alcala had a great cross and Amadin header for the 3-2 lead LOS DOS LEAD!!!Alcala puts in a perfect cross and Amadin heads it in at the back post to give @LAGalaxyII it's first lead! pic.twitter.com/dhxK29ag30— MLS NEXT Pro (@MLSNEXTPRO) June 10, 2023
G2 just went from maybe the best game of the season to a complete waste. They played a very solid game all along, coming back twice from deficit, with one player who shined bright : Alex Alcala. He had an assist to Bibout after a run through the Salt Lake 2 defense, then scored a beauty with quick feet and a give-and-go with Gonzalez, and had a beautiful cross with his wrong foot on the third. Then Los Dos conceded a stoppage-time goal, and they were heading to shootouts. After two PKs, they lead 2-0, and managed to blow this lead after Alcala slipped on his attempt, then Essengue went wide. Amadin, who scored what we thought the GWG, missed his PK. Terrible desillusion. It was really a nice game from Los Dos but the defense is still terrible. It would be interesting to see if things will improve when Ferkranus comes back from WC.
G2 playing Rapids2 right now. Ferkranus, Saldana, Perez, Micovic, and Vivi starting among first team players and Bibout and Gonzalez among recent call ups. Klein on the bench for those curious about whether he left when his Dad was let go. Colorado up 2-1 in the first half Starting XI for #LosDos to take on Rapids 2 👊#COLvLA x @MLSNEXTPRO pic.twitter.com/LoPPjo0RiN— LA Galaxy II (@LAGalaxyII) June 26, 2023
Here’s Calderon’s goal for the G2s in the first half ⚠️ Calderón Banger ⚠️Juan Calderón opens the scoring in #COLvLA! pic.twitter.com/h5Ye7iKfON— LA Galaxy II (@LAGalaxyII) June 26, 2023
From 2-1 down at half to losing 5-1. That was really bad and the second time we've given up 5 goals in a game (both to the Rapids 2). In both Rapids 2 games there have been red card issues. We were down to 9 in the first game and this game we were down to 10in the 77th minute when Essengue got a second yellow. The Rapids scored two more goals after we were down a man. Fulltime. pic.twitter.com/MM8rigsP1k— LA Galaxy II (@LAGalaxyII) June 26, 2023
Terrible game all around except maybe for five minutes in the first half, when Calderon scored his golazo (and seems to confirm he's worth a look for the future) then Jonny Pérez almost chipped the goalkepper from midfield. Otherwise, Bibout and Alcala were invisible, Saldana almost had a stinker by his standards, Carbone doesn't look good enough, Gonzalez was lost as a RB, Essengue remains a disaster waiting to happen... I was not impressed with Gino Vivi in his few minutes with the first team, and in this MLS Next Pro game he looked offensively as neutral as you could be. Ferkranus name popped up upon the Colorado game because of the lack of CBs, but I guarantee he's not ready (will he ever be?) and we're probably more fine with Leerdam or everybody else here.
I was the one who raised Ferkranus' name for the Colorado game, mostly because he's the last CB standing after Mavinga, but I agree he's not there yet. To be fair, though, I've seen him play better next to Neal. I think they're expecting Ferkranus to somehow help organize things, while Essengue roams and that just doesn't work (especially since Essengue really isn't a CB - his main position is listed as defensive mid, which makes a little more sense). Ferkranus needs a steady hand next to him and even then he's good for several mistakes a game.
It was not directed to you, I read his name almost everywhere and even I thought it was not a bad idea. IMO your opinion on Ferkranus is spot on. Less than four years ago it seems he was ahead of Neal (who's way more clever indeed), but Neal has hugely surpassed him. I'm not sure Ferkranus will have a better MLS career than Hugo Arellano at the moment.
G2s play the Quakes 2 tonight. Ferkranus is being paired with Klein and Legaspi (an 06) on the back line. I guess it can’t be any worse than the Rapids game. I’m also a little more confident with Jillson in goal than Micovic. Your #LosDos Starting XI to face Quakes II 😤#SJvLA x @MLSNEXTPRO pic.twitter.com/RGD3au6v9S— LA Galaxy II (@LAGalaxyII) June 30, 2023
1-1 in the 24th minute. Bibout scores his 9th goal of the season And we're LEVEL in San Jose! 🗣️Bibout gets behind the defense for his 9️⃣th goal of the season. @LAGalaxyII pic.twitter.com/cQ5g0THkP2— MLS NEXT Pro (@MLSNEXTPRO) June 30, 2023
Here was San Jose’s goal to make it 1-0 early. Very unlucky for Jillson as it appeared to hit off a defender and pop over his head Serrano flicks the ball over the keeper to open his scoring account! 💥1-0 @EarthquakesII pic.twitter.com/lIlLY0TLJT— MLS NEXT Pro (@MLSNEXTPRO) June 30, 2023
Picazo goal to tie it up again 2-2 GOLAZO! 🚀Picazo buries the strike for the equalizer! @LAGalaxyII pic.twitter.com/s2UWIC1TUa— MLS NEXT Pro (@MLSNEXTPRO) June 30, 2023
Tied 2-2 at end of regulation. Going to PKs (there are no ties in MLS Next Pro) Shootout time in San Jose 💥— LA Galaxy II (@LAGalaxyII) June 30, 2023
Galaxy lose in the shootout 9-8. We were really good at PKs until we got to the centerbacks. I felt bad for Emiliano Garcia, an 06 who came on in the second half for his first appearance in an MLS Next Pro game and then has to take a PK and kicked it over the bar. Jillson bailed him out and saved the next one, but Ferkranus came on next and did the same thing and San Jose scored theirs to win the two points, leaving the G2s with one. 1674631934415175680 is not a valid tweet id
I admire MLS Next Pro's attempt to hype up the LAFC2 game on July 12th as "El Trafichico," and I do think the Academy kids think of it as a rivalry because many of them grew up playing together or against each other and some have switched sides over the years too, but the teams are 13th (G2) and 14th (LAFC2) -- second-to-last and last -- in the Western Conference standings and the game is at Dignity Health Sports Park where they don't even sell tickets to LA Galaxy II games. The only LA Galaxy II tickets for a home game you can find online are for the Wrexham game on July 22. No one other than the parents of the players are battling the traffic for this game on a Wednesday night. El Trafichico: A preview of MLS NEXT Pro's first-ever edition of El Trafico@NicoleBeckelman sat down with players and coaches of @lafc_2 and @LAGalaxyII as they get ready to meet for the very first time in MLS NEXT Pro on Wednesday, July 12. 🏟 pic.twitter.com/9xAlmI8iZA— MLS NEXT Pro (@MLSNEXTPRO) July 7, 2023 If you do want to watch a game in-person between the two teams, however, you can buy tickets for their game on Sat Aug. 12th at 1:00 when it's played at LAFC2's home (Titan Stadium at Cal State Fullerton).
Galaxy II with a win tonight on a Carson Klein goal. I’ve never seen him before, but I knew it was him from the way he ran after the score of the goal. Looked just like his old man.
I’m having trouble reconciling his name is Carson but he was born 5 years before Chris came to the Galaxy and the year before Home Depot Center opened.
1-0 win against Saint-Louis but the Galaxy made the game way more difficult that it should have been. Los Dos had a ton of opportunities but weren't sharp in the final third. Goal came from Carson Klein following a free kick with a good header from Bibout to assist Klein. Goalkeeper Novak Micovic saved the day for Los Dos, he was absolutely fantastic, including a PK stop when the score was still 0-0. Essengue will give you cold sweats under pressure, he's playing with way too much confidence and too often it leads to dangerous turnovers. Mauricio Cuevas passing and crossing were surprisingly sloppy. Vivi showed some flashes with a couple of dribbles and decent shots, that's a debut. Alcala is so quick with the ball, it's sometimes too quick even for him as he's still turning the ball over too much. Next game on Wednesday : it's "El Trafichico" against LAFC 2.