Official: 2020 LA Galaxy II Season

First I apologize : Los Dos only needed a win (regardless of the result of the San Diego game) to qualify for the playoffs. It's done for the second consecutive year under Junior Gonzalez!

Typical Los Dos win : the youngsters didn't dominate in possession, but were a lot more effective with the ball in the few attacking plays they made. They relied on a solid defense and the best players of the team (Romero, Vazquez, Hernandez, Williams) all delivered huge performance.



That's the same song week after week : Romero was once again huge with great reflexes. Neal still lacks the consistency and should have recognized the space in front of him on OC goal, but again I saw promising things.

Vazquez had his best game in a while (though he's been good lately). If he can erase the few occasional mistakes, he could shine through his two best qualities : his positional on crosses and his late tackles. If he can do this, he's first team material.

Jorge Hernandez was huge, maybe his best game of the season, as always very hard to disposess and finally decisive in the final third with a good assist to Williams and a great finish to seal the victory. Unfortunately the disappointing performance came from Perez who did exactly what Hernandez was doing lately : trying to do too much and be too pretty.

Alvarado made a huge play on the play which lead to the PK, and I've seen improvement lately. Keep up the good work. Nava was once again lively after coming off the bench and was finally rewarded with his first assist of the season.

And again Williams showed why he's so valuable to this team, with a great hold up play on the first goal (you can tell he's walking on water when he succeeds at this), and a PK drawn and converted. Auggie is now second in the Golen Boot standings (two goals away from the first place), with the impressive numbers of 12 goals and 2 assists in 1293 minutes (15 games, 14 starts).

Here are the highlights. Just look at them, you will see more goals and more beautiful plays than you saw in the last few weeks from the first team.

 

The Galaxy have a meaningless game at first-place Phoenix on Saturday. The result won't matter as Los Dos are guaranteeed to finish second in their group, so I hope to see a lot of bench players (rest will be needed as Junior Gonzalez didn't rotate his team at all this season).

Then there is the playoffs game which will be played at Reno, who have a great record this season.

Most of you won't realize but this qualification is a MASSIVE performance. Los Dos were drawn in what was described as the toughest group in USL (composed of five teams when most had four, Phoenix (SS winner last year) was a sure bet for the first place, and then there were the solid Orange County and the new but actually good San Diego, and Las Vegas was not one of the worst teams in USL).

And in the middle of these big teams, the young Galaxys played their cards right and looked way more matured than their age. For example, the starting eleven last night averaged 20 years! Lately they've been the comeback kids as they came from behind to win points in their last four games (2-2-0 record). I've been impressed at how effective they have been (they don't throw numbers forward, they attack very methodically) and they often look good at managing the good and bad strides through a game.

Great job young men and let's go for the playoffs!

 

Game at Phoenix in about an hour.



Apart from Saldana (who has lead the team in minutes this year) not starting, it's the usual starting XI.

 

1-4 loss to Phoenix to finish the regular season. Los Dos started the game on the front foot and scored an impressive team goal early (great cross from Gutierrez to Williams who scored on his only chance tonight). But Phoenix was by far the better side, and looked very sharp in the final third. No surprise here.

Cuevas had a terrible night as he was burn on his side on three of the four goals. That's not the first time I point to this flaw, and despite all the goals and the assists he can produce, he's not ready yet. On the other side, Vazquez and Neal were not to blame despite the four goals.

The good surprise came from Adrian Gonzalez (Jonathan Gonzalez's brother), who got his first start of the season at the DM position. I thought his passing to break the lines was solid at times, and was more impactful on defense than Saldana. He's 17.

Gutierrez had a good night, best offensive player and almost the only man to create danger during the second half. Another typical Williams goal, who finishes second in Golden Boot standings with 13 goals. Impressive.

Next game is the playoffs game against Reno! Date has not been announced yet.

 

It's game day! Los Dos begin their playoffs campaign tonight as they face Reno on the road at 6 PM. Tough opponent, as Reno has collected more points than anyone in USL this year (36, 11-3-2 record, G2 have 26, 8-2-6 on the season). History is not on Los Dos side too, as the Galaxy reserves never got a single point against Reno (0-0-6 record).

But there is hope, as G2 have been able to show all year long they're a clever team, lead by striker Augustine Williams, the revelation of the season (second in Golden Boot rankings).

No Galaxy game tonight, so everyone should be looking at Los Dos performance.

Let's go young Galaxys!

 

Not a fan of starting Vera on a wing, but Perez and Nava could be nice sparks from the bench.

 

Terrible start from G2, as Reno scored after a Romero bad pass in the 4th minute.

 

Goal Los Dos! Jalen Neal with the header from a free kick by Cuevas! Good job!

 

Goal Reno. Deserved goal, simple passes but Los Dos defense was not agressive enough on this one.

 

Halftime, 2-1 Reno, and G2 are lucky it's not 4-1. Reno's movement and high press are too much for Los Dos. Our wing play has been atrocious. Cuevas and Bawa are our best players so far.

Vera off for Perez soon please.

 

Final score : 4-1 Reno. Los Dos were beaten by a far better team who made them look uninspired all night long. Season is over.

Overall 2020 has been a year of hopes for G2. This young core will be very interesting to watch in 2021. With more games and experience under their belts, these young guys could be hard to beat in the future.

As I do every year, I will do a review player by player in the next few days.

 

One week after the season ended for Los Dos, I begin my player-by-player review as I do each year. I begin with the goalkeepers, or I should say, the goalkeeper (in parentheses is the year of born).

Abraham Romero (1998) : coming off a disappointing year where he was clearly behind Vom Steeg and Lopez, Romero had a very impressive season. Don't let the numbers fool you : Romero conceded 35 goals in 16 games but he was also second in saves in all the USL (61), which means the defense was not great. And indeed, I couldn't count the number of times he was facing one vs. one a running opponent. Romero is a shot stopper with great reflexes, OK at one vs. one but must improve on coming off his line on corner kicks. But overall, a very solid year for a player who sometimes almost singly kept his team in contention. So what's next for Romero? It's hard to tell : after a year like the one he had, I would have say he should sign for the first team. The problem is we already have a lot of young GKs here, and if Klinsmann doesn't pan out, we'll probably sign another one, which would mean Romero is the number 5 on the depth chart (new GK, Klinsmann, Vom Steeg, Lopez), which would be a waste.

Otherwise, Eric Lopez (1999) played one game (and was awesome, to me he's still the future there), Anthony Ramos (2003) just got a few minutes and Carlos Zuniga (2002) made the bench a couple of times, so I have not a lot to say.

 

Next review is on the fullbacks :

Mauricio Cuevas (2003) : he lead the team in minutes played, assists and was the second best goal scorer this season (4 goals and 4 assists in 17 games). These are stunning numbers for a fullback. Cuevas is comfortable with the ball, his crosses and set pieces are often well taken, and he can hit a long ball. I told you earlier in the season about the four (four!) free kicks he scored. My concern is his defensive abilities. He's not bad, but there were a numberous of times this season when a running opponent outmuscled him. He's right-footed and played both RB and LB, but I think his best position is on the right (he played on the left because Bawa, who is also right-footed, is not as comfortable with the ball as Cuevas is). Cuevas is one of the top prospects of our club, a different player than Araujo (who's more suited for MLS right now, and probably a little bit better overall), but a name to remember.

Isaac Bawa (1997) : a versatile player who played all the defensive positions (including CB), Bawa is a force of nature with very good athleticism. But that's not his main quality : Bawa is fearless, and is never afraid to shoot or to go to the fight against his opponent. Obviously it helps him on defense, but it's also stupefying how he can sometimes beat an opponent one-on-one just with his desire to get by him. I question his first touch and his ball driving, who are sometimes erratic, and I'm not sure he can improve a lot, but he deserves another year with the team.

Cuevas 2020 highlights are worth a look :

 

Next up in my season reviews : the central defenders.

Jesus Vazquez (1995) : the oldest player on this team, who's technically on loan from mexican club Atlante, Vazquez was the team Captain this season. A right-footed player who played as a LCB, Vazquez was IMHO our best defender. Agressive, good in the air despite not being that tall (5 foot 11), confident with the ball (sometimes too much), Vazquez has a nose to make the last-second spectacular clearance and save on a shot or on a cross (his positioning on crosses is good). That's a strength but it also says a little bit on his default : as a defender it's better to anticipate the play and not make a risky challenge to save it. Vazquez marking and following his man is sometimes not enough. That said, to me he's the most MLS ready player from Los Dos. Different player than Steres or DePuy, and maybe not as good TBH, he's closer to Jelle Van Damme if you want to compare him to someone. As depth (4th on the depth chart) he could be an OK signing next year.

Jalen Neal (2003) : maybe the most surprising player this year. I've heard about Cuevas, Saldana, Perez... But never heard of Neal. Jalen was Vazquez's partner most of the year, and was impressive for his age. So cool with the ball without trying to be too pretty, Neal has a solid sense of anticipation. That said, he was at fault a couple of times for not playing well the offside line, and it's an explanation of why our GK was facing many players one vs. one all season long. He has to improve there, but is definitely a player who could have a bright future in our club.

Marcus Ferkranus (2003) : a player who seems highly touted by the club (he's often training with the first team), Ferkranus had a strange season and played only 234 minutes this year (only two starts), mainly because Neal was solid IMO. Ferkranus didn't impress me, he is physically gifted and very hard to move, but I didn't see anything special in him. A little bit disappointing but it's clearly too early to judge.

 

Next on my review : the defensive-minded midfielders.

Adam Saldana (2002) : Saldana, a small player, was the undisputed starting DM this season for Los Dos. I have mixed feelings about him : he's great to get out from tight spaces and knows how to be the first person to build out of the back. On this side, he's doing the job. I'm more concerned about the defensive side. Saldana is a very stay-at-home DM, who's not speedy and not very athletic. I didn't see him having any defensive impact, he seems to be a little bit behind the play, and his defensive actions looked more about fouling the opponent than recovering the ball. I was a little bit disappointing from a player who seems highly touted by the club. Maybe his best spot is not DM, and maybe higher on the field? 2021 will be interesting for him.

Adrian Gonzalez (2003) : didn't play much (168 minutes) but Jonathan Gonzalez's brother looked great when he did. I just wanted to mention him.

Adrian Vera (1997) : in fact Vera was the utility man all season long, and played at almost every spot : fullback, CM, winger... His best spot remains box-to-box midfielder to me. Yes, Vera was useful as a veteran presence and helped to fill the gaps left by a short roster, but he didn't shine much. It's not a good sign to be played everywhere and don't have a proper spot. Vera is all about fighting but his technic both on offense and on defense is raw, sometimes a good cross or a good tackle but that's not enough. My opinion about him has never changed, it's time to move on.

Alejandro Alvarado Jr. (2003) : Alvarado Jr., as many other youngsters, was anonymous at the beginning of the season, but he quickly improved and became the starting box-to-box midfielder in our 4-3-3. Alvarado Jr. is very good to get out of tight spaces, make the forward pass and has good vision. He scored one of the most important goal of the season, against San Diego in stoppage time (1-1). Still a little bit young, but the talent is here and he may be one of the most improved player over the season.

 

Next ones : the CAM.

Jorge Hernandez (2000) : Jorge was given the keys of the attack this year, as he mainly played a CAM role in a 4-3-3. Hernandez is super-talented, very skillful on the ball, quick in execution, with solid vision. But I must say, he had a disappointing year. Statistically, only two goals and two assists in 1261 minutes is just OK. The two problems are his athleticism (very small player who's easy to stop with a "simple" foul) and the fact he's trying to be sometimes too pretty, holding on too long to the ball. His game lacks consistency and effectiveness. I'm worried about him, not because of his talent, and I'm sure he will have his chance next year again, but there are at least two younger players who look ahead of him in the club right now (Efrain and Perez). Again, I'm not sure this CAM position suits him the best.

Jonathan Perez (2003) : the only first team player with extending minutes for Los Dos this year, Perez is a CAM who almost only played as a right winger. His qualities? Almost the same as Hernandez, but he's also a little bit faster. He looked more effective than Jorge, and his stats tend to confirm it : 4 goals and 2 assists in 846 minutes. Perez scored a lot of his goals as a second runner inside the box, mostly attacking the near post after opposite defenders were lured by Williams. One of the most talented player in Los Dos, remember his name.

Victor Valdez (2004) played a couple of minutes at CAM too, and looked decent for his young age.

 

I have a little bit of time so I'll go now with the wingers :

Ivan Gutierrez (1998) : the former Guadalajara youth teams player co-lead the team in assists (4, along with Cuevas) from his LW position. Gutierrez can be spot on with his crosses, the problem he is too much inconsistent. I can't count how many times he was subbed off without having any impact. Very one dimensional player, tries to beat the fullback with pace and pulls of a good cross and that's all. He's not horrid but he will never be good enough for the first team, so I would cut him.

Sebastian Nava (2003) : a right-footed player capable of playing on both wings, Nava's main strength is speed. I saw a little bit of improvement over the season as he was less and less running like a headless chicken, but I've not been impressed. I hope he'll gain maturity with more playing time.

 

Last, but not least, the striker and my MVP for this season :

Augustine Williams (1997) : he has got most of the headlines, rightfully so. Williams finished the year with 13 goals and 2 assists in 17 games (16 starts, 1446 minutes). After a decent but not very promising 2019 season, he has carried the team most of the year and emerged as a leader for this young team. Without him, the season would have been completely different. Williams is a pure target striker, very good in the air and dangerous on set pieces, but he's also capable of making a nice run behind the defense. His weakness? His first touch is erratic and he's useless far to the goal, you need to keep him inside the box for the header or the tap-in. I would describe him as a mix between Gyasi Zardes and Alan Gordon.

Williams was the second-best goalscorer in USL this year, was voted player of the month for September/October and earned a spot in the USL team of the year. Impressive.

So, what can we expect from Williams next year? I don't know, because I can't say what his real level is. He has drastically improved from last year where he was just a decent USL sub (and Zubak looked better than him), sometimes I wonder if he wasn't just walking on water this season. A target striker capable of scoring goals is always useful so I think he has a chance to sign for the first team, but don't make the same mistake as we did with Zubak : it's too risky to consider him as a backup for Chicharito (or anyone else).