Official: 2021 LA Galaxy II Season

Galaxy II keeper Abraham Romero signs with Orange County SC. Given that it didn't seem like he had a path forward with the senior team and the Galaxy have a logjam there already (Bond, Klinsmann, Vom Steeg, and Lopez), this makes sense.

.@orangecountysc has signed goalkeeper Abraham Romero,
 22, who made 16 appearances for @LAGalaxyII during the 2020 season and finished with the second-most saves in the USL with 64. Romero has also played for youth national teams in the U.S. and Mexico

— Kevin Baxter 🇺🇦🏳️‍🌈 (@kbaxter11) January 27, 2021

 

Romero was one of LAG II's best players last season, and one of the best keepers in the league. I don't know why he's not getting a first team contract. Lopez, I also agree about him. Every game I've seen him play in recent years he seems to play really well.

I have no idea why Klinsmann was signed. I don't see much to suggest he's better than Vom Steeg. In fact, I've always regarded Vom Steeg higher between the two keepers. Even if Klinsmann was marginally better, what sense does it make to have two GK's the same age who are right around the same level of player when you won't even use one as a development keeper in the reserves?

There seems to be no plan here with any of these keepers. They all seem likely to rotate 2nd, 3rd, 4th on the depth chart for a few years, and then they'll get cycled out. As a non-LAG fan that is a fan of the USMNT, I'd rather see some plan here because there are a bunch of talented keepers in this mix. Good for Romero that he got out when he saw no pathway to first team minutes. He'll make his way into a first division soon enough.

 

Are the Sounders coming to LA and only playing preseason games against the G2 or are they playing the regular Galaxy senior team too? These are scheduled a week or so before the start of the MLS season. I get that you will play college and lower division teams preseason, especially early on or to get games for fringe players, but you would think you would be focusing on rounding into season form against MLS competition by then. The G2s will be a bunch of teenagers most likely.

 

I like that Los Dos remained in the USL Championship. They'll play a 27-week 32-match schedule that exposes our young G's to the rigors of playing on the road when they travel to places like Tacoma, Oakland, and Sacramento, with the furthest road trip possibly being at Rio Grande Valley. I also like that the only MLS 2 squads are Tacoma, Real Monarchs, and RGV.

USL Championship Unveils 2021 League Alignment

 

Apparently, Los Dos is having a closed door scrimmage with LA Force today. Seems like it might be more accurate to describe it a scrimmage with the LA Galaxy Academy oldest team, with a few GII players sprinkled in. They don't appear to have anything close to a full roster yet

PRESEASON FRIENDLY
LA Force v. Los Dos
Closed door match#WeAreTheForce #NISA pic.twitter.com/vJpFn4mK25

— Los Angeles Force (@LosAngelesForce) March 19, 2021

 

https://www.espn.com/soccer/la-gala...xico-youth-avalos-16-to-professional-contract

 

Congrats to former Strikers FC youth player Victor Valdez on signing with LA Galaxy II! pic.twitter.com/fzgLMQvtxS

— Strikers FC Irvine (@strikersirvine) March 25, 2021

 

A three year player at UC Riverside. He fits the Romney (USF)/Steres (San Diego State)/De Puy (UCSB) model of signing to GII these somewhat older and more experienced local college players who may have been overlooked or missed in the draft and the MLS homegrown market. It allows us to see whether they can be contributors and that contribution potentially can come sooner because of their age/experience. Based on a preliminary view of him in early scrimmages, you could see how he might be a bit ahead of some of our teenage prospects right now.

 

Too bad. Striker-less was the perfect preparation for our first team setup.