CARSON, Calif. – Curt Onalfo’s youth-laden squad came through to give the LA Galaxy their second straight victory of the preseason.
LA Galaxy II midfielder Jaime Villarreal scored the lone goal to give the Galaxy a 1-0 win over Real Salt Lake in a closed-door scrimmage at StubHub Center. The victory gives the Galaxy a 2-1-1 record for the preseason.
Onalfo opted for a mostly reserve lineup during the first 60 minutes of the scrimmage before inserting his starting group in the final half-an-hour. Included in the final 30-minute shift was new Galaxy Designated Player Romain Alessandrini who made his first appearance for the club.
“Both groups there was some real positive things in terms of moving the ball, so out of both groups, I thought that we were very good,” the Galaxy head coach told LA Galaxy Insider. “We need to continue to get sharper in the final third which is always the last thing to come. It was another day where we’re moving in the right direction.”
The Galaxy’s second group earned the start after playing just 30 minutes in the team’s 2-0 victory over Alashkert FC. The younger squad seemed to perform well as they largely dominated the tempo against Salt Lake.
After several looks at goal, the Galaxy broke through in the 40th minute. The goal came from the run of play when Jack McBean astutely held up the ball before finding Ema Boateng on the flank and allowing the speedy Ghanaian to find Villarreal lurking at the back post.
For the younger Villarreal brother, the goal caps what has been a successful preseason for the 21-year-old from Inglewood.
“So far this preseason has been going well,” Villarreal said. “This game shows that I’m showing good progress and I’m moving along well. The coaching staff believes in me.”
The Galaxy’s preseason preparations will conclude on Saturday when they play host to the Portland Timbers at StubHub Center. According to Onalfo, the excitement in his squad is starting to set in with the preseason coming to a close.
“You start getting heightened, and you feel like you never have enough time honestly," he said. "It’s a matter of getting better each day, and that’s the approach that you have to take. If you keep chipping away every day with that mentality, then you’ll be in a good place.”
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog atLAGalaxy.com/Insiderand contact him atLAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com
