LA Galaxy II announced today the full staff and roster ahead of the team’s opening match of the 2017 United Soccer League (USL) Regular Season. On Saturday, Los Dos will kick off their fourth season in USL at 2:00 p.m. PT against Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 at StubHub Center Track & Field Stadium.
The match, presented by Bare Republic, will see fans receive a free LA Galaxy II T-Shirt and LA Galaxy II magnet schedule upon entry. For more details about the team’s Home Opener, click here.
Click here for Los Dos season opener tickets
After three seasons with LA Galaxy II in which he led the team to three straight USL playoff appearances and a 2015 USL Western Conference Championship, Curt Onalfo was named Head Coach of the LA Galaxy ahead of the team’s 2017 MLS season. To take Onalfo’s place, LA Galaxy named former Galaxy Academy Director Mike Muñoz Head Coach of LA Galaxy II.
To accompany him in his first season as manager, Muñoz has appointed Assistant Coach Laurent Courtois and Goalkeeper Coach Claine Plummer to help Los Dos build on the team’s success of developing players within the Galaxy organization while maintaining the club’s level of success within the USL.
To start the 2017 season, 13 players are signed to USL contracts with LA Galaxy II. Seven of those players return from the 2016 roster, six of which are former Galaxy Academy members. Former Academy standouts Ryo Fujii (MF), Adrian Vera (MF), Ethan Zubak (FW), Bennett Sneddon (GK), Adonis Amaya (FW) and Eric Lopez (GK) all return for 2017, while Georgetown graduate and MLS SuperDraft selection Josh Turnley (DF) accompanies the group.
Six players were added to Los Dos’ roster this offseason. Two of them have recent MLS experience: Miguel Aguilar (MF) joins from D.C. United and Tyler Turner (DF) joins from Orlando City. Galaxy II acquired two talents from Kadji Sports Academy in Cameroon: Andre Zanga (MF) and Jean Engola (DF). The team also added former Academy member and Cal Poly graduate and standout Justin Dhillon (FW) in addition to Robert Castellanos (DF), a young American defender signed from Liga MX’s Atlas FC.
In total, seven players on LA Galaxy II’s 2017 roster are former members of the LA Galaxy Academy.
As part of the 2017 schedule, Los Dos will face each team in the USL Western Conference at least twice in the 2017 season (one home, one away). With the four remaining games, Los Dos will take on Phoenix Rising FC, Orange County SC and Rio Grande Valley FC Toros in a third, additional match. And in a rare piece of scheduling, LA Galaxy II will play New York Red Bulls II in a regular season meetup of Eastern and Western Conference sides, a match paired as a doubleheader to the LA Galaxy and New York Red Bulls MLS match on May 14 at Red Bulls Arena.
The top eight teams in each conference will qualify for postseason play that will include Conference Quarterfinals (Oct. 20-22), Semifinals (Oct. 27-29) and Final (Nov. 3-5). The 2017 USL Cup Final will be played the weekend of November 10-12.
LA GALAXY II ROSTER
GOALKEEPERS (2): Bennett Sneddon, Eric Lopez
DEFENDERS (4): Tyler Turner, Robert Castellanos, Jean Engola, Josh Turnley
MIDFIELDERS (4): Ryo Fujii, Adrian Vera, Miguel Aguilar, Andre Zanga
FORWARDS (3): Ethan Zubak, Adonis Amaya, Justin Dhillon
ROSTER BREAKDOWN
NEW SIGNINGS (6): Tyler Turner, Robert Castellanos, Jean Engola, Miguel Aguilar, Andre Zanga, Justin Dhillon
RETURNING (7): Bennett Sneddon, Eric Lopez, Josh Turnley, Ryo Fujii, Adrian Vera, Ethan Zubak, Adonis Amaya
LA GALAXY ACADEMY PRODUCTS (7): Bennett Sneddon, Eric Lopez, Ryo Fujii, Adrian Vera, Ethan Zubak, Adonis Amaya, Justin Dhillon
BIRTHPLACE:
- United States (9): Bennett Sneddon, Eric Lopez, Tyler Turner, Robert Castellanos, Josh Turnley, Adrian Vera, Ethan Zubak, Adonis Amaya, Justin Dhillon
- Cameroon (2): Jean Engola, Andre Zanga
- Mexico (1): Miguel Aguilar
- Hong Kong (1): Ryo Fujii
USL ROSTER REGULATIONS
Per USL rules, a total of 30 players are allowed on a USL team’s roster at any time. In addition to those 30 roster spots, five Academy players are permitted to be members of that roster, for a total of 35. With 13 players currently signed to USL contracts with LA Galaxy II, LA Galaxy and LA Galaxy Academy players will fill out the remaining space on the LA Galaxy II roster. At any point in the season, the Galaxy’s MLS and Academy players are allowed to be made inactive or active on LA Galaxy II’s roster, with USL rules allowing the club to fluidly move players in and out of the 30-man roster throughout the season.
LA Galaxy players that are available and likely to feature throughout the 2017 LA Galaxy II season include: Jon Kempin (GK), Hugo Arellano (DF), Jaime Villarreal (MF) and Bradford Jamieson IV (MF), among others.
All LA Galaxy Academy players are available to feature throughout the 2017 season. Click here for the Galaxy Academy U-17/18 roster, and here for the Galaxy Academy U-15/16 roster. To view Galaxy Academy U-17/18 individual and team statistics for the 2016-17 USSDA season, click here. To view Galaxy Academy U-15/16 individual and team statistics for the 2016-17 USSDA season, click here.
For a breakdown of Los Dos’ roster, see the table below.
| LA GALAXY II ACTIVE ROSTER BREAKDOWN (30-35 total players) | ||
| MLS Contracted Players | USL Contracted Players (13) | LA Galaxy Academy Players |
Up to 17 of LA Galaxy’s rostered players LA Galaxy Roster | Bennett Sneddon Eric Lopez Tyler Turner Robert Castellanos Jean Engola Josh Turnley Ryo Fujii Adrian Vera Miguel Aguilar Andre Zanga Ethan Zubak Adonis Amaya Justin Dhillon | Galaxy Academy U-17/18 RosterGalaxy Academy U-15/16 Roster |
The LA Galaxy II’s season opener, presented by Bare Republic, will see Los Dos take on Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 on Saturday, March 25 at StubHub Center Track & Field Stadium (2:00 p.m. PT). Fans save money when they purchase LA Galaxy II tickets online, available here.
LA Galaxy II Season Ticket Memberships are on sale now. Los Dos Season Ticket Memberships start at $6 per game, half the price of a $12 ticket at the gate. For more info on the benefits of a Los Dos Season Ticket Membership, click here.
