CARSON, Calif. (Thursday, January 13, 2014) – The LA Galaxy Academy Under-17’s are set to take part in a final Generation adidas Cup regional qualifying event this weekend in San Jose, Calif. The event is the second of two such regionals taking place ahead of this year’s 2014 GA Cup, and will help define the seeding for that competition.
The Galaxy Academy U-17’s are one of five MLS Academy teams taking part in the regional, including host San Jose Earthquakes, Chivas USA, Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders FC. All games are being played at Morgan Hill Outdoor Sports Center in Morgan Hill, Calif.
The Galaxy’s first game is on Friday, February 14, against the San Jose Earthquakes Academy U-17’s at 4 p.m., followed with a matchup against the Chivas USA Academy U-17’s on Sunday, February 16 at 9:30 a.m.
The entire GA Cup West Region schedule and standings are available on MLSsoccer.com by clicking here.
The Galaxy Academy U-17’s will be coached by former Galaxy midfielder Mike Muñoz. The roster for this week’s games is available below:
LA Galaxy U-17 GA Cup Roster
GOALKEEPERS (1): Bennett Sneddon.
DEFENDERS (7): Billy Abdallah, Tyson Griffin, Elan Koenig, Michael Lopez, Christian Onalfo, Juan Orozco, Alex Ramon.
MIDFIELDERS (7): Marc Calderon, Rey Ortiz, Andrew Perez, Johnathan Ramirez, Alex Ramos, Conner Ryan, Chris Segovia.
FORWARDS (5): Brian O’Hara, Jorge Ruiz, Dylan Smith, Dimitri Zhuravlev, Ethan Zubak.
LA GALAXY U-13 TRYOUTS FOR PLAYERS BORN IN 2002: The LA Galaxy will hold tryouts for their Galaxy Academy Under-13 team on March 16 at StubHub Center in Carson, Calif. from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. Players interested in trying out for the LA Galaxy Academy’s 2002 team for 2014/15 season can register now by submitting an application online at www.lagalaxy.com/AcademyTryouts. Players born in 2002 will have the opportunity to be coached and evaluated by the Galaxy Academy staff during camps. There will be a limited number of tryout spaces for the LA Galaxy Academy 2014/15 2002 team. This will be a fully funded official LA Galaxy Academy team competing in the SCDSL U13 Flight 1. Registration for these tryouts are free. For more information about the tryouts, please visit //www.lagalaxy.com/academy.
LA GALAXY ACADEMY U-18’S JOIN LA GALAXY II IN FRESNO: Four LA Galaxy Academy U-18 players joined USL PRO side LA Galaxy II in Fresno ahead of their inaugural match on Thursday, February 13th against the Fresno Fuego at Chukchansi Park at 7:00 p.m. Forward Adonis Amaya, midfielder Elijah Martin and forwards Aaron Lombardi and Jaime Villarreal were selected by the II’s head coach Curt Onalfo to travel with the squad in what will be the team’s first ever match. The USL PRO team, which was announced in January, will play the match in tandem with the first team's Central California Cup tilt on February 15 against the San Jose Earthquakes. LA Galaxy II will suit up again a week later against the first team in the "White vs. Blue Game" on February 22 at StubHub Center. A first of its kind program in MLS, LA Galaxy II will provide playing time and development opportunities for players within the LA Galaxy player development structure. The USL PRO side will play a 28-game season and will feature Galaxy first team players, players signed by Galaxy II and LA Galaxy Academy players.
GALAXY U-16’S EXTEND UNBEATEN STREAK: The LA Galaxy U-16’s extended their unbeaten streak this past weekend to sixteen games in U.S. Soccer Development Academy play after games against Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Crossfire Premier. In their first game of the weekend, the Galaxy U-16’s took the lead at the19th minute of the game against the Vancouver Whitecaps. After a hard fought second half, the Whitecaps found the net at the 70th minute to earn the 1-1 result. On Sunday, forward Rey Ortiz and midfielder Johnathan Ramirez scored to led the 16’s to a 2-1 victory over the Crossfire Premier, extending their unbeaten streak to sixteen games and helping them remain the only undefeated team in the country in their age bracket. The Galaxy Academy U-16’s are now 11-0-5 overall and continue in first place of the Southwest Division standing with 38 points. Next up for the squad is the Generation adidas Cup regional qualifying event this weekend in San Jose, Calif. The Galaxy’s first game is on Friday, February 14, against the host San Jose Earthquakes Academy U-17’s at Morgan Hill Outdoor Sports Center in Morgan Hill, Calif. at 4 p.m.
LA GALAXY U-18’S PICK UP TWO WINS OVER THE WEEKEND: The LA Galaxy U-18 Academy continued their winning ways this past weekend with their fourth consecutive win in 2014. The team returned to U.S. Soccer Development Academy action with home matches against Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Saturday, February 8 and Crossfire Premier on Sunday, February 9. Just when the game seemed destined for a scoreless draw on Saturday’s matchup against the Whitecaps after a tough 90 minutes on the pitch, the Galaxy’s Aaron Lombardi sent a cross into the 'Caps box which deflected off a 'Caps defender and bounced into the net for a 1-0 final score. The following day, the team sealed a 3-2 victory over Crossfire. The Galaxy U-18’s took a 1-0 lead into the break thanks to midfielder Hugo Gutierrez. Five minutes into the second half, forward Christian Chavez extended the lead to 2-0, and LA added a third off yet another Lombardi cross that resulted in an own goal for the opponent. The win is the fourth straight victory for the Galaxy U-18’s. Currently, the U-18’s are 11-3-2 this season with a perfect record of four wins in four matches in 2014. The LA Galaxy Academy U-18’s return to action next month, when they go on the road to take on De Anza Force U-18 at De Anza College on Saturday, March 1, at 11 a.m.
GALAXY ACADEMY PLAYERS SIGN LETTERS OF INTENT: Last Friday, a total of 11 LA Galaxy Academy products signed letters of intent to six different universities across the United States. Four of the Galaxy’s young starlets will be attending UC Santa Barbara including current USSDA U-18 leading goal scorer Adonis Amaya, Galaxy U-18 captain Jeffrey Quezada, forward Axel Mendez, and midfielder Ryo Fuji. Also well represented is UCLA which will be attended by U-18 forwards Steve Martinez and Christian Chavez. Also heading off to college this fall will be Raymundo Barajas (Loyola Marymount), Hugo Gutierrez (Cal Poly), Justin Eng (Utah Valley University) and University of San Francisco attendees Manny Padilla and Justin Schottenhammer. Although the group of 11 players will be attending various universities this Fall, they will all remain integral parts of the Galaxy U-18’s for the remainder of the 2013/14 U.S. Soccer Developmental Academy slate.
STAY CONNECTED: To get the latest information about the LA Galaxy Academy and its teams, follow the club on twitter @LAGalaxyAcademy or on Facebook at Facebook.com/LAGalaxyAcademy. Schedule changes, score updates and news and insights are all provided via those accounts.
THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE
| Game | Date |
|---|---|
LA Galaxy Academy U-17’s @ San Jose Earthquakes Academy U-17’s | Friday, Feb. 14 |
| Generation adidas Cup, game will be played at Morgan Hill Outdoor Sports Center at 4:00 p.m. | |
Galaxy Academy U-16 B @ North Shore United | Saturday, Feb. 15 |
City of Las Vegas Mayor’s Cup, game will be played at Charlie Kellogg and Joe Zaher Sports Complex, Field 11 at 10:00 a.m . | |
Galaxy Academy U-16 B vs. Utah Storm Lewis | Saturday, Feb. 15 |
| City of Las Vegas Mayor’s Cup, game will be played at Charlie Kellogg and Joe Zaher Sports Complex, Field 5 at 6:00 p.m. | |
LA Galaxy Academy U-17’s @ Chivas USA Academy U-17’s | Sunday, Feb. 16 |
| Generation adidas Cup, game will be played at Morgan Hill Outdoor Sports Center at 9:30 a.m. | |
Galaxy Academy U-16 B vs. International SC St. Tomas | Saturday, Feb. 15 |
| City of Las Vegas Mayor’s Cup, game will be played at Ed Fountain Park, Field 4 at 11:20 a.m. | |
Times and locations for all games are correct as of Wednesday, Feb. 12. Click here for a complete schedule of games in the Southern California Development Soccer League and U.S. Soccer Development Academy, which includes the Galaxy Academy’s U-12, U-14, U-16 and U-18 teams.
