CARSON, Calif. (Friday, February 15, 2013) – Four LA Galaxy Academy players were selected by U.S. Under-14 Head Coach Hugo Perez for a week-long training camp. The Galaxy quartet of Ateno Ajeakwa, Erik Lopez and Jesus Nuñez from the Galaxy Academy U-14’s and Jose Ortiz from the club’s U-13’s will train at The Home Depot Center from Feb. 16-24.
Perez, a member of the 1984 U.S. Olympic Team and 1994 U.S. World Cup team, named 35 players from throughout the country for the camp. The Galaxy are tied with the New York Red Bulls Academy for the most players represented on the roster.
Ajeakwa, Lopez and Nuñez helped the Galaxy win the Southern California Development Soccer League Fall 2012 league title with an unbeaten record of 8-0-1. Playing under the guidance of Galaxy Academy U-14 head coach Ante Razov, Ajeakwa, a midfielder, and Nuñez, a forward, finished the season as two of the team’s leading goal scorers and were a main part the team finished with a league-best 43 goals in just nine games. Lopez, who was the starting goalkeeper for all nine games, posted three shutouts and only allowed more than one goal in a just game once as he finished the season with eight goals against.
Ortiz, a forward with the Galaxy U-13’s, was instrumental his team’s attack, which finished second in the league in goals scored with 38 while claiming a share of the SCDSL Fall 2012 North title. The Galaxy Academy U-13’s completed their season with an 8-2-0 record, leaving them tied with FC Golden State.
Following his participation in the camp, Ortiz will rejoin with Galaxy Academy U-13 team in time for the Cal South State Cup. The Galaxy play two games on Feb. 24 and then two more games the following weekend to round out the Group Stage. The U-14 division of the State Cup begins play on April 9.
GALAXY U-18’S GET BACK ON WINNING TRACK: The return of forward Jaime Villarreal proved to be beneficial as the Galaxy beat the San Juan Soccer Club 3-2 to snap a two-game winless streak. Making just his third appearance of the season and first since the club’s 2-0 win over Portland in September, Villarreal, the younger brother of Galaxy forward Jose Villarreal, put his side up 3-0 lead in the 28th minute with his first goal of the season. The scoring started early for LA as UCLA-bound defender Nathan Smith gave his team the lead just nine minutes into the match. Forward Sebastian Velasquez made it 2-0 in the 22nd minute with his fourth of the season before Villarreal scored a third. San Juan pulled a goal back before halftime and then cut the lead 3-2 just after the hour mark. However, LA were able to hold on for the win and improved their record to 9-2-2 on the season. Villarreal, who scored 19 goals for the Galaxy Academy last season, played 55 minutes in his first game back after undergoing bilateral lower leg.
U-16’S ALSO GET THREE POINTS: With two goals in the final 12 minutes, the Galaxy U-16’s beat San Juan Soccer Club 3-1 to record their first win since Nov. 4. With the score tied at 1-1, forwards Juan Orozco and Haji Wright gave the Galaxy a two-goal cushion with goals in the 68th and 79th minutes respectively. The Galaxy took the initial lead in the 16th minute when defender Alex Ramos scored his third goal of the season, good for third most on the team. Two minutes into the second half, San Juan got the equalizer to level the score at 1-1. The score would stay that way until the 68th minute when Orozco grabbed his first of the season. Eleven minutes later, Wright killed the game off, making the score 3-1 and helping the Galaxy improve their record to 3-5-5.
ACADEMY TEAMS TRAVEL NORTH: Both Galaxy teams in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy will travel to the Pacific Northwest this weekend to take on Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Seattle-based Crossfire Premier academy teams. Like the Galaxy, the Whitecaps U-18’s are currently second place in their division, sitting five points behind the San Jose Earthquakes in the Northwest Division with an 8-5-1 record. While the Crossfire Premier U-18’s are just 4-8-1 on the season, their U-16 squad is currently third in the Northwest Division with a 6-3-4 record. The Whitecaps U-16’s are one spot behind with a record of 6-6-2.
Outside of the upcoming trip to Texas for Dallas Cup, this will be the Galaxy Academy’s final out-of-state trip of the regular season. Of their 15 remaining games this season, the Galaxy will play nine times at home compared to just six away from The Home Depot Center.
LA GALAXY U-12 TRYOUTS: The LA Galaxy will be hosting three tryouts for their Galaxy U-12’s in the South Bay and Orange County on February 15 and February 22. The first tryout will be held in the South Bay at Manhattan Village Field in Manhattan Beach, Calif. on Friday, Feb. 15 from 4-6 p.m. while the two tryouts in Orange County will take place at Concordia University on Friday, Feb. 15 and Friday, Feb. 22 from 6:30-8 p.m. MORE INFO
Players, born in August 2001 or after, will have the opportunity to be coached and evaluated by the Galaxy Academy staff during camps, which are being held in conjunction with Galaxy Alliance clubs West Coast Futbol Club and South Bay Force. Registration for these tryouts is free. For more information about the Galaxy Alliance and these tryouts, CLICK HERE.
THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE
Game Date
LA Galaxy U-18’s vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC Saturday, February 16
Game will be played at South Surrey Athletic Park – Field 10 at 12 p.m.
LA Galaxy U-16’s vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC Saturday, February 16
Game will be played at South Surrey Athletic Park – Field 10 at 2:30 p.m.
LA Galaxy U-18’s vs. Crossfire Premier Sunday, February 17
Game will be played at Redmond High School Stadium at 11 a.m.
LA Galaxy U-16’s vs. Crossfire Premier Sunday, February 17
Game will be played at Redmond High School Stadium at 1:30 p.m.
Times and locations for all games are correct as of Friday, February 15. 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-16 and U-18 teams.
