CARSON, Calif. (Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2015) – LA Galaxy II announced today that the club has signed LA Galaxy Academy product Ryo Fujii. Fujii, who played for the Galaxy’s U-18’s during the 2013-14 season, will occupy an International roster spot.
“Ryo is a midfielder with a lot of talent and we are confident that playing for Galaxy II will allow him to continue to develop and reach his potential,” LA Galaxy II Head Coach Curt Onalfo said. “We think he will continue to progress as a player and a person and we are looking forward to his contributions to our team going forward.”
LA Galaxy II will provide Fujii with the financial resources to enroll at Cal State Dominguez Hills, located directly adjacent to StubHub Center, in order to continue his collegiate education after attending UC Santa Barbara in 2014.
“Galaxy II allowing Galaxy Academy players to continue their growth professionally is an extremely important aspect of the developmental system we have implemented,” LA Galaxy Technical Director Jovan Kirovski said. “In addition to developing Ryo as a player within the Galaxy organization, we highly value continuing his collegiate education as a member of our squad and are proud to provide him the opportunity to do so.”
Fujii, 18, was a member of the Galaxy Academy during the 2013-14 season, when he made 28 appearances and scored five goals for the LA Galaxy Academy U-18’s to help his squad to a first-place finish in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy U-18 Division. The midfielder attended UC Santa Barbara in 2014, where he earned 2014 Big West All-Freshman Team after logging over 1,200 minutes and recording two assists in his first season with the team.
Fujii was also a four-year varsity member at Torrance High School, where Top Drawer Soccer recognized him as one of the top midfielders in the country.
The Torrance, Calif. product joins Jaime Villarreal and Eric Lopez as Galaxy LA Galaxy Academy members to join LA Galaxy II in USL PRO.
