CARSON, Calif. – The LA Galaxy Under-16s will continue their bid to win the Development Academy crown on Thursday when they face Real Colorado at U.S. Soccer Field #1 at 3:30 p.m. PT.
The Galaxy U-16’s advanced to the USSDA Semifinals when Jonathan Estrada scored the only goal in the team’s 1-0 win over Real SoCal.
In the semifinal, they’ll face a well-drilled Real Colorado squad that advanced past FC Golden State with a 1-0 victory last week. Colorado’s main attacking threat is forward Rhys Desota, who leads Real with 28 goals this season. A win on Thursday and the Galaxy U-16's will earn a place in the USSDA Championship game on Saturday.
“We’re going to have to execute, have the ball, make good decisions in the final third and limit the transition moments,” U-16 coach Brian Kleiban told LA Galaxy Insider. “They’re a team that defends very well and can counter very well with two very good attackers. We have to take care of the ball and execute. With the body of work that we’ve put in over these 11 months, we feel comfortable that we’re going to show up and get the job done.”
Leading the way for the Galaxy U-16’s is a trio of attacking talent in Kevin Negrete (21 goals this season), Jonathan Estrada (18 goals), and Misel Becerra (17 goals). The U-16 squad will look to repeat the exploits of the Galaxy’s 2014 U-16 side that lifted the USDA trophy two years ago.
As his team closes in on a title, Kleiban believes that his group will make a splash on Thursday and down the line in their careers.
“We talk on a daily basis that this group has enormous potential,” Kleiban said. “We want to form that pipeline and the conveyor belt where every year, there’s an identity and the players that come through will slip right into Galaxy II. We definitely visualize it, and we feel that there’s a lot of potential pros in this group, so we have to nurture them.”
