CARSON, Calif. – LA Galaxy II’s preseason preparations are in full swing ahead of their upcoming USL season opener on March 22 against Real Monarchs SLC.
Los Dos enjoyed a successful inaugural campaign a year ago that saw them finish as semifinalists, but the USL landscape has changed significantly this year as Galaxy II will be joined by seven new MLS affiliates.
“Every year is a new challenge,” said Galaxy II head coach Curt Onalfo. “Last year was a lot of work getting this up and running, but this year we have more of an established core of players. Having said that, the league is getting better and the competition will be a lot stronger this year.
“We’re going to need to get better, but at the same time, we’re a project that needs to accomplish a lot of different objectives. We have to develop young players, keep players from the first team who aren’t getting regular minutes sharp, and with all that still try to win games. It’s a challenge.”
Although player development is a key tenet of Galaxy II’s overall goals, Los Dos have their sights set on competing for a USL title.
“We’re all pretty excited to get into another USL tournament,” Mendiola said. “It’s a young team, but we made it pretty far last year and we want to win USL this season.”
Galaxy II are currently undefeated this preseason and picked up another victory last Saturday with a 4-1 win over Fresno Fuego.
Above are photos from Galaxy II training courtesy of LAGalaxy.com photographer Hana Asano.
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog at LAGalaxy.com/Insider and contact him at LAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com.
