LA Galaxy II signed LA Galaxy Academy and U.S. Youth National Team defender Mauricio Cuevas on April 30, 2019.
In 2019, Cuevas appeared and started all 19 matches, scoring four goals. All four goals came as free kicks, the most in USL Championship.
Since joining the Academy in 2016, Cuevas has made 60 appearances. The Los Angeles native started in 49 of those matches, tallying three goals in U.S. Soccer Development Academy play. Cuevas also took part in the recent Generation adidas Cup with the LA Galaxy Academy U-17 squad, helping the team reach the quarterfinals.
Cuevas has garnered plenty of international attention in his time with the LA Galaxy Academy, featuring regularly for the U-16 and U-17 squads. Most recently, Cuevas was named to head coach Raphael Wicky’s 20-player roster for the U-17 Concacaf Championships at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. The tournament, set to run from May 1-16, will serve as the region’s qualifying tournament for the 2019 U-17 World Cup in Brazil later this year.