OPPONENT WATCH: LA GALAXY II

LA Galaxy II (7 wins, 8 draws, 7 defeats) currently sit in 9th place in the Western Conference on 29 points. Rising (13 wins, 5 draws and 2 defeats) are 15 points and 8 places higher in pole position.

Tonight’s game is the first encounter between both sides in 2019.

LA Form

Los Dos have lost three of their 11 home games in 2019 – against the Switchbacks on the opening day (4-1), Fresno in mid-May (3-0), and Reno on July 20 (2-1).

As an MLS reserve side, it’s always difficult to predict the starting XI.  Players suspended for the first team bizarrely can still play for the second team.  There’s a chance that teenage star Efrain Alvarez could therefore feature against Rising tonight, unless Galaxy appeal his red card in MLS from last weekend.  Alvarez scored the opener in a 4-3 defeat against Rising in the Valley last season – one of his 12 goals in USL last season – and has made 9 MLS appearances in 2019.

LA Scored.png

Regardless, Los Dos have scored 35 goals – the 7th highest in USL. At home, they are twice as likely to score in the second half as the first.  Seven of their 13 second half goals have also been scored in the last 15 minutes, including four in stoppage time.

At the other end, Los Dos have conceded the 5th most goals in USL home and away, and the second most in the West. 14 of their 22 goals conceded at home have been scored in the second half, including six in the last 15 minutes,

LA Conceded

Third in USL for fouls conceded (319) behind only Tulsa and OC, Los Dos are tied seventh for yellows, and tied fourth for reds.

They’re most likely to line up in a 4-2-3-1, 4-4-1-1, or 4-4-2 formation at Dignity Health Sports Park against Rising tonight; and will be buoyed by two road trip wins in 5 days at Tulsa and Timbers 2.

LAST TIME OUT

Los Dos’ goalie in Portland on Wednesday was twenty-year-old Eric López.  He’s kept one clean sheet and conceded seven in five games this season.  López has a 63.2% save success rate in those five games.  That’s 21% less than Rising’s probable starter tonight, Zac Lubin, who has played 12 games more this season.  A graduate of the Galaxy Academy, López was the youngest player ever to sign a United Soccer League contract in 2015, and has represented the U.S. at youth level.  He made his debut against Orange County in 2016, and has clocked up a further 23 USL appearances for Los Dos in 2017 and 2018.

Defending López on Wednesday were Gallagher, Hilliard-Arce, DePuy, and Ontiveros.

Michael Gallagher is a 2019 acquisition from Real Monarchs.  The right back has made 16 appearances this season, including 14 starts.  A good passer of the ball (82.8% success rate), Gallagher is also strong in the tackle (73.7% success rate).  He has also played USL football for Timbers 2 in 2016.

Captain Tomas Hilliard-Arce was selected second overall by Galaxy in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft, and has made five MLS appearances to date.  The center back has played 14 times for Los Dos in 2019, and scored with two headers in a home win against T2 in March.  A former Stanford Cardinal, Hilliard-Arce was named one of three finalists for the Hermann Trophy in 2017, but ultimately lost out to current Rising loanee Jon Bakero.

Hilliard-Arce’s partner at the heart of the Los Dos defense on Wednesday was Nick DePuy.  Selected 19th overall by Monteral Impact in the first round of the 2017 MLS SuperDraft, he has made five MLS appearances, and was also loaned out on two occasions.  The first loan was to Ottawa Fury (eight appearances, two goals) in 2017; the second to Fremad Amager in Denmark (six appearances) in 2018.  DePuy moved to Los Dos in the Spring, and was an unused sub for LA Galaxy earlier this month in a 2019 Leagues Cup clash with Club Tijuana.  The 6-ft-5 Californian wins seven out of every 10 aerial duels, and has contributed two goals (one with his head, the other with his right foot) in 15 games for Los Dos this season.

Los Dos’ left back against T2 was Omar Ontiveros.  The strongest tackler on the Los Dos roster (91.7% success rate), Ontiveros previously played for RGV (2017-2018) before moving to Dignity Health Sports Park.  The Texan’s other former clubs were Santos Laguna U-20s (Mexico) and Club Sportif-Grevenmacher (Luxembourg).  Ontiveros has made 10 appearances for Los Dos in 2019, and is one of four players to be sent off.

The central midfielders in midweek were Shultz, Harvey, and Vera.

Nate Shultz has appeared in 21 of Los Dos’ 22 USL Championship games in 2019.  Selected by Galaxy as the 48th pick in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft, Shultz played 24 games for Los Dos last season, is comfortable on the ball, and is also known for his work rate.  He has scored once in 2019 – the opening goal (a header) in a 3-1 win away to the Roughnecks on July 24.  Shultz is 17th in the Western Conference for passes this season (903).  For comparison, no Rising player makes the top 30.

Defensive midfielder Carlos Harvey made his eleventh start of the season away to T2.  Currently on a season-long loan from Tauro (Panama), he made his full international debut for Panama against the U.S. in Glendale in January 2019.  A versatile midfielder who can also fill in at center back, Harvey has an 82% pass success rate this season, and scored one goal.  That was a 30th minute right-footed shot from outside the box in a 2-2 draw away to Vegas Lights on July 4.  Harvey has already collected 4 yellow cards in 2019, but is also the player most likely to draw a foul (35) on the Los Dos roster.

Adrián Vera also started in central midfield in midweek.  The twenty-two-year-old joined Los Dos in 2015 after four years in the Galaxy Academy.  In 2014-15, Vera led Galaxy U-18s with 17 goals and three assists, helping his team finish third in the Development Academy’s West Conference.  Making his 16th start and 21st appearance of 2019 against T2, he’s collected the most cautions (5) for Los Dos in 2019.

Cuello and Hernández played a more advanced role against T2 on Wednesday.

Emil Cuello is a rookie central midfielder on loan from Galaxy.  Selected 19th overall in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft, the T2 game was his fourth start of the season.

Eighteen-year-old Jorge Hernández has played for Los Dos since 2017.  The Riverside-born midfielder previously played for Galaxy Academy at U-15/16, U-17/18, and U-18/19 levels.  He’s contributed one goal in nine appearance in 2019 (four games as a starter).

Leading the line for Los Dos in midweek was forward Ethan Zubak.  The twenty-one-year-old has scored four goals in 11 games in 2019, including the first goal in midweek – a 7th minute header from the center of the penalty box to the top left corner.  A mainstay in the Los Dos attack since 2016, he originally made his debut against Arizona United in 2015, and was Captain at Dignity Health Sports Park last season.  Prior to this season, he had scored 17 goals in 83 games for Los Dos, including the fastest hattrick in USL history against the Lights in 2018.  All three of those goals were scored in the first 18 minutes.  Zubak was given a Homegrown Player contract by Galaxy in March, and has subsequently clocked up 40 minutes MLS experience in 3 games.

The other goalscorer in midweek was second half substitute Jose Hernández.  The 5-ft-3 midfielder bagged his first goal of the season, and all 3 points for his team, with an injury time left-footed shot inside the box.  Hernández moved to Dignity Health Sports Park from Real Monarchs in February, and is a former UCLA Pac-12 Player of the Year.  He replaced Gallagher against T2, and has featured in 19 games this season (12 of them as a starter).

Gutiérrez and Williams also came on from the bench in midweek.

Iván Gutiérrez replaced Vera in the 62nd minute.  A June 2019 capture from Liga MX club Chivas Guadalajara, where he played for Guadalajara Premier and the Chivas Guadalajara Fuerzas Básicas Sub-20 teams, Gutiérrez is a dynamic attacking midfielder.  Born in Norwalk, CA, he represented Mexico at the 2015 CONCACAF U-17 Championship.

Former T2-star Augustine Williams moved to Los Dos at the start of the 2019 season.  The 6-ft-2 forward had scored 11 goals in 67 games for Portland, 2016-2018.  Following his move to Los Dos, Williams has contributed 4 goals in 19 games.  All four goals have been scored inside the box – one with his right foot and three headers.

REST OF THE ROSTER

Liberia-born forward Mohammed Kamara signed for Los Dos yesterday from SC Paderborn (Germany).  In 7 games for Paderborn, Kamara bagged 8 goals and one assist.  At the time of writing, he is still awaiting his international clearance.

Midfielder Kai Koreniuk is Los Dos’ current top scorer with 5 goals in 18 appearances.  The Florida native can play as a winger or a forward, and was signed from AZ Alkmaar (Netherlands).  He also spent four seasons at Vitesse Arnhem, and has been capped by the Netherlands U-16, Netherlands U-18, and U.S. U-17 national teams.  Koreniuk missed the road trips to Tulsa and T2, but scored against Reno in Los Dos’ last home game on July 20.

Brian Iloski is the most dangerous player on the team, but did not see any game time in July. His 41 chances created in 12 games ranks him 14th in USL. Only two Rising players better that tally – Asante (61) and Bakero (43).  Originally drafted by the Colorado Rapids in 2018, Iloski declined MLS to become the first American to play for Legia Warsaw (Poland).  He joined Los Dos in April.

Two other keepers have served as the last line of defense this season.  Twenty-two-year-old Justin vom Steeg has clocked up 13 games on loan from the first team, keeping three clean sheets and conceding 21 goals.  He joined Galaxy from Fortuna Düsseldorf (Germany) in 2018.

Abraham Romero has conceded 15 goals in 4 appearances in 2019.  He joined Los Dos from Club de Fútbol Pachuca (Mexico) in 2019, and has represented Mexico at U-17, U-20, and U-21 levels, despite playing for the U.S. U-15s in 2012.

However, 17-year-old Galaxy Academy rookie Luke Pruter was the substitute keeper in the last two games.  Pruter is still awaiting his debut for Los Dos.

Three other players were unused subs in midweek.

17-year-old Nestor Molina is a Galaxy Academy forward.

Marcus Ferkranus is another Academy player.  The 16-year-old has sat on the bench in Los Dos’ road trip wins at the Roughnecks and T2.

20-year-old Panamanian International Ernesto Walker is currently on a season-long loan from Panama’s C.D. Plaza Amador.  The midfielder has clocked up 624 minutes of action this season in 10 games, and scored one goal – a 41st minute right-footed shot in a 3-0 win at Tacoma back in March.

Midfielder Don Tchilao has played 16 games on loan from the first team.  A 36th pick in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft, he was born in Benin but raised in Chandler, AZ.

From The Ashes Prediction: Rising to return to the Valley with a record-breaking 12th successive win.