(Editorial) - Los Angeles, CA is widely considered one of the best soccer talent hotbeds in America. The LA Galaxy Academy is considered one of the best in MLS. The Galaxy have five Homegrown players on the roster, yet only Gyasi Zardes has been a regular starter for the first team recently. LA Galaxy II also have several Galaxy Academy products on their roster, most notably Jack McBean.
LA Galaxy Homegrowns: Stuck In Purgatory Between MLS and USL
With the aura the LA Galaxy Academy has, you would think the Galaxy's academy would have produced some more significant professionals? Would you rather have seven young guys riding the bench or one impact player from your academy, like Bill Hamid or Matt Miazga?
Zardes is a Homegrown most MLS teams would die for. He's imperfect, though. His first touch hasn't improved much since his rookie year. He's still slow on the uptake of the mental aspects of the game, despite playing next to the cerebral Robbie Keane. Then there's the question of what his best position is.
After Zardes, only Jose Villarreal has gotten significant first team minutes in the past two years. The 22-year-old appeared in 16 games last season and got off to a great start. Injuries derailed his season as he made only three appearances from July on.
After Villarreal, Head Coach Bruce Arena has a plethora of young attackers who can't seem to get off the bench. Bradford Jamieson IV and Ignacio Maganto both played about 500 minutes last season. Nacho is not a homegrown player, but he has the talent and the attitude of a Galaxy academy product. He's in the same schema even without the Homegrown title. Raul Mendiola didn't make a single appearance in 2015 and has only 57 minutes played in MLS.
One problem these kids face is the lack of a defined position. Villarreal has developed into a wide player. But Mendiola, Jamieson, and Maganto are all a bit mysterious. They can be underneath strikers and they can play outside with their speed. They all have some No. 10 in them as well. Mendiola's more of a No. 10 than anything else. Not having a defined role or an obvious best position makes it harder to fit them into the system. In their defense, maybe they haven't been given enough opportunities to try things out and grow into a specific role or position on the field.
Then there's McBean. The No. 9 signed with the Galaxy in 2011 at 16-years-old. He made only 17 appearances with the senior team in four seasons. He's now been 'demoted' to LA Galaxy II and it's uncertain if he'll ever get back on the Galaxy's MLS roster. Ryo Fujii is also under contract with Los Dos. The midfielder made 12 appearances as a rookie last year. He's still only 19, so we still need more time before passing judgement. The same can be said for the rest of the Academy kids on Los Dos.
On defense there's Oscar Sorto, who's been the right back in waiting for what seems like years now. Sorto has played only four games for the Galaxy since turning pro three seasons ago. Due to the Galaxy's depth at right back in A.J DeLaGarza, Dan Gargan, and more recently Robbie Rogers, Sorto has been able to make 44 appearances for Los Dos the last two years. He has been involved with the U.S. Men's National Team at the youth level. Both of these are good signs.
Zardes and Maganto are both 24. The rest of these players are between 19 and 21. These guys are kids compared to the rest of the Galaxy roster, which has 10 players over the age of 30. It's well known that Arena likes his experienced veterans. Furthermore, the Galaxy have been in win-now mode the entire time this young group has been with the club. McBean was the first of this group to turn pro (January 2011). The Galaxy won MLS Cup that year and have won or been defending champions every year since.
There's been a revolving door for older players like Jaime Penedo, Stefan Ishizaki, and Marcelo Sarvas to come, win MLS Cup, and move on as needed. Expectations and coaching style have given the LA Galaxy homegrowns limited chances to play. With the Galaxy's deep pockets, they are always going to have 3 DPs. Chances are, at least two of them will be of the attacking variety. Most of the young players are attackers as well. There isn't much room in the starting front six with two (possibly three) midfield/forward DPs and a veteran core built around those DPs.
The Galaxy were able to fix this problem to an extent in starting Los Dos. The MLS-USL partnership has benefited both parties. But some of these kids have proven their worth in USL and need minutes against better competition to improve. Mendiola tied for fourth in assists the last two years with USL, 2 assists off the lead both times. He did so playing fewer games than every player ahead of him in that statistic. Mendiola sat on the MLS bench the second half of the season. He had graduated from Los Dos but hasn't been good enough to make it with the first team.
Maganto and Jamieson have similarly made a handful appearances for Los Dos but spent most of 2015 sitting on the bench for the first team. If Arena thought they would benefit from more USL minutes, he'd have loaned them down. Arena's actions show they were ready for something more.
With the roster shake up this off season, Villarreal may have trouble starting this year. It's likely the other young attackers could be on the bench as well. These kids could be playing regularly for MLS clubs. Just not the LA Galaxy.
Other MLS clubs are playing the kids and winning while doing so. Columbus Crew hosted MLS Cup last year with a bunch of kids in the midfield. FC Dallas is the champion of playing their kids and they were the best team in the Western Conference. New York Red Bulls won the Supporters' Shield with a lot of academy kids playing big minutes.
There's more than one way in MLS. Winning 3 MLS Cups in 5 years is tremendous. There's no reason to panic, but there is cause for concern looking down the road. Steven Gerrard will most likely retire at the end of the year. We could be a few years (maybe just a year) away from Arena and Keane retiring. What does the team look like after that? Will some of these kids be ready to step up then? Their contemporaries around MLS have more minutes under their belt. Some of them might leave before then seeking playing time.
Winning CONCACAF Champions League and MLS Cup is the priority for 2016. But with all the older players, I hope Arena can channel his inner Gregg Popovich and manage the minutes of his veterans. In doing so, maybe he can give the kids a few looks here and there. The 2019 iteration of the LA Galaxy will thank him.
