LA Galaxy's youth movement steals the show at Leagues Cup showcase

As the LA Galaxy closed out its 2-0 victory over Chivas in the Leagues Cup Showcase on Wednesday, fans' attentions shifted from LA’s stars at the beginning of the match to the up-and-coming group of young players taking the field to start the second half.

Coach Greg Vanney made some big changes to his side in the second half, shifting the shape and formation of the team and bringing in some players who have struggled to get game time with the first team. Jalen Neal, Adam Saldaña, Preston Judd, and Jonathan Pérez subbed into the game at halftime, as the Galaxy changed into a 3-4-2-1 after starting the game in a 4-4-2 formation.

The 18-year-old Neal is a prospect that the LA Galaxy coaching staff is high on. At the beginning of the season, Vanney told the media, “I think he could be an outstanding center back not only in this league, I think he can play at a higher level some time. He has the mentality of a center back that you don’t see all the time.”

While Neal hasn’t received first-team minutes, he’s become one of the first names on the team sheet for the Galaxy’s USL team, Galaxy II. He’s appeared 15 times for the side this year and has been called up to the first team a couple of times, but has yet to play a minute in MLS. His only appearance for the senior team came in the U.S Open Cup as the Galaxy matched up against California United Strikers in the Round of 32.

“Starting in the back with Jalen [Neal], he’s a kid we’re really high on,” Vanney emphasized after the game. Neal was blocking shots and cutting down space quickly when Chivas had their moments attacking, while also passing out of the back excellently. 

Vanney added, “He’s mature beyond his years. Very calm. Very good on the ball. You saw that today. It’s not the easiest field to play on sometimes, the grass had just been laid and you could see that it was bumpy and a little slow. But he played in front of 60,000, 50,000. He played with calm and confidence and took some balls under pressure. He did his defensive work.”

Judd, a 23-year-old forward, is another starter on Galaxy II who has scored 12 goals in the USL and has started to get call-ups to the first team. He got 45 minutes to show Greg Vanney what he could provide up top and he made his presence known against the Chivas backline. “Preston [Judd] came in and right from the jump, showed his physical presence,” said Vanney. Judd became the target man when it came to long balls by ‘keeper Jonathan Klinsmann he also almost finished a chance to make it 3-0 but was just wide on the far post.

“Being able to take balls down. Hold balls up. But also his directness to goal, and his running and his speed off the ball. I thought he was dangerous from when the second half whistle blew,” said Vanney. “I thought his effort and the qualities he has came through that he’s a traditional big striker, which is interesting for sure.”

During the first couple of games as coach of the Galaxy, Vanney gave Adam Saldaña starting minutes in MLS until midfield reinforcements came later along in the year. Saldaña showed good composure in the midfield and kept the Galaxy moving forward when the ball was at his feet. During the offseason, he suffered a fractured ankle that kept him out of participating in the preseason.

The 20-year-old started his rehab by playing minutes with Galaxy II, coming off the bench for Los Dos in its game against Sacramento Republic in mid-June.

“This is Adam coming back from a nasty injury in the offseason. He’s getting himself fit. He played 60 minutes on the weekend, which is the most he had played so far with [Galaxy II],” said Vanney. Saldaña was paired up with Sacha Kljestan in the midfield during the game and both we able to spray the ball around the pitch and find one another in space.

“I think he showed the composure in the midfield to be able to get us out of pressure at times. To take balls and keep the game flowing quickly. And again, defensively, I thought he put himself around the field in a positive way,” observed Vanney postgame.

19-year-old Mexican youth international, Jonathan Pérez, scored the insurance goal for the LA Galaxy with a strike into the bottom right corner from outside the box, it was his first goal for the Galaxy.

“Jonny [Pérez] obviously steals the show with a great goal. The kid is a special player. We just keep bringing him along and he’s going to be another great player for us,” Vanney commented.

Pérez has got playing time with Galaxy II and has been called up to the first team but has yet to get consistent minutes. He was brought down to Los Dos recently to get playtime and stay sharp on the field. During his 45 minutes of playtime, he showed his pace and passing skills to help keep the Galaxy moving forward and pestering the Chivas backline.

“He can go left. He can go right. He hits the balls with both feet really well. He’s a great finisher. He can sneak by people. He’s faster than I think anybody really anticipates,” said Vanney.

Galaxy fans watching the match saw the impact and moments each of these players had, some fresh faces to close out this friendly. The Galaxy won the first ever soccer game at SoFi Stadium and got to tinker with some new players on the pitch.

“All four of them are guys we’re really high on," Vanney underscored. "This is a great opportunity in front of a big crowd, and a big environment to allow them to take it all in without all of the pressure of the environment, but they still get to do it in this environment, which is wonderful. It's something I was looking forward to. It’s actually the thing that I was most looking forward to, was to see those guys play tonight.”