Jalen Neal looks ready to take next step with the LA Galaxy in 2023

Playing center back is arguably the most cerebral position in soccer. And how 19-year-old prospect Jalen Neal handles those mental challenges is a major reason many are bullish on his future for the LA Galaxy.

Neal has been in the LA Galaxy Academy since he was 11 and during this MLS preseason it's looking like he's ready for the next step in his young career: a move to the first-team and regular MLS competition.

During the LA Galaxy’s 4-1 preseason win over St. Louis City, Neal's savvy goal-line clearance kept LA in front by a goal. It was the play of an assured player who perhaps has heard manager Greg Vanney's recurring recent praise in his scrums with reporters.

“Just puts more confidence in me. If you're hearing the head coach speak high words of you, you're doing a good job,” Neal said of Vanney's continued endorsement. “It's all about consistency and I know what I have to do on the field. So, at the end of the day, it just comes up to my performances and what I can do.

An unorthodox start 

Beyond the Galaxy, Neal has been getting more and more attention from the U.S. Youth National Team, playing for the team that won the 2022 Concacaf U-20 Championship to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games and 2023 U-20 World Cup in Indonesia.

And that resulted in a true rarity this January: His debut as a senior international with the U.S. before his first division debut.

Neal's strong performance at the youth level was noticed by the senior national team as he was called up for the U.S. January camp last month, where he played a full match against Serbia and entered as a substitute against Colombia.

“It was a dream come true, obviously for any soccer player who can represent their country,” said Neal.

“Playing before my MLS debut it didn't really come unnatural to me,” he added. “It's just doing what I love, playing soccer, so that got me through it, the love of the game.” 

Ready for ’23

Vanney has made it clear Neal will be part of the first team this season. And he's given Neal plenty of minutes to learn and adapt to in-game situations against MLS foes during the preseason.

“Every game we're trying to run him out for decent minutes and just give him as many experiences right now as we can because he's gonna play an important part of our team this year,” Vanney after the win over St. Louis City SC.  “I think with each experience, he's showing that he's earning that and that he's a guy that we can count on during the season." 

After two seasons with LA Galaxy II in the USL Championship, Neal’s looking forward to playing at the MLS level.

“It gives me opportunities to experience things I haven't before at this level, go on up against these types of players,” he reflected. “It's obviously different from USL, they’re better, technically faster, stronger, faster mentally so it kind of forces you to speed up with them and catch up to their level. But it's a challenge that I'm always up for. I love it to be honest.”

There is a lot of experience in the LA Galaxy center back room for Neal to learn from. Chris Mavinga, Martín Cáceres, and Sega Coulibaly have played in Europe.

“After every drill, after every game, practice, they come up to me and give me advice. So every day it's just new information being fed to me, “he said.

So far this preseason, Neal has started next to Couliably and Cáceres in the backline in multiple games. He's yet to play next to Mavinga, who had to wait on the completion of immigration paperwork to join the team because he was signed from Toronto FC in Canada.

What makes Neal special 

Neal says he's thankful for having several defensive minds on the current Galaxy coaching staff, including Vanney and assistant coach Dan Calichman, both defenders during their playing careers in MLS and Europe.

And Vanney's praise carries particular weight given his pedigree as a former USMNT defender as well.

“It's really his personality that makes him who he is and why he's able to, I think be really comfortable, really calm, read the game,” Vanney said of Neal. “It's just kind of his demeanor and his demeanor carries over to how he plays which is been really nice to see.”

That includes making the right passing decisions under pressure and generally responding well to pressure from opponents.

“I think it's just who I am off the field, I'm calm. So I think bringing that quality on the field kind of brings a different element to it,” stated Neal.

Neal also boasts impressive vocal leadership for a player of his age, although he says that's an area where he can continue to improve. It seems pretty likely he will, as he follows the path of Julian Araujo and Efrain Alvarez as promising recent talents to emerge from the Galaxy academy.