Ventura County FC
| File:LA Galaxy II logo.svg | |||
| Nickname(s) | Los Dos | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | January 29, 2014 | ||
| Stadium | Dignity Health Sports Park Track & Field Stadium Carson, California | ||
| Capacity | 5,000 | ||
| Owner | LA Galaxy (AEG) | ||
| Manager | Vacant | ||
| League | MLS Next Pro | ||
| 2023 | 14th, Western Conference Playoffs: Did not qualify | ||
| Website | https://www.lagalaxy.com/2 | ||
|
| |||
LA Galaxy II is an American professional soccer team based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California, United States founded in 2014. It is the reserve team of the LA Galaxy. The team competes in MLS Next Pro, the third tier of the United States soccer league system, having previously played in the USL Championship.
History
It was announced on January 29, 2014 that the LA Galaxy of Major League Soccer would be fielding their own team in the USL Pro to serve as their reserve team beginning with the 2014 USL Pro season. The Galaxy chose to create their own team in the league instead of affiliating with a current USL Pro team after the two leagues formed a partnership the previous year. The current assistant coach of the senior squad, Curt Onalfo, would become head coach of the reserve squad. The club would play its home matches at Dignity Health Sports Park's Track & Field Stadium, a 1,200-seat stadium near the main stadium, home to the senior club.[1] Onalfo had led the Galaxy's previous reserve squad to two consecutive MLS Reserve League West Division titles.[2] In the process, the LA Galaxy became the first MLS club to own and operate its own USL Pro side.[2]
About forming the reserve team, Galaxy President Chris Klein said, “The creation of LA Galaxy II, through USL PRO, provides the Galaxy with a fully realized, in-house player development program starting with the Under-12 Academy through the LA Galaxy first team. The investment of AEG and the Galaxy for LA Galaxy II will allow us to continue to develop the best players in Southern California while closing the gap between the Galaxy Academy and the LA Galaxy.”[1]
2014 season
The club's first match took place on February 13, 2014 as they defeated Fresno Fuego of the USL Premier Development League 2–1. Travis Bowen scored the team's first-ever goal.[3] The team made its USL Pro debut on March 22, 2014, defeating the league's other LA club, the Orange County Blues FC, 3–1 at home. Charlie Rugg scored their first goal in USL Pro competition.[4][5] In the regular season, the Galaxy II earned third place in the league's standings, having a 15–6–7 (W-L-T) record, qualifying for the playoffs. The Galaxy II had faced against the Rochester Rhinos during the quarter finals, who they defeated and advance to face Sacramento Republic FC in the semifinals. The Galaxy II were defeated against Sacramento Republic therefore being eliminated, and ending their inaugural season.
Daniel Steres was named captain, and was named Defender of the Year.[6][7]
2015 season
Los Dos finished 5th in the Western Conference during the regular season of the newly formatted USL. During the playoffs, The Galaxy II defeated Sacramento Republic in overtime, advancing to face first seeded OKC Energy in the Conference Finals. Los Dos became Conference champions, after defeating OKC Energy, and went on to face Rochester Rhinos in the USL championship. The Galaxy II were defeated in the championship game.
Daniel Steres was again named Defender of the Year.[6][7]
MLS Next Pro
MLS announced that it would be one of the new eight teams to join MLS Next Pro in 2023.[8]
Stadium
The team currently plays in the Track & Field Facility at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. The field has 2,000 permanent seats, but can be expanded to hold as many as 20,000 fans.[9] The main stadium at Dignity Health Sports Park holds 27,000 attendees and is the home of the LA Galaxy first team.
Club culture
Rivalries
LA Galaxy II competes in the 405 Derby against rivals Orange County SC.[10] The clubs are, as of late 2022, in a dispute over who will play at Championship Soccer Stadium in Irvine, California, Orange County SC's current home stadium, after leaked documents showed the Galaxy organization is attempting to seize full-time usage of the venue.[11]
Players and staff
The squad of LA Galaxy II is composed of an unrestricted number of first-team players on loan to the reserve team, players signed by Galaxy II, and LA Galaxy Academy players. Academy players who appear in matches with LA Galaxy II retain their college eligibility.[1]
Current roster
- As of March 23, 2023[12]
- ^ Signed to first team contract with LA Galaxy.
- ^ LA Galaxy Academy player.
Coaching staff
| Role | Name | Nation |
|---|---|---|
| Head Coach | Marcelo Sarvas |  Brazil
|
| Assistant Coach | David Sauvry |  France
|
| Goalkeeping Coach | Ian Feuer |  United States
|
| Video Analyst | Grant Heywood |  England
|
Team records
- As of September 24, 2022
Year-by-year
| Year | Division | League | Regular season W-T-L | Playoffs | U.S. Open Cup | Avg. attendance | Top scorer | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 3 | USL | 3rd: 15–6–7 | Semifinals | 3R | 597 | Chandler Hoffman
|
14 |
| 2015 | USL | 5th, Western: 14–3–11 | Runner-Up | 2R | 969 |  Ariel Lassiter
|
11 | |
| 2016 | USL | 5th, Western: 12–11–7 | Conference quarterfinals | Not eligible (MLS Reserve Team) | 1,211 | Jack McBean
|
15 | |
| 2017 | 2 | USL | 13th, Western: 8–5–19 | did not qualify | Not eligible (MLS Reserve Team) | 1,215 | Justin Dhillon Adrian Vera
|
6 |
| 2018 | USL | 14th, Western: 10–7–17 | did not qualify | Not eligible (MLS Reserve Team) | 1,048 |  Frank López
|
13 | |
| 2019 | USLC | 9th, Western: 12–12–10 | Play-in round | Not eligible (MLS Reserve Team) | 881 | Ethan Zubak Kai Koreniuk
|
9 | |
| 2020 | USLC | 8th, Western: 8–2–6 2nd Group B |
Conference quarterfinals | Not eligible (MLS Reserve Team) | N/A |  Augustine Williams
|
13 | |
| 2021 | USLC | 11th, Western: 11-6-15 | did not qualify | Canceled | N/A | Preston Judd
|
17 | |
| 2022 | USLC | 11th, Western: 11-7-16 | did not qualify | Not eligible (MLS Reserve Team) | N/A | Preston Judd
|
13 | |
| 2023 | 3 | MLSNP | 14th, Western: 5-6-17 | did not qualify | Not eligible (MLS Reserve Team) | N/A |  Aaron Bibout
|
14 |
Head coaches
- Includes USL Regular season, USL Play-offs and Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
| Coach | Nationality | Start | End | Games | Win | Loss | Draw | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curt Onalfo |  United States
|
January 29, 2014 | December 13, 2016 | 95 | 46 | 29 | 20 | 48.42 |
| Mike Muñoz | United States
|
January 12, 2017 | July 19, 2019 | 85 | 23 | 42 | 20 | 27.06 |
| Junior Gonzalez (Interim) | United States
|
July 19, 2019 | January 8, 2020 | 15 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 40.00 |
| Junior Gonzalez | United States
|
January 8, 2020 | December 18, 2021 | 16 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 50.00 |
| Yoann Damet | France
|
January 28, 2022 | July 1, 2022 | 18 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 38.89 |
Honors
- USL Championship
- Runners Up : 2015
- Western Conference (Playoffs)
- Winners : 2015
Player honors
| Year | Player | Country | Position | Honor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Chandler Hoffman | United States
|
Forward | All-League First Team |
| André Auras | France
|
Midfielder | All-League Second Team | |
| Daniel Steres | United States
|
Defender | All-League Second Team | |
| 2015 | Daniel Steres | United States
|
Defender | All-League First Team |
| 2016 | Jack McBean | United States
|
Forward | All-League First Team |
| 2018 | Efraín Álvarez |  Mexico
|
Midfielder | Young Player of the Year |
| 2020[13] | Augustine Williams | Sierra Leone
|
Forward | All-League First Team |
References
- ^ a b c "LA Galaxy Place Team in USL PRO". USL Pro. Archived from the original on 3 February 2014. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
- ^ a b "LA Galaxy announce they will form their own USL PRO franchise named LA Galaxy II". Major League Soccer. Archived from the original on August 18, 2015. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
- ^ "LA Galaxy II victorious in first ever match with a 2–1 win over Fresno Fuego". LA Galaxy. February 13, 2014. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
- ^ "LA Galaxy II announce USL PRO schedule". LA Galaxy. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
- ^ "LA Galaxy II win inaugural match over Orange County Blues 3–1". LA Galaxy. March 22, 2014. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
- ^ a b "Getting 2 know Galaxy II: Defender Daniel Steres". LA Galaxy. 15 April 2015.
- ^ a b "Daniel Steres LA Galaxy:Profile". Retrieved 6 August 2016.
- ^ "MLS NEXT Pro Unveils 21 Clubs for Inaugural Season". orlandocitysc.
- ^ "Track & Field Facility". Dignity Health Sports Park. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
- ^ "EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW WHEN ORANGE COUNTY SC VISITS LOS DOS". orangecountysoccer.com. 21 July 2022. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
- ^ Calhoun, Damian (August 8, 2022). "Irvine City Council's plans to discuss use of Championship Soccer Stadium moved off of agenda". The Orange County Register. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
- ^ "Players". lagalaxy.com. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
- ^ "USL Championship Reveals 2020 All-League Teams". USLChampionship.com Staff. October 28, 2020. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
