The Los Angeles Galaxy have signed their 2015 SuperDraft pick Ignacio Maganto. The Iona College product scored 27 goals and had 14 assists in his four year college career, with 11 goals and five assists as a senior. Born in Madrid, the 24-year-old will occupy an International roster spot. ‘Nacho’ as he’s called (his twitter name is Nacho Maganto), stands 5′ 8 ” and is 140 lbs. He spent five years in the Getafe CF academy system and spent 2014 with PDL side Reading United AC.
Maganto played throughout the preseason and scored off a nice volley in a friendly against the Seattle Sounders. As impressive as the kid may have been in training and in preseason matches, his attitude has been just as good. Like several of the players selected in the draft, he got a bit emotional and expressed his excitement and thankfulness for joining the club.
There doesn’t appear to be one negative thing about how the rookie has carried himself. He earned his spot on the roster. Head Coach Bruce Arena would not spend one of his last available international roster spot on this kid unless he saw something of value.
Maganto has said he can adjust to any position in the attack. At his height and with his speed, he’s capable of being out on the wings. He also has the technical #10 flair to his game, which could allow him to play more centrally. Maganto could play any of the three front midfield positions in the Galaxy’s patented 4-4-2 with the Y midfield. He could also be molded into an underneath striker if the coaching staff sees fit, kind of like the Neagle-Martins combo that Seattle ran at times last year.
Now, what does his 2015 rookie season look like?
In the first game of the season, the starting midfield was Jose Villarreal, Juninho, Kenny Walker, and Stefan Ishizaki from left to right. Once Baggio Husidic is healthy and fit, he will probably replace Walker. The Galaxy listed no players on their injury report for this week. This summer, Steven Gerrard will arrive as the club’s third DP, and Husidic could return to the bench. The Bosnian played in all four midfield positions for LA in 2014. Unless Villarreal plays his way out of the LM spot (which doesn’t look likely), Maganto probably won’t have a chance to start with the first team this year.
For the sake of his long term development, it would probably be best for him to play the majority of the season with LA Galaxy II, ‘Los Dos.’ He would get in a full season of professional play, and he could get called up from his loan as needed. Maybe a few players get injured and he comes up to be in the 18. I would expect Arena to give him a few caps in the US Open Cup or in the group stages of Champions League. Loaning him down to Los Dos in 2015 will give him playing time and it will allow the coaching staff to evaluate him next to the other young talent on the roster, especially the Galaxy academy products. He is probably behind Bradford Jamieson IV and Rafael Garcia in the pecking order, if for no other reason a small sample size of performances.
But Galaxy fans should keep an eye on this kid. He wouldn’t have been offered a contract unless the Galaxy coaching staff saw something worth investing in. He could be a two year project, but the Galaxy have had a knack for steals in the SuperDraft. They selected AJ DeLaGarza in the 2nd round in 2009. One could make the argument he’s been more valuable than Maryland/Galaxy teammate Omar Gonzalez. In 2010, their only pick was Micheal Stephens, who is now in the 18 with the Chicago Fire as they rebuild. He could become a supporting cast/glue player for Chicago. The same can be said for 2011 2nd rounder Hector Jimenez, who is now with Columbus. 2012 picks Tommy Meyer and Kenny Walker are still with the Galaxy and are role players. Meyer played in every playoff game leading up to a 2012 MLS Cup Championship. Every year, the Galaxy pick an underrated player and they are developed into something of value. Those who were not able to break into the Galaxy line up (because of the Championship expectations) went elsewhere and found regular playing time.
Maganto could grow into a quality wide player who replaces 32-year-old Stefan Ishizaki in a few years. He could become a new central attacker. He could take the Kenny Walker path of a few years of reserve play and a loan or two, then fill a need on the bench and start getting regular minutes from there. Either way, with Arena’s draft record, Maganto earning the roster spot, and the kid having the right attitude, Galaxy fans should pay attention to Nacho Maganto.
