The following is a press release from the LA Galaxy II of the USL.
LA Galaxy II Roster Announced for 2016 USL Season
Los Dos announce 16-man roster ahead of third season in USL
CARSON, Calif. (Wednesday, March 23, 2016) – LA Galaxy II, the 2015 USL Western Conference Champions, announced today the full staff and roster ahead of the team’s opening match of the 2016 United Soccer League (USL) Regular Season. On Saturday, Los Dos will kick off their third season in USL at 7:30 p.m. PT against Arizona United SC at StubHub Center. Tickets for Saturday’s match, which features free parking, $2 beer and $2 tacos, can be purchased by visiting www.lagalaxy.com/schedule/2.
Head Coach Curt Onalfo and his staff will lead a group of 11 returning players and five new additions in the team’s quest for its first USL Championship in 2016. Returning to the squad are forwards Adonis Amaya, Kainoa Bailey, Jack McBean, midfielders Alejandro Covarrubias, Ryo Fujii, Adrian Vera, Jaime Villarreal, defenders Bradley Diallo, Lee Nishanian and goalkeepers Bennett Sneddon and Eric Lopez.
Three international players were added to the roster: Bryam Rebellon (MF, Colombia), forward Denzel Slager (FW, Netherlands, Curacao international) and John Neeskens (DF, holds Netherlands, Spanish and U.S. citizenship). Galaxy II also signed 2016 MLS SuperDraft pick Josh Turnley (DF, Georgetown) earlier this week, as well as former Galaxy Academy product Nathan Smith (DF), who chose to forego his senior year of eligibility at UCLA in favor of returning to the club.
LA Galaxy II also announced the coaching and technical staff, as Curt Onalfo returns for his third season as the head coach of Galaxy II. Rounding out the coaching and technical staff is Technical Director Jovan Kirovski, Assistant Coach Rob Becerra, Goalkeeper Coach Daniel Gonzalez, Strength and Conditioning Coach Dan Jones, Athletic Trainer Rick Martinez, Equipment Manager Gerson Vargas and Team Administrator Kelly Davila.
2015 members Joe Franco, Andre Auras, Travis Bowen, Nicholas Shackelford and Elijah Martin all depart from Los Dos. Goalkeeper Clement Diop, defender Daniel Steres and forward Ariel Lassiter signed MLS contracts with the LA Galaxy this offseason and will remain available for selection via loan. The remaining LA Galaxy II roster will be composed of LA Galaxy players on loan and LA Galaxy Academy players. Per USL rules and regulations, up to five Academy players can occupy a roster spot without counting against the official roster count.
The USL will continue in a two-conference format, with 14 teams making up the Eastern Conference and 15 teams making up the Western Conference. The 30-game regular season will be conducted over 27 weeks, which will kick off on March 25 and conclude on September 25. For the 2016 USL season, the team with the best record across both conferences will earn the 2016 USL Regular Season Title. The top eight teams in each conference will then advance to the 2016 USL Playoffs, which will see a single-elimination bracket crown two conference champions. The two conference champions will advance to the 2016 USL Championship.
LA Galaxy II will play against each team in the newly realigned 15-team USL Western Conference at least once. They will face California rivals Sacramento Republic FC and Orange County Blues FC four times each during the 2016 campaign. Los Dos will also play three new Western Conference opponents in their inaugural years: Rio Grande Valley FC (twice), Swope Park Rangers (once), and San Antonio (twice).
LA Galaxy II qualified for the USL Playoffs for a second straight season and defeated Sacramento Republic FC and Orange County Blues FC ahead of the team’s 2-1 victory over OKC Energy FC in the Conference Final. The win provided Galaxy II with their first trophy as 2015 USL Western Conference Champions. Galaxy II would fall to the Rochester Rhinos 2-1 in extra time in the USL Championship match.
LA GALAXY II ROSTER
GOALKEEPERS (2): Bennett Sneddon, Eric Lopez
DEFENDERS (5): Bradley Diallo, John Neeskens, Lee Nishanian, Nathan Smith, Josh Turnley
MIDFIELDERS (5): Alejandro Covarrubias, Ryo Fujii, Bryam Rebellon, Adrian Vera, Jaime Villarreal
FORWARDS (4): Adonis Amaya, Kainoa Bailey, Jack McBean, Denzel Slager
ROSTER BREAKDOWN
NEW SIGNINGS (5): Bryam Rebellon, Josh Turnley, Denzel Slager, John Neeskens, Nathan Smith
RETURNING (11): Adonis Amaya, Kainoa Bailey, Alejandro Covarrubias, Bradley Diallo, Ryo Fujii, Eric Lopez, Jack McBean, Lee Nishanian, Bennett Sneddon, Adrian Vera, Jaime Villarreal
LA GALAXY ACADEMY PRODUCTS (9): Adonis Amaya, Alejandro Covarrubias, Ryo Fujii, Eric Lopez, Jack McBean, Bennett Sneddon, Adrian Vera, Jaime Villarreal, Nathan Smith
BIRTHPLACE:
United States (12): Josh Turnley, Jack McBean, Nathan Smith, Adrian Vera, Bennett Sneddon, Alejandro Covarrubias, Kainoa Bailey, Jaime Villarreal, Lee Nishanian, Adonis Amaya, Eric Lopez, John Neeskens
France (1): Bradley Diallo
Netherlands (1): Denzel Slager
Colombia (1): Bryam Rebellon
Hong Kong (1): Ryo Fujii
