Jose Villarreal

	January 3, 2012 Jack McBean and Jose Villarreal called up to U.S. Under-20 National Team for January Camp in Florida CARSON, Calif. (Tuesday, January 3, 2012) – LA Galaxy Homegrown Players Jack McBean and Jose Villarreal have each been included in the U.S. Under-20 National Team’s 36-man roster for a training camp that began on Monday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. This is the second U-20 camp under head coach Tab Ramos for Villarreal and the first for McBean, who was a member of the Galaxy’s MLS Cup winning side last season. The youngest player in club history to play in a game and score a goal, McBean recently completed his first season with the Galaxy, making his MLS debut in the regular season finale against Houston on October 23 when he scored his team’s only goal. He will be joined on the Galaxy roster this season by Villarreal, the third player in club history to be signed directly from the Galaxy Academy, who signed with the club as a Homegrown player on December 22 after starring for the club’s U-18 squad. Two of four MLS players in the camp, McBean and Villarreal will remain in training with the U.S. through the camp’s final day on Monday, January 9. The U.S. Under-18 National Team is also training in Fort Lauderdale for the next week, with three members of the Galaxy Academy U-16 team among the 21-man roster named by head coach Richie Williams. Midfielder Willie Raygoza as well as forwards Justin Dhillon and Jaime Villarreal were all included in the squad, which began training on Monday. Dhillon and Raygoza were each members of the Galaxy Academy U-16 team that won the U.S. Soccer Development Academy championship as well as the Galaxy U-17 team that won the Generation adidas U-17 Cup in Dallas last summer. The duo will be joined in Fort Lauderdale by Jaime Villarreal, who is currently the leading goal scorer in the entire Development Academy, scoring 12 times in eight games with the Galaxy U-16’s. While those five players will be in Florida, Galaxy Academy U-18 forward Mario Rodriguez, will be in Germany as one of 12 players selected to represent the U.S. in the U-19 Stuttgart Cup, a six-a-side indoor tournament that will be played on January 6-7. The team, which will be coached by Mark Litton, departed today for Germany and will face club sides Lechia Danzig (Poland), VfB Stuttgart (Germany) and FSV Mainz 05 (Germany) in Group A of the tournament. Rodriguez, who played for the U.S. alongside McBean at the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Mexico, has three goals in seven games for the Galaxy U-18’s in Development Academy play this season. The LA Galaxy will open preseason ahead of the 2012 MLS season later this month. They will return to competitive action on Wednesday, March 7 when they take on Toronto FC in the first leg of their 2011/12 CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinal, which will be played at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They will open the 2012 MLS season will three days later on Saturday, March 10 at The Home Depot Center in MLS First Kick 2012, presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods. The time, opponent and broadcast information for this game will be included in the entire regular season schedule, which will be announced soon. For more information about this game or to purchase tickets, please visit the club’s official website at www.lagalaxy.com. LA Galaxy Press Release
	Dec 22, 2011 LA GALAXY SIGN SOUTH BAY FORCE PLAYER JOSE VILLARREAL AS HOMEGROWN PLAYER CARSON, Calif. (Thursday, December 22, 2011) – The LA Galaxy announced today that the club has signed 18-year-old foward/midfielder Jose Villarreal as a Homegrown Player. The Inglewood, Calif. native is the third player to be signed directly from the Galaxy Academy, joining Tristan Bowen, who, in 2008, was the first player in MLS history to be signed directly from a club’s academy, and Jack McBean, who signed with the Galaxy in January 2011 and became the youngest player ever to play in a game and score a goal for the club in the regular season finale against Houston in October. “Jose is a player that we have known and watched for a long time and it’s been great to have him in our Academy this past year,” Galaxy Academy Senior Director Chris Klein said. “He has a tremendous amount of promise and potential and we’re excited that he’ll be able to continue his development with the first team.” Villarreal is in his first season with the Galaxy Academy after joining from partner club South Bay Force and helping Pateadores / South Bay Force coached by SBF Technical Director Todd Saldana win the U.S. Soccer Development Academy U-18 championship in July, scoring 20 goals in 31 games for the club, including two in the U-18 Development Academy Final. This season, the skillful foward/midfielder who has been a member of South Bay Force for many years, has scored three times in the six games that he has played in a Galaxy uniform as the team, which has a 7-0-2 record so this season In addition to his recent time on the field with the Galaxy, Villarreal has also represented his country, joining the U.S. Under-23 National Team for a camp in Germany last month and playing in a scrimmage against Azerbaijan. In addition to his time with the U-23’s, Villarreal, who is eligible to play for the U.S. U-20’s, has played for the U-18’s in July 2011 at the Milk Cup in Northern Ireland, starting all three games that his team played in the competition, tallying one assist. “It’s been my dream ever since I was little to be a professional soccer player, so to be able to do that and stay close to home so that I can play in front of my family and friends is a dream come true,” Villarreal said. “Growing up here I’ve always watched the Galaxy and been a fan of the team so this will be a great experience for me.” Villarreal, whose 16-year-old brother Jaime plays for the Galaxy Academy U-16 team and is also a long time South Bay Force player and is their leading scorer with 12 goals in eight games, will join the Galaxy for the start of their preseason camp next month. Jose could make his professional debut on Wednesday, March 7 when they take on Toronto FC in the first leg of their 2011/12 CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinal, which will be played at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Galaxy will then open the 2012 MLS season will three days later on Saturday, March 10 at The Home Depot Center in MLS First Kick 2012, presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods. The time, opponent and broadcast information for this game will be included in the entire regular season schedule.
	Nov 18, 2011 Practice Makes Perfect for Jose Villarreal Jose Villarreal recently joined LA Galaxy Academy after leading the Pateadores/South Bay Force U-17/18 team to the 2011 Development Academy title. The midfielder also has experience with the U.S. Under-18 Men’s National Team, but when he earned a call up to the Under-23 Men’s National Team training camp in Duisberg, Germany, Villarreal expected a big challenge. “It’s a different experience from the Academy!” Villarreal exclaimed about his first time in a U-23 camp. “It’s way tougher, a lot more physical, bigger guys, great players. It’s been good.” When the California native heard he would be heading to Germany, he thought it was going to be for an Under-20 camp. “Then I saw older guys on the roster,” Villarreal said. “I kind of expected it to be tougher for me because the older guys are way better than me. It’s good, though, it’s a learning experience for me.” The players were split up into two teams for the four scrimmages that the U-23s had while in Germany. Villareal featured in both of his matches, coming on at the start of the second half in the 0-0 tie against Azerbaijan, and he started in the 3-0 loss against Bayer Leverkusen. Though this team did not record any wins, U-20 head coach Tab Ramos was still impressed with his players. “I think it’s been a tremendous camp,” said Ramos. “For the younger players it’s been a great experience to at least get a peek of where we need to be moving forward. We made good progress and I’m happy with that.” Villarreal thinks that being in camp with players who are already on professional teams, like Juan Agudelo at the New York Red Bulls, Luis Gil at Real Salt Lake and Omar Salgado at the Vancouver Whitecaps, has pushed him to become even better. “It makes it a better environment for you,” he said. “It makes you want to work harder and get to that next level.” While in Duisburg, the players stayed in a dorm together and trained twice a day. From when the team arrived on Nov. 7 to when they left on Nov. 16, the focus of the camp was to see how they players worked together and to build team chemistry. “We’ve got great coaches here, and you learn new stuff that you really need to become a better player,” Villarreal said. “It’s good being with Luis [Gil], being with Omar [Salgado], obviously with Juan [Agudelo]. It’s nice being able to say, ‘I was with those players.’” Villarreal stayed in Germany after camp to improve his skills by training with a German club in the Second Bundesliga. He spent a week training with the club’s youth team. For motivation in Germany and when he gets back to the Galaxy, Villarreal should repeat his own advice: “If you want to get to the next level, you’ve got to train hard, because practice makes perfect.”
	November 2, 2011 USA u23/Olympic Team Coach Caleb Porter Names 31 Players to Roster for U-23 Men’s National Team Camp from Nov. 7-16 in Germany © U.S. Soccer CHICAGO (Nov. 2, 2011) – U.S. Under-23 Men’s National Team head coach Caleb Porter has named 31 players to the roster for the upcoming training camp in Duisburg, Germany, which also features several players who are age-eligible for the U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team. The camp will be held from Nov. 7-16 at the Sportschule Wedau, a German sporting school where the players will train and stay. More players may be added to the roster based on the results of the upcoming MLS playoff matches. “The goal was to put together a comprehensive group of players to further evaluate the pool while building towards Olympic qualifying,” said Porter. “By having a mix of domestic and overseas-based professionals, we can develop a clearer picture of who can help us in qualifying and hopefully the 2012 Olympic Games.” For the full story, please click this link: U.S. Soccer News
	Jose Villarreal Starts for KVC Westerlo v AA Gent in Belgian Jupiler Pro League Reserve match Jose Villarreal was picked to play in the starting 11 for KVC Westerlo on Friday, October 14th and played almost all 90 minutes versus AA Gent in an official Belgian Jupiler pro league Reserve match. Player sin this reserve match are mostly full time professional players just outside the starting line ups of the pro squad or are current top pro players recovering from injuries and building lost game fitness. Often young, up and coming pro prospects like Jose are only included to give them valuable experience against seasoned adult pro players and to evaluate their ability to become full time professional players. Jose scored the winning goal in a 2-1 victory for KVC Westerlo.
	Jose Villarreal was awarded the Player of the week in United States Development Academy this past week. Jose Villarreal – Midfielder, LA Galaxy After scoring twice and leading the U-17/18 Pateadores/South Bay Force to the 2011 Development Academy title, Villarreal made the jump to the LA Galaxy (South Bay Force’s new partnership) where he started the season much the same way he finished the last one. Villarreal scored the second goal in the Galaxy’s 5-1 win against Santa Cruz Breakers and also started and played 83 minutes in the team’s 1-0 win against De Anza Force. We would also like to announce that Jose is is traveling to Brussels, Belgium on Saturday for a tryout with KVC Westerlo of the Belgium top league. Jose spent time this summer overseas at the Milk Cup in Ireland representing the U.S. U18 playing against Israel, Mexico and Georgia and trained with Dortmund, Leverkusen and Bochum of the Germany Bundesliga.
	SBF Players Suit up and travel with LA Galaxy Reserves to Portland OR Javier Torre, Jose Villareal, and Jeffery Payeras Pictured from left to right: Javan Torre (South Bay Force BU19 CSL Premier and U.S. U-18 National Team), Jose Villareal (South Bay Force BU17 CSL Premier and U.S. U-18 National Team), and Jeffrey Payeras (South Bay Force CSL Premier) traveled and suited up for the LA Galaxy Reserves to play vs. Portland Timber in a Major League Soccer Reserve League match Thursday September 1st in Portland, Oregon.

Valashinas Signs with Los Angeles Blues

By Aaron Castrejon | BroncoAthletics.com

POMONA, Calif. February 2011 - A former Cal Poly Pomona soccer player is going pro.

Justin Valashinas, a former defender on the men’s soccer team, will play with the Los Angeles Blues, a professional soccer team from the United Soccer Leagues Professional Division (USL PRO).

“I grew up playing almost every sport,” said the 5-foot-10 athlete from Manhattan Beach, Calif. Soccer, however, was the one sport that stuck and it has been a lifelong goal to play professionally.

It was just one week after the last game of the 2010 season when Valashinas jumped at the opportunity to play professionally. Trevor Persson, an assistant coach with the Broncos, was able to help Valashinas get an opportunity to tryout.

The L.A. Blues liked what they saw and kept asking Valashinas to return. Soon after, Valashinas was signed. “I really didn’t believe it. I was amazed that I was given a shot. That’s all I could really ask for,” Valashinas said.

"We are pleased with signing Justin,” said Charlie Naimo, vice president and head coach of the Blues. “He is a young local player that has already shown signs of being a great professional."

It is also the USL PRO’s inaugural season. “The whole aspect of it is kind of mind boggling,” Valashinas said.

Valashinas arrived to CPP from Fort Lewis College (Div. II) in Durango, Colo. And immediately bonded with his players and coaches. Valashinas played three season with the Broncos (2008-2010).

In his starting year, Valashinas broke his ankle. The inability to play during his recovery did a number on his confidence levels, but he refused to let that keep him down.

“Any great leader has to have the ability to adapt to the situation they are in,” Broncos’ head coach Lance Thompson said. “They have to have the ability to adapt. I really believe Justin has those leadership qualities. He adapted to the expectations and direction this program was going in,” Thompson said.

Thompson arrived to Cal Poly Pomona to helm the men’s team in Feb. 2009. Valashinas was the first student athlete to call and congratulate him. “That is something I’ll always remember,” Thompson said.

In his three seasons, Valashinas displayed an amazing work ethic, having played in 47 games, 45 of which he started. In the 2010 season he played in 1,397 minutes, leading the Broncos.

“He was extremely committed to making this program successful.”

That work ethic was something coach Thompson reinforced in Valashinas.

“You don’t get places in the long run by luck. Ultimately it’s your work ethic that is going to determine the kind of person you are on and off the field,” Valashinas said. “The work you put into it is ultimately what gets you far.

“I’ve had a great experience here. I met a bunch of great players here at Cal Poly. I feel very lucky that I was given a shot and now it’s up to me to make the most of it. I’m looking forward to what happens.”

The L.A. Blues play their inaugural game Friday, April 15 against Sevilla FC Puerto Rico in Puerto Rico. Their first home game is Sunday, May 1 at Cal State Fullerton’s Titan Stadium.

For more information about the Los Angeles Blues, visit the official team website at labluesprosoccer.com. Season tickets, flex plans, and individual game tickets can be purchased online or by calling 310-264-4649. Stay up to date with all the latest team news by visiting the Los Angeles Blues facebook page and following the team on twitter @LABLUESPRO.

Jack McBean and Jose Villarreal called up to U.S. Under-20 National Team for January Camp in Florida