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.”

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.

POMONA, Calif. February 2011 - A former Cal Poly Pomona and South Bay 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".