CARSON, Calif. – Defender Daniel Keller, a third round selection out of the University of Louisville in the recent MLS SuperDraft, admitted he was a little wide-eyed as he walked into the Galaxy locker room for the first time.
That’s putting it mildly.
“Pretty star-struck,” he said with a grin after the Galaxy officially opened training camp on Friday. “All the hard work I put in finally paid off.”
Keller and fellow draftees Ignacio Maganto (a forward taken in the first round, 21st overall, out of Iona College) and goalkeeper Andrew Wolverton (a fourth-rounder from Penn State) now face an even more daunting task – earning spots with the defending MLS champions.
It wasn’t too long ago when A.J. DeLaGarza was in his first camp with the Galaxy. He was a second round pick out of the University of Maryland in the 2009 draft and quickly developed into one of the league’s best defenders. The Galaxy even rewarded him with a multi-year contract extension last season.
The 27-year-old still remembers doing all he could to earn his place on the roster when he first arrived in Southern California.
“You’re nervous … it takes time to develop,” DeLaGarza said. “It’s a big jump from college soccer to the professional level, with the Robbie Keanes of the world and guys that will get on you if you miss a pass. They don’t do that too much in college.
“It’s just a learning curve. (Galaxy head coach) Bruce (Arena) is the best in the business at dealing with young kids. If it wasn’t for him giving me an opportunity and believing in me, I don’t think I’d be here.”
Arena, who won his record fifth MLS Cup in December, said he is well aware of the various obstacles his draft selections face in making the roster of a veteran team.
“I think they’ll figure it out themselves as they move along,” he said. “The reason they’re here is there’s enough quality there to have a chance to be a part of our team.
“We try not to draft them and tell them not to show up,” he added with a straight face. “We do it the other way around, actually.”
Keller and Maganto said they’re ready to do whatever it takes to stick around.
“Just be patient, listen to coaches, and of course work hard,” said Maganto, a native of Madrid, Spain who caught the eye of Galaxy assistant coaches at the recent player combine in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
“And if they want me to stay for extra work if they need me.”
Keller said he must earn the respect from the likes of DeLaGarza and Omar Gonzalez, who play the same position as he does on the Galaxy’s back line.
“I’ve been looking up to those guys for the past five or fix years,” Keller said. “Just learning from them is what I plan on doing. That and work hard day in and day out.
“Being drafted by the best team in MLS is the best you can get.”
