LA Galaxy begin season with fresh new look

The LA Galaxy begin a new chapter tonight as they take on Club Tijuana in their first exhibition game at StubHub Center.

With former coach Bruce Arena tapped to head the USMNT last November,  new coach Curt Onalfo is poised and ready to debut his fresher, younger group — many of whom he nurtured the past few seasons at Galaxy II.

In what could be seen as the biggest off-season shake-up in a decade, Onalfo has re-buillt his team by accessing the club’s youth academy to an unprecedented extent.

Gone are high-priced veterans Steven Gerrard, Robbie Keane, Alan Gordon, Leonardo, Landon Donovan, Jeff Larentowicz, Mike Magee and A.J. DeLaGarza.

DeLaGarza was cut three weeks ago after 8 seasons, 200 appearances and three Championships with the Galaxy.

A fan favorite,  he was the last remaining link to Arena’s 2014 MLS Cup Championship team.

And while he understands how the salary cap works, he expressed disappointment that the team sold his contract without asking him where he wanted to go, a courtesy they extended to other veterans such as Mike Magee and Marcelo Sarvas.

DeLaGarza joins teammate Leonardo on the Houston Dynamo, a team that has struggled, winning a league-low seven games last season and haven’t made the payoffs in three years.

So, it’s out with the old and in with the new for the Galaxy.

The re-tooled team will rely on young attacking talent.

The trio of 22 year-olds, Jack McBean, Raul Mendiola and Ariel Lassiter, and 20-year-old Bradford Jamieson IV all have experience playing for Onalfo on Los Dos.

This younger squad joins team veterans Giovani do Santos, Sebastien Lieget and Gyasi Zardes, as well as new acquisitions Romain Alessandrini, Joao Pedro and veteran Jermaine Jones.

Other than 35-year old Jones, Onalfo seems determined to bring in a crop of youngsters and move away from spending big bucks for big names.

Alessandrini, a French midfielder, is in his prime at age 27, and Portuguese midfielder Pedro is just 23.

But for all the young talent, the team will likely revolve around Giovanni dos Santos who is coming off a season that saw him score a career-high 18 goals with 18 assists.

I don’t know about you, but I am EXCITED about this new Galaxy team.

Next: Dodgers Sign Sergio Romo

You can watch the Galaxy v. Club Tijuana game tonight at 8pm on Spectrum SportsNet.