CARSON, Calif.– The LA Galaxy announce today that the club has agreed to terms with all five of the club’s MLS SuperDraft and MLS Supplemental Draft picks that joined the club for preseason training. SuperDraft selections Paolo Cardozo and Hector Jimenez, as well as Supplemental Draft picks Dan Keat, Ryan Thomas and Dustin McCarty each signed with LA prior to the start of the club’s 10-day preseason camp in Arizona. The contracts for Cardozo and Keat will each be finalized pending the receipt of their ITCs.
A native of Uruguay, Cardozo was selected by the Galaxy in the first round of the 2011 MLS SuperDraft after impressing at the annual MLS Combine. A small and technical midfielder who can play centrally or on either flank, Cardozo came through the youth system at River Plate before joining Quilmes, helping them win promotion to the Primera Division. He has played in all three of the club’s preseason games so far, scoring twice and setting up a third goal.
Jimenez, who was raised in nearby Bell Gardens, Calif., was taken one round later by the Galaxy with the 34th overall pick of the SuperDraft. A right-sided midfielder, Jimenez finished his college career at Cal with 28 assists and was a three-time First Team All-Pac-10 selection. He has played in two of the Galaxy’s three preseason games so far this season.
The No. 3 overall pick in the Supplemental Draft, Keat was an NSCAA Third Team All-American in 2009 in midfield at Dartmouth. A native of New Zealand, Keat has represented his country at the U-20 level and was in line for a spot on their U-23 team at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, only to suffer an injury prior to the tournament. He is yet to appear for the club so far in the preseason as he continues to rehab a left heel injury that he suffered at the MLS Combine.
The Galaxy were also able to select Ryan Thomas in the first round of the Supplemental Draft after a standout career at Stanford. A native of Claremont, Calif., Thomas has been used at left back throughout the preseason, playing in all three of the club’s games so far. A teammate of Hector Jimenez with local youth club Arsenal FC, Thomas won three UYSA national championships before enrolling at Stanford, helping them reach the third round of the NCAA Tournament in 2009.
The fifth and final player to sign with the Galaxy, Dustin McCarty was taken in the second round of the Supplemental Draft. McCarty, who is the brother of D.C. United midfielder Dax McCarty, played his first year of college soccer at the University of Central Florida, earning Conference USA All-Freshman Team honors before transferring to North Carolina. In three years with the Tar Heels, McCarty helped lead his team to the College Cup semifinals three times, including a berth in the College Cup Final in 2008. Originally a midfielder, McCarty has appeared in two of the Galaxy’s three preseason games so far, playing at right back in each.
Goalkeeper Zach Johnson, the club’s third round Supplemental Draft pick out of West Virginia University, did not join the club in preseason, electing to pursue other professional opportunities.
