CARSON, Calif. – Jack McBean acknowledges that when he signed a Homegrown Player contract with the LA Galaxy four years ago, he “didn't really know what I was getting myself into.”
He was just 16, more promise than player, still growing into his body, still early in his evolution toward what he could become – a first-class target forward who can bag a bunch of goals and set up teammates, too – and expectations that he was just “going to go out and play in MLS” weren't particularly realistic.
He's still working toward that, and that means another season with Galaxy II, the club's USL-based reserve team, which kicks off its 2015 campaign Sunday night at StubHub Center against Real Monarchs SLC, Real Salt Lake's new reserve side.
“It's a big year,” said McBean, who in his first three seasons netted seven goals in 25 competitive first-team games – five in eight CONCACAF Champions League outings – but saw no first-team time in 2014. “It's my fifth year here, and it's kind of a do-or-die year for myself. We'll see how it goes. I'm looking forward to it.”
So are Galaxy brass, who have faith that the Orange County-bred striker will soon be contributing to the first team's success but would like to see that happen sooner than later.
“He's got a ways to go,” Galaxy coach Bruce Arena said. “He's 20 years old. I'm not losing a whole lot of sleep over it, but he's at a point now where he needs to step up at this point in his career and make some steps forward.”
McBean scored six goals last year in a first, difficult campaign with Galaxy II, far below what he'd expected. The experience was valuable.
“He had some ups and downs,” Galaxy II coach Curt Onalfo explained. “Came out of the gate really strong, hit some bumps in the road, which is all part of what a young player experiences. Now it's another opportunity where he's going to have the ability to play and get games and be successful and, ultimately, score goals.”
McBean is patient, but the process can be tough to deal with.
“It's frustrating sometimes,” he said. “You almost feel like you're taking steps back. But I know I've improved every year, drastically. I know that just by stepping out on the field and by watching film and seeing my game improve little by little.”
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Onalfo sees it, too.
“He's matured in a ton of ways,” Onalfo said. “He's tactically better. At the end of games, he knows what to do to close out a game. He knows how to press, he knows where to move defensively. He's proven he can score goals, he just has to do it now more consistently. ... You need to be able to play through him and then he's got finish more of his chances. And if does that, he's a guy that can be relied upon.”
McBean missed most of preseason with a quadriceps injury he suffered during the offseason and aggravated in LA's first scrimmage this year, and he's been training fully for less than a week. Once he's fully fit, his goal is “to prove my worth this year.”
He'll face stiff competition for playing time with Galaxy II, which employs several rising young forwards, including Ariel Lassiter, a Costa Rica U-23 forward and son of Roy Lassiter.
“I gave Jack a lot of minutes last year. Now, this year, we have competition," said Onalfo. "So now he's going to have to earn it. And he will. He's got the right mentality, he's scored a lot of goals for me – I believe in him – so I'm excited about him, what he'll bring this year.”
