The Los Angeles Galaxy active off season continues as they signed two more forwards on Thursday. The five-time Major League Soccer (MLS) Cup champions brought: 21-year-old Ghanaian Emmanuel Boateng and former MLS MVP and once Galaxy player, Mike Magee.
After crashing out of the 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs in the Knockout Round to the Seattle Sounders, it was clear that LA needed to make some moves in the offseason. LA’s Head Coach and General Manager Bruce Arena has responded by signing his fifth and sixth player to the club.
With the addition of Magee and Boateng the roster is now has 26 out of a possible 28. Plus the forward pool for the Galaxy has been extended to nine players. So the competition for the starting job will be fierce when training camp begins on Jan. 22nd.
The other seven Galaxy forwards are: Captain Robbie Keane, Mexican international Giovani Dos Santos, U.S. international Gyasi Zardes, MLS veteran Alan Gordon, Spaniard native Ignacio Maganto, homegrown players Jose Villarreal and Bradford Jamieson IV.
Between the two signings Galaxy fans are familiar and fond of Magee. The 31-year-old striker played in LA for nearly four-years (2009-2013). In the middle of the 2013 MLS regular season the Galaxy traded Magee to the Chicago Fire for the rights to sign current Galaxy starter, Robbie Rogers. Now he returns to the StubHub Center through free agency, the terms of the deal were not made public.
His time with the Fire is best described as a mixed bag. His three-year stint (2013-2015) with his hometown club started great as he won the MVP award in 2013. However, in his final two seasons with the Fire he only participated in 29 games due to ongoing injury problems.
However, for the fans in LA they remember a Magee who was healthy and dangerous around the net. During his time with the Galaxy he played in 105 regular season games and scored 19 times and set up 11 other goals. Not to mention he was clutch in the postseason.
Regardless, that Magee was surrounded by the likes of MLS all-time goal scorer Landon Donovan, Keane and former England captain David Beckham he always found a way to shine. In the postseason he played and started in 17 matches, combining for 1495 minutes. While scoring eight goals and picking up an assist in the process.
The former New York Red Bulls player was key asset for the Galaxy when they won the MLS Cup in 2011 and 2012. He also helped LA win the Supporters’ Shield twice (2010 and 2011).
Magee also contributed in the CONCACAF Champions League for the Galaxy. The former MVP competed in 12 games, started in 11 of them and scored two goals.
It is safe to say that Arena is glad to have Magee back.
"Mike has shown that he is one of the most versatile and effective players in our league," Arena said in a statement. "He is familiar with our club and will be a key part of our team on and off the field."
Emmanuel Boateng
The veteran MLS coach is just as excited for Boateng joining the club.
"He's a young and exciting player who offers a lot of pace to our team. He's left footed and predominantly a left-sided attacking player who gives us something that we don't have," Arena told LAGalaxy.com. "With his speed, it's going to help us whether he's a full-time player or a part-time player, his speed is going to be a valuable part of our attack."
The speedster will be added to the roster as an international player, once his P-1 Visa and International Transfer Certificate (ITC) come through. The details of the contract were not made available to the public.
The Ghanaian striker has only been playing professional soccer for three years. His most recent club was Swedish side, Helsingborgs IF; he started playing for them in 2013. Boateng made 37 appearances and scored four goals in the Allsvenskan (Sweden’s highest level of professional soccer.).
However, the 21-year-old is not a stranger to living in the United States, particularly in Southern California. Before his days in Sweden, the speedy forward was attending a boarding school in Carpinteria, California called Cate School. Boateng arrived to the 106-year-old school at the age of 15 through a scholarship.
After enjoying a successful career at Cate, where he was recognized and awarded the 2012 Gatorade Soccer Player of the Year. He decided to attend UC Santa Barbara in 2012.
As a freshman he scored four goals and won the Big West’s Freshman of the Year award. Plus he was also nominated to the First Team All-Big West.
The 21-year-old first professional team was United Soccer League (USL) club, Ventura County Fusion in 2013. He made 13 appearances and scored once for the USL club. However, that was enough to for Helsingborgs to invite the striker to training.
However, Boateng now finds himself back in Southern California.