Carson, CA – French goalkeeper Clément Diop has signed for the Los Angeles Galaxy from LA Galaxy II today. In his debut season with the second team, the 22-year-old appeared in 24 matches ending the season with a 1.12 goals against average. He led his side to the USL finals, where they lost to Rochester Rhinos in extra time. The finals appearance marked the best finish in LA Galaxy II’s short, two year, history.
He began life as a soccer player in the Amiens youth academy where he eventually graduated to the second team as an 18 year old and was the back-up for four years. He never made a first team appearance.
Clément Diop stands at 6 feet 1 inches, which he uses to his advantage as he can fly to make the most improbable saves, covering a ton of ground. His confidence inside the eighteen yard box is growing match by match. This allows him to better punch balls away off of set pieces, corners and crosses while also catching them if he sees fit.
After acquiring goalkeeper Dan Kennedy in a trade with FC Dallas, and keeping backup goalkeeper Brian Rowe, Clément Diop is a great addition to fill out the LA Galaxy’s roster. And while he probably falls to third in the senior team depth chart, he should get plenty of practice time to challenge Brian Rowe.
Diop is expected to be loaned down to LA Galaxy II and retain his starting position there. But this should serve as a testament to the work that everyone in the organization is doing in the development of the young players. If Clément Diop keeps progressing we should see him play more regularly for the Galaxy in the next couple of seasons.
Per MLS and team policy terms of the contract were not released.