Yony González is needed urgently in the LA Galaxy offense. Can he help the offense reach its stride?
The LA Galaxy have completed the signing of 26-year-old Colombian winger, Yony González, the club announced today. Gonzalez was signed using Targeted Allocation Money (TAM) and will be added to the club’s roster pending the receipt of his ITC and P-1 visa.
González, who is out of the country at the moment, could be available for the Galaxy within the next two weeks. But with Covid-19, and a general delay within any government office during a global pandemic, his arrival could be pushed even further during a frantic six-game stretch that starts on Saturday with a matchup against LAFC (August 22; 3 PM: FOX/FOX Deportes)
“Yony is a dynamic playmaker who we believe can strengthen our attack this year,” said LA Galaxy Manager Dennis te Kloese in a press release. “He possesses a diverse skillset and will be an important addition to our roster.”
Head Coach Gullermo Barros Schelotto is also eagerly awaiting his new signing’s arrival. “We are excited to add Yony to our squad and think he can be a valuable player for us. He is a player that is in the prime of his career and has a lot of technical ability on the ball. We feel that he will give our team a spark on the offensive side.”
The Galaxy, who are winless through five games in a pandemic ravaged 2020 season, have only scored two goals from the run of play. And with injuries to Jonathan dos Santos and Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez, plus the dismissal of winger Aleksandar Katai, they’ve been playing very shorthanded. González is hopefully the answer.
Having signed on a free transfer during last season by Portugal side Benefica, González was on loan to Corinthians in Brazil for this season. But his real success came with Fluminense where he was considered one of their better players.
He’s expected to fill the right side of the midfield for the Galaxy and will eventually see Cristian Pavon as his opposite and Chicharito has his strike partner. He’s a pacy winger with good technical ability on the ball. Those ball-handling skills seem to allow him to cut inside more often than not and take defenders on 1v1.
González likes to take risks on the wing when attacking. Which makes him both a dangerous attacker and someone who can lose the ball in dangerous positions. His highlight reels show a confident attacking player, with good physical awareness and a strong mentality to stay on his feet — all things that should serve him well when playing in a physical league like MLS.
The Galaxy, however, still have many questions to answer. And replacing Katai with González doesn’t really plug any of the other holes that are so glaringly staring the club in the face.
The lack of depth at striker still needs to be addressed, and finding a true playmaker in the midfield is still on the want list. And, while there have been plenty of rumors about reinforcing the defense, the prospects of that particular area of the field are more complicated than just doing the best with what they’ve already invested – Emiliano Insúa, Pipo Gonzalez, Rolf Feltscher, Dan Steres, Nick DePuy, Julian Araujo, Danilo Acosta, and some other young and upcoming talent just to name a few.
González, at least on paper, is a good addition to the Galaxy’s starting lineup. But Schelotto will still need to execute a certain style of play and incorporate his talents into his ideas for the rest of the team.
Something that is never as simple as it sounds.
Article by Josh Guesman for Corner of the Galaxy