LA Galaxy signed 17-year-old Jalen Neal to a Homegrown contract on Wednesday. Neal is a member of the U.S. Youth National Teams. He made 13 appearances for LA Galaxy II (Los Dos) during the 2020 USL Season. 

Neal is regarded as an athletic defender who can compete for playing time at a number of positions. He was a center back for much of his youth career with the Galaxy Academy. He dominated games with his strong tackling and smart distribution. 

“Jalen [Neal] is a talented defender who has shown his capability at the professional level last season with LA Galaxy II,” Galaxy GM Dennis te Kloese said in a club statement. “We are excited that he will become another player on our first-team roster that has come through our developmental system. We look forward to Jalen continuing to learn and grow with our club.”

Galaxy currently has six Homegrown players on the first team roster: Cameron Dunbar, Jonathan Perez, Efrain Alvarez, Adam Saldana, Eric Lopez, and Neal. 

Saldana was signed to a Homegrown contract on Tuesday. The former U.S. U17 MNT midfielder spent last season with the team’s USL side after signing a professional contract at that level. 

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