Daniel Steres has helped solidified the Galaxy defense this season

Things have moved rapidly for Daniel Steres since December.

Steres, who was the Defender of the Year for the Galaxy II last season, was signed to galaxysenior club in December. He earned three consecutive All-League selections for Galaxy II.

One week later, Omar Gonzalez was transferred to Pachuca in Mexico, essentially opening up a spot in central defense for someone, anyone.

Steres, who was born in Burbank and raised in Calabasas, has been a gem for the Galaxy this season, becoming a fixture on the backline. As the team enters the final month of the season, Steres leads the way in minutes played (2,490).

“He’s doing well,” Galaxy coach Bruce Arena said. “It has probably been a typical year for a young defender, he’s had his ups and downs a little bit, but for the most part he’s been fairly steady, but we still see little dips in his performance and other times where it is quite good.

“Obviously, we want him to stabilize that a little bit and be a bit more consistent.

Steres made his Galaxy debut in the opening game, going 90 minutes and scoring a goal.

He’s started 27 of 29 games so far this season.

“I’ve definitely grown throughout the season, playing at this level,” Steres said. “There are still things, mistakes, plays that I have to work on to get better and better.

“It is just a sense of knowing that I’ve gotten into the squad now, before at the beginning of the year it might have been how am I’m going to get into the squad. Now, that I’m in it, it’s trying to stay in it and help the team as much as possible.”

Steres, 25, knows he is far from being a finished product and he said he agrees with Arena’s assessment.

“Hopefully, peak as much as I can toward the end of the playoffs. I feel like I’ve got the trust of a lot of the veteran guys. I pride myself on staying healthy and staying on the field and being someone that’s consistent, week in and week out and someone the team can count on.

 

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