USL PRO Feature
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
It’s quite something when a young MLS player gets compared to the LA Galaxy’s Robbie Keane, but according to Adam Serrano that’s a comparison the Irish international makes himself when he watches LA Galaxy II youngster Raul Mendiola.
“He’s a player that people like to watch,” Keane said of Mendiola in Serrano’s profile of the 19-year-old Homegrown Player. “He’s the type of player that people like to watch because he can link up play and make things happen.”
Mendiola has made three starts for the Galaxy II this season as the side has gone undefeated to sit on top of the league standings early in the season. As one of a number of Homegrown Players, the native of San Bernardino, Calif. has a chance to be one of the faces of success of USL PRO in the coming years as he gains experience with Los Dos before his opportunity to star for the club’s MLS side arrives.
At 5-foot-8 and 150 pounds, Mendiola isn’t going to be the biggest player on the field, but his quick feet and brain have been put to good use for the Galaxy II so far.
“I try to make the team better even though I’m not the biggest guy. I do have responsibility here and I try not to take it for granted,” Mendiola told Serrano. “Each moment I think that I have to use my smarts to get past bigger players since I don’t grow a lot of muscle.”
As Mendiola continues to progress, in part thanks to his work with the Galaxy II in USL PRO, the hope is he will become the type of standout Keane has been since his arrival in Los Angeles. If that happens, then continued success is likely at StubHub Center.