Vote: 2021 LA Galaxy Young Player of the Year

As the MLS Playoffs chug along, the LA Galaxy are now a few weeks into their off-season. After the recent announcement of next year's home opener, we are quickly moving on to next season. Before we do that, however, we here at LAG Confidential want to give praise to those who performed above and beyond this season. While the end result wasn't what we all had hoped for, this team still provided a lot of memorable moments and incredible highlights.

First up, we want to shine some light on the youth movement. For the most part, this is a veteran team, with a ton of experience. Despite that fact, several young stars stepped up and proved themselves worthy of regular playing time in the years to come.

Kévin Cabral

It isn't easy trying to settle into a new club, new surroundings, and new pressure. It’s made harder when the star of the team goes down with injury, and you are suddenly thrust into the fire. While plenty of opinions and hot takes surround the 22-year-old Frenchman, Cabral has actually put in a commendable season.

Featuring in 28 matches, starting 24 of those, the young forward netted five goals, and provided two assists in 2021. With a near 80% passing accuracy, he was more than an option in front of goal. The fact that Cabral was on the other end of several “save of the year” candidates for MLS, shows his prowess in finding an open look. While he may not have scored as many as he himself would have liked, he did show enough to get fans excited for next season. With a season of MLS experience under his belt, expect some improvement in year two.

Efraín Álvarez

One young star who has plenty of experience in the MLS, is Álvarez. Despite having featured for the club before, this year felt like one of those “making a jump” seasons for the 19-year-old. With career highs in every category, he was a more integral part in the what the team was doing this season. 26 games played, with 16 starts, two goals, three assists with a whopping 86% pass accuracy. The Mexican International also broke into the National team this season. As a player who will be entering his six season with the club next year, and still only be 20-years-old, the sky is the limit for this young midfielder.

Julian Araujo

Speaking of 20-year-olds, this one has been the name on fans’ lips seemingly all season. Having featured, and started, in 32 of the team’s 34 matches this season, the defender has been a bright spot in what was a tough season. While he didn't get on the score sheet, he did serve up a career high, seven assists, with 84% passing accuracy. Having made appearances for both USMNT and Mexico at youth levels, Araujo made the decision to represent Mexico fully at the senior level. With how he has improved in such a short time, it wont be long before Julian Araujo is amongst the league’s best defenders.

We want to hear from you! Vote now on the 2021 Young Player of the Year for LAGC!