Galaxy Academy Teams Ready for Winter Showcase

While the eyes of the soccer world were on South Africa (or at least their TVs which had people talking about the events transpiring in South Africa), the Galaxy Youth Academy teams were prepparing for the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Winter Showcase in Phoenix.

Before we get to that, how about the host of current and former Galaxy faces that popped up throughout the three-hour telecast on ESPN2, with Alexi Lalas in the studio, Landon at Nevada Smith's (as well as making a host of other appearances throughout New York City) while David and Ruud Gullit were in attendance at the draw in Cape Town.

Much closer to home, Trevor James was preparing the U-16 and U-18 teams for their upcoming games in the Winter Showcase at the Reach 11 Sports Complex in Phoenix. The teams trained last night on the stadium field at The Home Depot Center, with James being assisted by a number of local coaches, including former MLS Cup winner David Vaudreuil, the Galaxy U-18 coach, and former Galaxy midfielder Mike Munoz, who will be coaching the U-16's in Phoenix. Munoz will be standing in for the team's normal coach, Kenny Arena, who is with UCLA in North Carolina for the NCAA Tournament.
Click here for complete press release ahead of the team's trip and be sure to check out some more photos from last night's session below...

Following the Winter Showcase, the teams will not have a game for nearly two months before returning to action in early February. The 2009/10 Development Academy season ends in June.