LA Galaxy Homegrown player Jose Villarreal has returned from a loan spell with Mexican side Cruz Azul and will join LA Galaxy II on loan, the club announced Friday.
Villarreal will be available for Galaxy II as they take on the Pittsburgh Riverhounds Saturday (7 pm ET; stream at www.lagalaxy.com).
The 20-year-old Inglewood, Calif., native signed as a Homegrown player for the LA Galaxy Dec. 22, 2011. A product of the LA Galaxy Academy, Villarreal has scored three goals and recorded two assists for the LA Galaxy in his 32 appearances for the club.
The forward scored in his second-ever appearance for the Galaxy, notching the game-tying goal in the 87th minute during a 2-2 draw against the Vancouver Whitecaps on July 18, 2012. Last year, Villarreal also appeared in five CONCACAF Champions League games, one US Open Cup match and an MLS Playoff game.
Prior to signing with the Galaxy, Villarreal was a member of the Galaxy Academy U-18, scoring three times in six matches in 2011. Before his time with the Galaxy Academy, he helped lead Pateadores to the 2011 US Soccer Development Academy National Championship, scoring 20 goals in 31 games for the club.
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Villarreal has appeared for various US youth national teams, including U-18, U-20 and U-23 squads. He helped his country qualify for the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2013, scoring three goals at the CONCACAF Under-20 Championship, where he was named to the All-Tournament team. At the World Cup, he started in all three games for the United States.
