March 7, 2016
CARSON, Calif. - San Diego State alum Daniel Steres made sure his Major League Soccer (MLS) debut was one for the ages, as he scored LA Galaxy's first goal of the 2016 season in a 4-1 win over DC United on Sun., March 6.
Steres, who started in his debut at centerback, headed in a Mike Magee corner kick from point-blank range in the 54th minute to knot the score at 1-1 and spark a three-goal comeback by the Galaxy for the eventual victory at StubHub Center.
"He's done well," Galaxy head coach Brue Arena told LAGalaxy.com. "I thought he had a really good performance and a big goal for us, as well."
"With the team we have here, we have great players and great coaches and they gave me some confidence," Steres relayed to LAGalaxy.com. "I was excited to get out there."
A finalist for the United Soccer League (USL) Defender of the Year award in 2015, Steres signed with the Galaxy in December after captaining LA Galaxy II to the USL Championship match. He earned his third straight All-League first team nod after Los Dos recorded the league's fourth-lowest goals against average at 1.13.
While at San Diego State from 2008-11, Steres was a two-time team captain in 2010 and 2011, starting 67 of his 71 games played. A three-time all-league and two-time all-academic Pac-10/12 honoree, the Burbank, Calif., native was an NSCAA All-Far West Region first team performer his senior season.
Upon graduating, he was picked by Chivas USA in the second round of the MLS Supplementary Draft and the Seattle Sounders FC in the MLS Waiver Draft. He made 25 appearances with the USL's Wilmington Hammerheads FC in 2013, named the team's Most Valuable Player and a finalist for the league's Rookie of the Year award, before joining Los Dos in 2014, the team's first year of existence.