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marshall_yohance_2009The LA Galaxy signed four players Thursday in advance of the start of the 2009 MLS season. The club signed goalkeeper Josh Saunders, defenders A.J. DeLaGarza and Yohance Marshall and midfielder Kyle Patterson, meaning all four will be eligible for the Galaxy's season opener against D.C. United on Sunday, March 22 at The Home Depot Center. Per team and league policy, details of the contracts were not disclosed.

Saunders is the only MLS veteran in the group, having appeared in three games for the Galaxy in 2008 while on loan from Miami FC of the USL First Division. A two-time MLS Cup winner, Saunders was drafted by San Jose in 2003 and won an MLS Cup during his rookie season before signing with the Galaxy in 2005 and helping the club win both the MLS Cup and the U.S. Open Cup that year. Saunders spent six seasons in the USL First Division, both on loan and on permanent contracts, spending four years (2003-2006) with the Portland Timbers before signing with the Puerto Rico Islanders in 2007 and Miami FC in 2008. Capped twice by the Puerto Rico National Team, Saunders signed with the Galaxy on loan in September 2008 and played in three games for the club, compiling a 1-2-0 record with a 2.00 goals against average.

DeLaGarza was the Galaxy's second round pick in January's MLS SuperDraft out of the University of Maryland. A two-time College Cup winner with the Terrapins, the 21-year old Bryans Road, Md. native appeared in 88 games during his four years at Maryland, making 81 starts. He helped the Terrapins win the NCAA Championship in 2005 and 2008, when he started in central defense alongside current Galaxy teammate and fellow 2009 SuperDraft pick, Omar Gonzalez.

Patterson was selected by the Galaxy in the fourth round of the 2009 MLS SuperDraft out of St. Louis University. A native of Birmingham, England, Patterson began his career in 1999 at the Youth Academy at West Bromwich Albion before attending St. Louis in 2005. In four years with the Billikens, he scored 29 goals and added 15 assists, leading the team in scoring during both his junior and senior seasons. The 2007 Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Year, he scored a career-high 12 goals in 2008 while leading St. Louis to the NCAA Tournament.

Marshall joined the Galaxy during the second week of preseason training after going undrafted at the 2009 MLS SuperDraft. A four-year starter at the University of South Florida, Marshall helped the Bulls win the first Big East title in school history as a senior in 2008 when he scored two goals, two assists and helped his team keep 12 clean sheets in 23 games. A former member of the Trinidad and Tobago U-17, U-20 and U-21 National Teams, Marshall served as the USF captain during his sophomore, junior and senior seasons.

With the four signings, only defender Tony Sanneh remains unsigned from the Galaxy's current 25-man preseason roster.
Yohance Marshall