With opening week of the 2021 MLS season rapidly approaching, the Los Angeles Galaxy on Thursday announced a key acquisition, as they signed Kevin Cabral to a five-year contract. Cabral, a 21-year old French winger joins the Galaxy as a young designated player.
“Kévin is a young and dynamic player who will give us versatility in the attack,” LA Galaxy General Manager Dennis te Kloese said in a statement. “He is an emerging talent and has shown to be a bright prospect in France. At 21 years of age, he will continue to grow and develop as a player within our club. We are excited that such a young talent has chosen the Galaxy as the next destination in his career. We look forward to welcoming him to Los Angeles and for his contributions as a member of our organization.”
Cabral begun his career in Paris Saint Germain’s youth system in 2012 and spent five years with PSG. Cabral then joined Valenciennes in 2017 and had 13 goals and 10 assists in 70 appearances for the Ligue 2 side. Cabral is expected to fill the void left by the departure of Argentine winger Cristian Pavon, who played one and a half years with the Galaxy on loan from Boca Juniors, but the two sides’ inability to negotiate a loan extension combined with legal troubles for Pavon back in Argentina forced the Galaxy to look elsewhere and eventual set their sights on Cabral.
FC Cincinnati had originally held the rights to the winger, but the Galaxy traded $250,000 in general allocation money, a 2022 Superdraft first round pick and future performance-based incentives to Cincinnati to acquire Cabral’s negotiating rights.
The signing of Cabral continues a recent trend for the Galaxy towards younger players with future promise. In addition to signing Cabral, the Galaxy recently signed Alex Alcala, a promising 15-year old from Stockton CA, who is eligible to represent both Mexico and the US, as well as 18-year old Adam Saldana from Galaxy II. In addition to the youth signings, the Galaxy also added Victor Vasquez, who played for Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney at Toronto FC and was key in Toronto’s 2017 MLS Cup run. Also joining the Galaxy is veteran defender Jorge Villafana, who began his career with Chivas USA.
