Technical Staff

LAFC announced today that Othoniel Gonzalez Junior has been named head coach of LAFC2, the club’s MLS NEXT Pro Team. 

“Junior brings considerable experience to LAFC 2, and we are excited to welcome Junior back home to LA as the new Head Coach of LAFC 2, ”LAFC Co-President and General Manager John Thorrington said “Junior has extensive knowledge of both the youth landscape and the professional game, and we are confident he will provide great leadership to our young players."

Junior, 46, joins LAFC with more than two decades of coaching and scouting experience, which includes experience in Major League Soccer serving as an Assistant Coach and Director of Scouting (2013 & 2014) at Chivas USA, Assistant Coach at the LA Galaxy (2018), and two years as Assistant Coach at the Chicago Fire (2022 & 2023). Gonzalez also brings over six years combined in the USL as a Head Coach leading the LA Galaxy II to two USL post-seasons from 2019-2021, in 2017 with Houston Dynamo’s USL affiliate the RGV Toros, and served as the Assistant Coach for the Seattle Sounders FC II in the USL Pro league in 2016 and also served as the Head Coach and Head Academy Scout in the Sounders Development Academy from 2015-2016. 

Gonzalez’s experience is complemented with the U.S. Soccer Federation Pro Coaching License, Welsh FA License and is currently in the process of earning his UEFA A and UEFA A Youth Elite Licenses.  

At the National Team level, Gonzalez has served as an Assistant Coach for El Salvador’s 2023 Training Camp and as an Assistant Coach for the US Youth National from 2015- 2019 for team U-15 and U-17 squads including the 2015 U-17 FIFA World Cup in Chile and as a guest Head Coach for the U-17 squad during Nike International Friendlies.

Fabian Sandoval and Claine Plummer will join LAFC2 head coach Junio Gonazalez’s Technical Staff as assistant coaches for the 2024 MLS Next Pro season.

Sandoval joins LAFC2 with over 15 years of coaching experience, beginning at the development level. He holds a USSF ‘A’ License and has a background in scouting and game analysis. Sandoval also brings playing experience at the collegiate level with CSU Bakersfield and professional level playing in the USL.

Sandoval first joined LAFC in 2017, helping set the foundation that launched the LAFC Academy by serving as assistant coach for the club’s first team at the U-12 level, which featured current LAFC player Erik Dueñas. Most recently, Sandoval led the U-17 team while continuing his role of identifying potential Academy prospects. Over the past seven years, Sandoval has helped lead the LAFC Academy U-13 team to the 2018 Concacaf Champions League title and most recently had a third-place finish in the 2023 Generation Adidas Cup.

Sandoval’s in-depth knowledge of the Southern California youth soccer landscape played a key role in the club’s efforts to identify and develop talent for the LAFC Academy. Sandoval was instrumental in the development of academy graduates such as Dueñas, Christian Torres, Tony Leone, and Nathan Ordaz.

Plummer joins LAFC as an Assistant Coach and Goalkeeping Coach with three decades of coaching experience across the development, collegiate, and professional levels. Plummer holds an Advance National Goalkeeper Diploma from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) and is a NSCAA National Coaching Instructor.

A native of Costa Rica, Plummer has served as an assistant and goalkeeping coach at various MLS clubs like LA Galaxy (2005-2006), Chivas USA (2010-2015), Real Salt Lake Academy (2015-2016), and LA Galaxy II (2016-2022). At the international level, Plummer served as the Goalkeeper Coach for the Jamaican Men’s National Team (2015-2017), the U.S. National Team U-14 and U-19, and has served as a goalkeeping instructor for FIFA and CONCACAF since 2016.

Plummer’s coaching experience includes 13-years coaching the men’s and women’s programs at Occidental College (2003-2007), UCLA women (2006-2008), the men’s and women’s programs at Cal State Los Angeles (2009-2013), and most recently at the University of Santa Barbara (2023).

Plummer also brings over 14 years of playing experience as a goalkeeper, having played in Costa Rica at Limon FC and has represented the Limon State Team and Costa Rican National Team at the U-19 and U-23 levels from 1988-1999.