It was a moment years in the making.
From the LA Galaxy academy to Ventura County FC, the U.S. Youth National Team to a night in Montreal, Ruben Ramos Jr. has been building toward this. The 19-year-old scored his first career goal for the LA Galaxy in the 20th minute of Saturday’s 2-2 draw with CF Montreal.
“Finally happy it came. I’ve been waiting almost two years for it,” said Ramos.
“I’d like to thank God first. It just felt like an unreal moment. I didn’t even know if it hit the back of the net.”
Ramos has never been a secret within the Galaxy organization. The La Puente native was a central figure in back-to-back MLS Next U17 Cup wins and has represented the U.S. at the youth level since 2024.
Most recently, he announced himself on a regional stage at the Concacaf U20 Championship as he recorded four goals, one assist, and a spot in the tournament’s best XI.
He carried that confidence back to LA with a clear intention.
“The confidence I’ve gained from the national team, I definitely want to bring it here because I want to help the team as much as I can,” he said earlier this month.
Saturday night gave him the chance to prove it.
With Marco Reus absent from the trip to Canada, the door opened for Ramos to start. He walked through it with one thing on his mind.
“I wanted to score my first goal. That was at the top of my mind when I knew I was starting. Having that confidence from the coach really helped me out today,” said Ramos.
The moment arrived in the 20th minute. With LA a goal down and searching for a response, Ramos read the play perfectly and found himself in exactly the right position to poke home the equalizer.
“I started running and felt like I was in another world. When I scored, I was just happy overall,” he said with a smile.
Head Coach Greg Vanney liked what he saw from the youngster. “It’s great for Ruben to get his first goal. He has a knack for getting into good spots, and he’s a good finisher,” said.
What will accelerate Ramos’s development at the senior level is the access he has to players who have been at the highest levels of the game. Sharing a locker room with the likes of Marco Reus, Hirving “Chucky” Lozano, and Kyogo Furuhashi has given him a daily challenge to push him every training session.
All three are players who have flourished in their careers and know what it takes to become reliable players for their teams.
“I have a lot of questions for them because obviously they have experience in the Champions League and all over the world. I try to get as much information from them and translate that into my game,” said Ramos. “Their advice helped me out today a lot. I’d like to thank them for all the information and advice they’ve given me so far.”
Saturday night will forever be remembered in the mind of Ramos. It can be a moment he needs to go from prospect to reliable squad player for his hometown team.