Day After Thoughts On Galaxy Changes

By: NathanHJ | August 12th, 2008

Now that it is The Day After, I have a few thoughts on what just happened.

Alexi Lalas‘ firing was at least a year too late and was a laughably inept hire in the first place. Lalas was good at many things, like being a salesman extraordinaire, doing color commentary, creating funny ESPN Sportscenter promotional spots, even defending for the US MNT. But his history of running teams in MLS was about as lustrous as the attempts to market the Ford Edsel to Americans or the Chevy Nova to Mexicans (Nova = no va = it doesn’t go).

Perhaps AEG thought he didn’t have enough time in San Jose because it became Houston or in NYC during the run-up to the Red Bull acquisition to be accurately evaluated in terms of his GM-quality. However, I would say that the sacking of Bob Bradley was a flare-lit tip-off that Lalas’ personnel acumen was as sharp as a soup spoon made of soap. About the only good thing Lalas accomplished was firing Steve Sampson.

Now, in fairness, a GM, unless s/he’s a brilliant soccer mind, should probably not be dicking around in personnel matters. That’s what a Direct of Soccer/Futbol is for. And I suspect that Lalas was fairly adept at actually selling tickets, elevating the Galaxy brand, and managing sponsor relationships. If only he didn’t have to have left a trail of smoking landscapes and twisted wreckage to get to that point.

And at this point we find ourselves. As Tim Leiweke said in the Daily Breeze,

“I think because of the Ruud situation, it was an opportunity to once and for all look for a fresh start,” Leiweke said. “Alexi’s been with us a long time. I’m very appreciative of everything he’s done for the Galaxy. That one is painful. We haven’t made the playoffs for two years running, and we’re headed for a third year. You can’t blame Alexi entirely. I do think we need a fresh start.”

Fresh start indeed.

Which brings me to AEG. Who, exactly, was responsible for bringing Lalas to San Jose, New York, and Los Angeles? Who, exactly, dealt with the crew that brought Ruud Gullit on board? (And who, exactly, has final responsibility for the skating abmomination masquerading as an NHL team called the Los Angeles Kings?) In short, when, exactly, does Leiweke get the ax as well? If you can’t blame Alexi entirely, can you also blame Mr. Leiweke?

Anyway, if the idea from AEG’s point of view is to have a global brand and therefore global brand-type revenues from the Los Angeles Galaxy, maybe they should concentrate on putting a product on the field that people will actually want to watch. Having David Beckham and Landon Donovan on the same team is great! Having them play on a team that plays enough eye-bleeders to require me to have a standing appointment at the optometrist after Galaxy games is a sure way to become a global laughing stock.

So maybe what they do is get away from this star-struck notion that a global brand deserves a global coach and understand what works in MLS. The foreign coaches who win in MLS are intimately familiar with the American game and with MLS itself. They know how to operate within its constrictures, they understand the personnel, they understand how to build a stable team. Gullit, with an impressive player pedigree, but a decidedly mixed history as a coach, was simply not the right guy for this job.

On the other hand, I think Cobi Jones will make an excellent head coach in MLS. I even think he’s ready enough to be able to have an impact over the next 11 games. If he does, I bet he stays for next season. But if, for whatever reasons that isn’t in the cards, then there are other guys who are good options. Paul Mariner at New England. John Spencer at Houston. I hear Bruce Arena’s free. (Joking. Sort of.)

What do you guys think? Who should be the next head coach? What makes a good MLS coach? Is Cobi ready? Will this have a salutary effect on the team heading into the last 11 games? Let it rip in the comment!

Some Related Galaxy Posts:

Category: 2008 Season, Former Galaxy Guys, MLS News, Off the Field, Team News

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justin

Hey how about some Chivas pregame chat? I will be in the devils lair tonight, and we need this win so bad, who do you guys think Cobi will start?
David

Ives reports that Nowak tops the list of desired replacements for Gullit, but also says he hasn't been approached yet. Maybe he will be now that the US team is out of the Olympics. That would be a nice acquisition.
jen

It's interesting, this talk of the American game. I enjoyed reading JustJack's thoughts on it -- they got me thinking.

I think, if I remember correctly, much of the commentary on a specific American game of soccer centered around the American player's lack of skill. This is what I remember hearing 10 years ago or so. The basic observation was that the American player was a bit of a mix between long ball European play and more of a passing Latin American style of play. Neither of those styles were played very well so you had the addition of the "physical game" to the definition of an American soccer player. In order to make up for lacks in other areas (individual ball skills, tactical skills) the American player became lauded for being a more physical player. And that stuck as part of the definition of the American game.

I don't think that needs to be the case any more. The younger generation is much, MUCH better at the skills that make Europeans and Latin Americans great players. So our expectations of American players need to change. We need to expect great touches, accurate long balls, and letting the ball do the work in MLS, WNT, MNT, etc, and get away from whooping and hollering for the person who chased down their poor first touch and almost got into scoring position by out running their defender (who, of course, was expecting a better first touch and therefore wasn't in great position to defend a scrappy play).
Chris

As both a die-hard Kings and Galaxy fan, I do have to agree with the point that LIE-WICKY needs to be reassigned. Everything he has touched has turned to mud in this town. You want butts in the seats? You want global name recognition? PUT A QUALITY PRODUCT ON THE FIELD/RINK!!!

The Queens have been a shadow of themselves for the past few years, and the fact the Galaxy has failed to make the playoffs indicates, IMHO, a lack of commitment to the players. If your whole quest is the almighty dollar, than one can market something to death to get fans to come to a game, spend their cash, and leave. However, would they come back? Would they recommend the experience to others? Probably not. This whole concept of runnning out a team onto the field, PRETENDING to be something that it is not hyped to be, is getting old, fast. The fact that other teams in the league that are NOT AEG controlled and are doing well, is perhaps indicative that Galaxy's living off of past accomplishments/name recognition is done. That business model come from LIE-WICKY. One only needs to look south on the 5 Freeway to the Anaheim Angels to see an example of ownership done right. Their value has jumped enormously over the past few years. Why? They set out to build the best team they could. Quality product = wins = butts in the seats = $$$$.
Danny

I think cobi's ready and bruce arena would make a god fit:)

oh and nathan nice joke with the "no va" lol
JustJack

While I'm ecstatic LaLa is all gone bye-bye now, I'm wincing that Ruud left. I get it, he's at a much higher level of futbol-think than MLS's square holes can make room for (and face it, Ruud has always been a round peg among square holes... we Chelsea-bluebloods know this intimately). I was just so excited to see an old Chelsea hero here, in my town, in my HDC, working with my boys.

This talk about the "American game" is confusing to me. Futbol is futbol and I have always had a difficult time comprehending why we are told over and over that we MUST play it differently than anywhere else on the earth. Yeah I know they play differently in Spain from Germany from BPL, from Brazil, from Argentina, etc. BUt those are sstylistic things while the skills are essentially the same thing: skills lead to style, artful awareness arises from those skills which leads to goals and the beautiful game itself.

I think that if anything is the "American" game... it's trying to reinvent the wheel just so we get to call it ours... or something like that. I just think it's dumb. We should play the game like our continental or hemispheric siblings do. It's not that hard, really: ball control skills, flash, flair & style, fluid 3-dimensional artful play based on those skills, exciting gorgeous goals, with an emphasis on attacking play, always driving on goal, always (and that includes back-passing only as a tactic, not because a player suddenly draws a blank and doesn't know what to do with the ball at the moment or because they get spooked by those strange guys in different colors bearing down on them). Bottom line, like I tell my own offspring daily until their feet fall off: juggle, train your muscles to strike the ball accurately, do it again, and again, and then do it some more. If you're standing around without a ball on your foot, what are you doing? Wasting time. Juggle, please. And the guys I play with in the park do this all the time and it shows.

I know who I don't want to see in LA, Bruce Arena. That lunkhead was part of the problem for USMNT in at least two world cups and I don't want him poisoning our home waters. Sigi was a personality, but you know, I think Cobi will do just fine as long as he's unfettered by management above him. Maybe it's just my gut affection for my hometown kid, I dunno.

As far as GM, that's a business thing and there are far too many corporado types who have no biz being in the biz in the first place but all kinds of privilege that seems to put them there regardless. I stay up late at night worrying about that. But I know of no artful leaders who can abandon themselves to the strengths of our side.

For now, I'll be chanting pre-game mediations as before... but with "obey the CoJones" insteada "obey the Ruud." Hopefully that'll help. OTOH, ever since I heard this news, I've been worried sick about how things are in the HDC dressing room. Focus, my sons, play futbol, leave your hearts out there on the pitch. I promise to show up and sing and chant and stomp my feet and buy more beer. My heart is with them.
Lee

Lewis has also had some injury issues but had really
started to play back to form in the last few National
Team matches. This could be a really good pick up if
it's true.

Commenting on the coach thing, the best MLS coaches have
to be excellent and managing their resources because it's
a resource limited game. Also, the ability to deal/work
with players who aren't seasoned professionals yet is
key. Players the same age as our college freshouts
are likely already seasoned pros in Europe even if they're still raw talent wise.
Bob

I just read about Eddie Lewis here:

http://americansoccerreader.co...
Justin

Eddie Lewis to the G's after we passed on Gibbs.
Laurie

Soto, I would agree with you on a lot of what you say. In the few months Ruud was here, he brought a bit of panache to the team's play. They didin't just put together scoring drives, they put together PRETTY scoring drives that were exciting to watch. After seeing way too much blast-and-run in MLS, I enjoyed seeing that.

What I think Nathan's referring to is that foreign coaches, Ruud included, are incapable of understanding the MLS insistence on parity. In particular, they don't get the salary cap, and they don't understand how to work under it. They chafe and complain and try to wish it away. That doesn't work. We need somebody who can bring that European panache while working within the confines of MLS.

I'm crossing my fingers that Cobi can take up where Ruud left off. But I'm not certain that's the case.
Soto

NathanHJ: " The foreign coaches who win in MLS are intimately familiar with the American game . . ."

I do not know exactly what you mean by "the American game", but in general I want foreign coaches to make changes to how soccer is played in America. From my experiences growing up playing soccer and from watching our national team and our budding professional league, I know that the American game focuses on a few red herrings that distract us from really excelling at the game. Red herrings like our obsession with the size and strength of a player. I cringe when I hear an American coach praising a player because of their size. Some of the greatest players we not men of stature. Even today that's still true. Lionel Messi is a great example of this.

So I would like to see some outside influences. I want to see foreign coaches bringing a focus on skills, especially in terms of possession and space on the field.
David

Sing with me now: "I want my Sigi back, Sigi back, Sigi back, I want my Sigi back, Sigi back Sigi back...."
DAVE

In regards to "Is Cobi good enough". It doesn't matter. He's the man in charge now. He needs the freedom to do his job without interference from upstairs. I hope they have learned their lesson. Give the manger what he needs to be successful and get the hell out of the way!
Nicole

There is still one more change that needs to be made before the Galaxy can really start over: the removal of Tim Leiweke from all things Galaxy. He just admitted in a taped interview that he hadn't even really been paying attention to the Galaxy until the Dallas game.

And then he blows up. Starts threatening and being an all-around meanie. And then blames everyone but himself.

Tim should stick to business/business and leave the sports franchise business alone.
wavesinair

It seems to me you missed a little bit of your own point. You're glad Lalas is gone and make an argument why he's no good, but you didn't address who should run this team and how someone new will help this season. I don't know enough yet about the MLS or the Galaxy to have an opinion, but it seems to me these changes have no direct effect on how the team will perform. Everyone likes Cobi, I'm just at a loss on how he will make any difference right now.