Tuesday's Column & the Gullit & Lalas Aftermath
Galaxy Coach Ruud Gullit, a distant and cold figure to players and media alike, is gone.
GM Alexi Lalas, witty and personable, but ultimately self-defeating, overly manipulative and simply too clever for his own good has followed him.
"I think very highly of Alexi", AEG President Tim Leiweke told the LA Times. "But I think as an organization we need to go in a different direction here. We need to get rid of the tension and the stress and the issues that we have had."
Interim Coach Cobi Jones will try to hold things together beginning today. He won't receive much empathy. Many in the league who believe there's one rule for the Galaxy and another for the rest of MLS will enjoy this enforced lesson in humility.
Here are the basics on what went down Monday from Galaxy beat writer Scott Wolf.
Here's my take on the drama in today's column.
Updated: Interview with Tim Lieweke is here.
I'll have more later today from the SuperClasico press conference.
Where did it all go so wrong, Becks?
Photo by Scott Varley
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About 100 Percent Soccer
Sportswriter Nick Green has written the 100 Percent Soccer column since 2005 for the Daily News, Daily Breeze and other Los Angeles area newspapers. The blog of the same name began in 2007. A native of England, he began writing about soccer in the mid-1980s and in 2000 permanently exchanged a seat in the stands for one in the press box. He lives six miles from Carson's Home Depot Center, home of the Los Angeles Galaxy, Chivas USA and the training headquarters for U.S. Soccer and is married to a long-suffering soccer widow. Join Nick on FaceBook and follow him on Twitter.
For its first 5-6 years, the Galaxy were a fairly stable club and it paid off handsomely. Loyal fans, winning records, Perennial MLS Cup finalists, occasional winners.
I'd date the beginning of the end at their move from the Rose Bowl to the Home Depot Center. _Much_ pricier, flashier venue, and an attempt to put a pricier, flashier team on the field.
Turns out slow and steady wins the race, as best demonstrated by the San Jose/Houston franchise Landon Donovan started out with. They put together a good side and keep it. They continue to be consistent MLS Cup finalists and occasional winners.
The Galaxy shared that model until for inexplicable reasons we decided to go the NY/NJ Metrostars/Red Bull route, which has always proven to be a disaster.
AEG needs to completely rethink. Even if they do, it will take a couple of years to have any real effect. We'll see if we fans have the patience for this. Tho I used to go to several games a season at the Rose Bowl, I haven't taken my kids to a game in two years because the HDC ticket prices are now too high and the game isn't any fun to watch if you don't know the players.
Leiweke's attempt to blame the players for this fiasco -- and, by extention, to exempt himself from all responsibility -- is despicable. Then again, it just reveals the man's lack of character. It reveals his tendency to intimidate and pressurize those underneath him.
The Galaxy and Cobi should pull a Manny Ramirez. They should not give their all for the rest of the season until Leiweke is fired -- and they must let management know that Leiweke, not Lalas nor Gullit, is the ultimate reason for this nonsense.
The Galaxy used to be stable. They ran off Osiander in season two, Zambrano in season four. They simply had a very strong core of players. Even then, they were making mistakes along the lines of Hermosillo and Hernandez. When "the stars align", the Galaxy win - 1998, 2002, 2005. But the Galaxy have been making these kinds of mistakes frequently throughout the franchise history. It's just a little more embarrassing in the spotlight.
And overnight success is possible, historically. San Jose did it, so did Kansas City. Salt Lake SEEMS to be doing it. Chivas USA went from hilarious to respectable to pretty damned good. You can quickly put together a decent core of players, plural. The right guys are out there. The Galaxy, apart from this year's draft, and the out-of-the-blue resurgence from Edson Buddle, have not.
For Leiweke to blame the players for this fiasco -- and, thereby, absolve himself of all responsibility -- is despicable.
If AEG really wants to right this ship, it must fire Leiweke and tell Simon Fuller and 19 Entertainment that it has no business insinuating itself into soccer-oriented personnel decisions, Beckham or no Beckham. Otherwise, this miserable scenario will play itself out again and again and again...