The LA Galaxy will introduce former US National team coach Bruce Arena as the team’s new head coach at a press conference scheduled for 1pm CT today.

Arena and assistant coach Dave Sarachan will take over for the Galaxy and have their first game against Chicago this Thursday in Primetime action. Cobi Jones is expected to remain on the Galaxy coaching staff.

The move comes a week after previous coach Ruud Gullit resigned and president and general manager Alexi Lalas was fired.

It will be the third coaching stop in MLS for Arena, who resigned as coach of the New York Red Bulls in November after they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.

The 56-year-old led DC United to back-to-back MLS titles in 1996 and in 1997 before leaving to become the US national coach in two World Cups.

Its been asked before, what do you make of this coaching change? And do you like the coaching staff of Jones and Sarachan with Arena. I think those three are a solid staff of coaches here.

The little talk we mentioned earlier in the day was now more of an interview than just a friendly chat. Why is that? Because Bruce Arena is taking the open coaching job with the LA Galaxy.

According to SBI, Arena will be joined on the Galaxy staff by former Chicago Fire head coach Dave Sarachan, who served as Arena’s assistant with the national team during the 2002 World Cup. No word on if current interim coach Cobi Jones will still be on the Galaxy coaching staff.

I said earlier that if you read between the lines from the comments that AEG President Tim Leiweke made, it seemed more like this would be Arena’s job to take.

“This won’t take long,” Leiweke said of the search for a new Galaxy coach. “We owe the team and the fans a quick conclusion to this process.”

Well we know now we took it. There was really little doubt in my mind that it wouldn’t be Arena taking this job. Arena has something to prove and this is probably the best place for him to do it (other than starting fresh with an expansion club). I do still hope to see Cobi Jones on his staff, it would be a shame to let him go after having with that club all of those years. Plus having Arena, Jones and Sarachan on one staff seems like a good deal to me if I am a Galaxy fan. You have two that can develop young players well and handle veteran players, then you have Jones who knows the ins and outs of this club. Hell, Jones has been there since day one.

I just wonder if we will see Bruce in a fancy Hollywood suit like Jones was wearing last night or if he will stick to the usual sports gear like nearly every other coach.

I’m sure more will come out of this in the coming days here over the weekend.

Cobi Jones made his coaching debut against Chivas USA

Cobi Jones made his coaching debut last night against Chivas USA in a 2-2 draw. An excellent game overall that showed loads of passion out of each club. Jones looked all Hollywood in his debut but what did you all think of him last night? Somehow his club came back and tied that game and won the SuperClasico for the third time in four years.

With Bruce Arena in the picture right now was this a one time shot for Jones? Or will we see him suit up again like this in another game?

Few rivalries in Major League Soccer are this good. Seriously. I suppose its all due to the fact that the two clubs share a stadium that was originally just mean to be for one team. Or maybe its the fact that one club is more American and the other is Mexican in its roots. Either way you spin it these two clubs hate one another.

Thus the SuperClasico is here for the third and final time this season between LA and Chivas USA.

The Galaxy will be led by interim boss Cobi Jones, who has taken over after the departure this week of Ruud Gullit. He will be trying to put an end to a seven-game winless streak in his first game in charge. Chivas USA has stumbled in their last couple games and in the SuperClasico this season. Needless to say, both clubs need points to stay in the hunt for the MLS Playoffs. If those said playoffs were to start today both clubs would be on the outside looking in. So a win tonight could push one of them back up the standings, at least for a couple days. Continue Reading…

This will sort of go down like the Dallas coaching search from earlier in the year. Only difference will be the owners of the LA Galaxy are probably a bit clueless about who exactly they want to bring in to coach their club, and FC Dallas knew who they wanted from day one (or five years ago depending on how you look at it).

Lots of names will float out there and with 11 games left on the menu for the Galaxy I am beginning to wonder if the Galaxy will just hold on to interim coach Cobi Jones for the rest of the year. Would it really work out to bring in a coach this late in the year to take over? I think the smart answer is no. But with the way AEG wants to bring in the money I have a feeling they may push hard for a quick change here in the coming week. Even Jones has said he has the club for the next game and that’s all he’s been told about the timetable here.

Though if they do the smart thing and give Jones the time for the rest of the year, that will allow themselves to get the coach they all want for this club.

SO who exactly will be on that short list of coaches that the Galaxy could be looking at here? Continue Reading…

Nothing I like more than to listen to a new head coach before a big rivalry game. We got just that with new LA (interim) coach Cobi Jones. Below is a clip of his comments at the press conference. His first talk as a head coach and not a player.

Say what you will about the guy but he’s been one of my all-time favorites here. Can’t say I’m not rooting for him to succeed here.

What a mess huh? Most of you know my position about Alexi Lalas. Solid player in his prime, terrible in suit in the front office.

I’ve been that way from the beginning with Lalas and to a lesser degree with Ruud Gullit.

Today as we all know both have left the Galaxy either on their own accord or by way of the ol’ pink slip. Again, most of you know I’ve been saying Lalas would be gone before long anyways regardless of what would happen this season unless that result was a MLS Cup win for the Galaxy. And now it looks as though that may have not been enough with his firing today.

Let me get Gullit out of the way here first. The Dutch coach put it out there for people to see with his recent sale of his LA home. Sure he said his wife didn’t like the place but that as we all know was a poor excuse for what really was going on here. While I never thought he would be a success in the league, I did think he would be a decent short term fix for the club seeing how he would know how to handle having a super star like David Beckham around. Continue Reading…