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Thursday afternoon at the American Express Stadium Club inside Dignity Health Sports Park, the clean-cut duo of LA Galaxy general manager Dennis te Kloese and head coach Guillermo Barros Schelotto were introduced to the media.
In a short 15-minute cameo, the pair spoke eloquently about the future of the club, injecting life into a once-aimless organization and going a long way towards restoring the confidence of Galaxy fans.
Dominic Kinnear will return as an assistant, which is great news. In addition to a well of knowledge and experience, Kinnear can likely operate in a similar manner to his time under Sigi, playing the role of the “good cop” and providing positive encouragement to the group. And as we know, Dom is a favorite of Zlatan’s.
No Show Gio? The name “Giovani dos Santos” was noticeably absent from the new boss’ mouth, who singled out the other Designated Players by name including Ola Kamara, the lethal striker who has been highlighted by some pundits as a potential trade chip.
The first player Schelotto brought up when describing LA's potent attack? Ola Kamara.
— LAG Confidential (@LAGConfidential) January 3, 2019
This could be building on a recent trend: Yesterday parent company AEG tweeted a home opener reminder and Gio was absent from that as well.
Schelotto will not hesitate to #PlayTheKids
Dennis de Kloese praising Schelotto's courage to put young players on the field. Says him and GBS come from a culture where the best players start regardless of age.
— LAG Confidential (@LAGConfidential) January 3, 2019
We predicted yesterday there was a 100% chance El Tri youth star and academy product Efrain Alvarez would see serious playing time this year. After listening to a GM and manager who are clearly on the same page in providing opportunities to up and coming talent, those odds are now about 200%.
No time to waste. Tomorrow morning GBS and DtK head to Orlando to oversee the 2019 MLS Combine.
What did you think of today’s presser?