LA Galaxy hire Greg Vanney as next head coach

The news we expected for weeks is official, as Greg Vanney has been hired to be the next LA Galaxy head coach, announced by the club on Tuesday.

Vanney joins the Galaxy after a successful six-plus year tenure as Toronto FC head coach, where he won a treble, including the first Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup wins in club history, two additional Canadian Championships, a run to the final of the 2018 Concacaf Champions League final, where they fell in a penalty shootout, and literally turned the club around from the basketcase of MLS to a model club on the field. And the Galaxy will be looking for a similar revival in their fortunes.

“I am extremely excited about the opportunity to coach the LA Galaxy,” said Vanney. “The LA Galaxy are an iconic club with a rich history in Los Angeles, MLS and North American soccer over the last 25 years. I want to thank Dennis te Kloese, Chris Klein, Dan Beckerman and Mr. Anschutz for the opportunity to coach this team and represent a club so close to my heart. I am committed to working tirelessly for this club, our fans and Los Angeles to win a championship. I look forward to this new challenge in my career and am eager to get started.”

“Greg is a part of the history of the LA Galaxy and we are confident that he is the right person to lead our team moving forward,” said LA Galaxy General Manager Dennis te Kloese. “He has deep knowledge of this club and Major League Soccer as a player and a coach and has proven to be a consistent winner with a championship pedigree. His accolades as Toronto FC’s manager are evidence of his ability to create and sustain success in our league. We look forward to working with Greg to continue to build a team that will compete for trophies.”

Vanney was a Galaxy original, after being drafted out of UCLA for the debut 1996 season. A rock in defense with a knack for scoring, Vanney won the Supporters’ Shield in 1998, the Concacaf Champions Cup in 2000, and the U.S. Open Cup in 2001. He was MLS Best XI in 2000 and 2001, before moving to French club Bastia for a few years, and bouncing around MLS a bit before finishing up his playing career with the Galaxy in 2008.

Vanney resigned as TFC head coach after the 2020 season, to some surprise, and he was immediately linked to this vacancy at the Galaxy, for good reason. The circle is now complete, and Vanney has a fantastic track record in MLS, and has turned around a club in much worse shape than the Galaxy in recent years. Galaxy fans should be very excited about this appointment.

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