By Ivan Yeo
It was definitely a busy day for the Los Angeles Galaxy
The day started off with the Galaxy officially naming Curt Onalfo as their head coach, and it ended with the acquisition of USMNT midfielder Jermaine Jones, whose rights were acquired from the Colorado Rapids in exchange for an MS Superdraft pick.
Onalfo was certainly the more headline-grabbing as the day got started. Onalfo will embark on the tough challenge of following in the footsteps of Bruce Arena, who in his eight-and-a-half seasons as head coach and general manager of the Galaxy went 125-70-78, won two Supporters Shields, four Western Conference titles and three MLS Cups (2011, 2012 and 2014). Arena also led the Galaxy out of group play of the CONCACAF Champions League three times, advancing as far as the semifinals in 2013, where they lost to Monterrey 3-1.
Onalfo was most likely chosen due to his recent ties to the organization. Onalfo first joined the Galaxy as an assistant in 2011 and was on the bench for the Galaxy’s 2011 and 2012 titles. Onalfo was then named head coach of the Galaxy’s developmental squad, LA Galaxy II, which competes in the USL. Onalfo went 41-20-25 in his three years coaching the USL side, winning a Western Conference title in 2015. Onalfo was also a player on the Galaxy in MLS’ inaugural season.
While Onalfo’s ties to the Galaxy might have given him a leg up in the coaching search, his head coaching record in MLS might give some Galaxy fans pause. Onalfo coached the then-Kansas City Wizards from 2007 until the middle of the 2009 season. Onalfo led the Wizards to the playoffs in his first two seasons, but left the team midway through the 2009 season with the team struggling to stay in playoff contention. Onalfo’s next job with DC United didn’t fare any better, as he went 3-12-3 before being fired in August.
The appointment of Onalfo to follow Arena might be seen as a step backwards among those in MLS, especially considering the names that were linked to the Galaxy in the weeks that the job opened up. Names such as former Sounders and Galaxy coach Sigi Schmid and current Columbus Crew head coach Gregg Berhalter might have served as more attractive options for a franchise with such high expectations. Both names however come with risks, as price for trying to pry Berhalter away from Columbus would’ve surely been very high, most likely a combination of players and draft picks, and there might still be some lingering bad blood between Schmid and AEG following the former’s abrupt firing midway through the 2004 season even though the team was in first place at the time. Schmid’s age also might have been a deterrent for a franchise that looks to be shifting to a strategy of developing younger players from within and possibly signing Designated Players at a younger age.
The Galaxy’s next move later that day however might seem to contradict that theory, as they announced that they had acquired the negotiating rights to USMNT midfielder Jermaine Jones. Jones, a German American carries a reputation as providing an intense an intimidating presence in the central midfield, and while that reputation can at times get in into trouble in terms of fouls and cards, he certainly is a player that opposing teams definitely have to pay attention to.
Jones had spent most of his career in Germany before joining MLS in 2014 with the New England Revolution. His impact was immediate, as the Revolution went from a middle-of-the-pack team in the summer of that year to making it all the way to the MLS Cup final, where they fell to the Galaxy in overtime. Jones spent one more season with New England before a contract dispute saw him shipped to Colorado, where again he made an impact, as he helped the Rapids to a second-place finish in the West.
