There are just 10 days until the first offseason decision deadline, and the LA Galaxy, who are currently without a general manager or head coach, have major decisions facing the club. Both contract negotiations with current players and adding players to the roster are time sensitive issues that need to be addressed if that Galaxy hope to break the slump they’ve been in the last few seasons.
“The priority for me is to hire a leader for our soccer operations,” said LA Galaxy President Chris Klein. “That is first step. And then we’ll go on from there. Obviously, we need a coach for next year. So, I would put that as priority 1B. But first things first and we’ll continue to move through it.”
“We have a timeline because there are decisions that need to be made. Certainly, we don’t want to make those without people that are going to be in charge heading into next year. Our intention is to move through this as quickly as we can but still understanding we need to make the right decisions.”
Nov. 26 is the MLS Option Exercise Deadline. Teams not participating in the playoffs must notify MLS which players‘ options are being exercised and who is receiving a bona fide offer by that date. Last offseason, the Galaxy declined the options of 12 players, meaning the same deadline this season could be a vital step in building the roster ahead of the 2019 season.
Further, Dec. 9, the day following MLS Cup, is the half-day trade window, in which teams are free to sign and trade players. This four–hour window from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET comes after a three–month roster freeze that began Sept. 14th. After the half–day trade window begins the blackout period, when MLS teams cannot sign or transfer players until the Expansion Draft is completed on Dec. 11 and the free agency period begins.
Since the Galaxy did not have a player selected in last year’s Expansion Draft when LAFC joined the league, they are eligible to have a player selected by incoming MLS franchise FC Cincinnati. Cincinnati can take a total of five players in the draft, and can select only one player from any MLS team.
The LA Galaxy can protect up to 11 players on their roster, and players with a no-trade clause in their contract must be protected. Also of note, Designated Players are not automatically protected and can be selected in the Expansion Draft if left unprotected. For international players, teams are restricted slightly. They can leave unprotected the total number of international players on their respective rosters minus three. If a club as three or fewer international players, it can only make one available.
With so many vital roster maintenance dates fast approaching for the Galaxy, not having a GM or head coach could prove to be detrimental to the success of the team in 2019.