Shortly after LA Galaxy coach Sigi Schmid resigned Monday, club president Chris Klein offered more details on what he called a “collective decision.”
“We need to take inventory, the objective right now is finishing the season. We need to take inventory of how we do things on the soccer side.” Klein said during a conference call with reporters a few hours after Schmid stepped down.
Klein said the staff is consistently re-evaluating itself and is “not satisfied with where the team is right now.” He hopes the coaching move, which placed assistant coach Dominic Kinnear in charge the rest of 2018, will give the team a better chance to make the playoffs this year.
“We’re hopeful that it is an injection of energy of the group, and that getting players coming, back we could shift momentum. We are hoping that it’s a good thing for us.”
When asked about other potential front office moves, Klein quickly turned focus to the remainder of the season.
The Galaxy (10-10-8, 38 points) are in eighth place in the Western Conference and three points out of the sixth and final playoff position. They will have their first match under Kinnear at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday in Toronto.
In a statement released by the Galaxy earlier Monday, Schmid took full responsibility for the decision to step down as head coach.
“After careful consideration, I have decided to step away from coaching at this time, but would like to remain in the game,” Schmid said. “With six games remaining as the club fights for a playoff spot, I understand the timing of this decision is unfortunate. However, I believe this group can come together and fight for a spot this season under Dom’s guidance.”
Klein was asked by a reporter during the conference call whether superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic ever requested a coaching change.
“I understand his reputation and his personality, but in the time that he has been here, he has been beyond professional, and he would not go there even if he wanted to,” Klein said. “So the answer to that is, ‘No.'”
As for the permanent coaching role, Klein said the club has not yet spoken to any potential candidates. The front office values the “longer window” its has to find a permanent replacement during the MLS offseason, rather than rushing to bring in a coach midseason like they had to after firing Curt Onalfo and hiring Schmid last year in July.
“We want to thank Sigi for everything he’s done for the LA Galaxy and for soccer in Southern California,” Klein said. “He has played such an integral part of the success of the LA Galaxy since 1996, including helping bring this club the first of five MLS Cup trophies. We respect Sigi’s decision and we will continue to focus on our push for playoffs as we move forward.
“Dom is one of the finest coaches in the history of this league, and we trust him to lead this group for the remainder of the season. His keen understanding of our team and MLS will serve us well for the last six games of the season. The club will conduct its search for the next LA Galaxy head coach immediately.”