When the world’s most famous soccer player, David Beckham, joined Major League Soccer in 2007, his arrival brought prominence to the league and confirmed the Los Angeles Galaxy’s status as a junior league super team. During Beckham’s tenure, the Galaxy competed in three MLS Cups, won two of them and exuded a Hollywood glamor that resonated around the world.
It is therefore surprising that the Galaxy have the worst record in the league this season with just two wins from 14 games. In response, and after missing the playoffs in four of the past five seasons, the team Tuesday fired its longtime president Chris Klein, who had also played with Beckham on the Galaxy.
Klein’s sacking came after months of protest from die-hard fans who were angry at the club’s directive. Several support groups had called for Klein’s dismissal and threatened to boycott the games; some have already done so. The Galaxy’s viewership is down about 10 per cent compared to last season, reflecting both the team’s poor results on the pitch and the simmering anger of its fans.
“I’m hoping that there’s a fix and whatever the fix, the fan groups – which are really important to all of us and the players – find the right path for them to show up,” Galaxy coach Greg Vanney told ESPN in February. “Because it probably won’t be ‘Chris out.'”
Now Chris is out. “We believe it is in the club’s best interest to effect change and begin a comprehensive process to find new leadership that will bring the club back to the level that our fans and partners have come to expect,” said Dan Beckerman, AEG’s president said the team’s parent company when announcing Klein’s departure. Vanney will keep his job as coach, the team said.
The Galaxy’s last MLS championship came in 2014, their third in four years, but the team hasn’t claimed a significant win since then. Last year’s playoff appearance, the first in three seasons, ended in the conference semifinals.
The team that knocked out the Galaxy at this point is particularly annoying: It was Los Angeles FC, the new club in town, who’ve only been a member of the league since 2018 but already have more accolades in their trophy case (three) than the Galaxy has in the last decade.
LAFC has twice won the Supporters Shield, awarded to the team with the best regular-season record, and last season won its first MLS Cup championship. They have also reached the final of this year’s Concacaf Champions League, where they meet Club León of Mexico in a home-vs-home series for the regional club championship this week.
The galaxy, on the other hand, is stunning. The team is the worst team in the league with a goal difference of minus 14 this season with 2-9-3. Before Wednesday night, the Galaxy lost three straight league games without scoring a goal. After the last of those defeats, 1-0 at home to Charlotte on Saturday, fans chanted, “We want more!”
While LAFC’s Dénis Bouanga leads the MLS with 10 goals, Galaxy’s top scorer Dejan Joveljic has two. Galaxy’s underperforming star players include Mexican forward Javier Hernández, known as Chicharito, and Brazilian Douglas Costa, who has been goalless in four games. As became known this week, Costa is also threatened with arrest in Brazil for non-payment of child support.
After Klein’s release, support groups formed congratulated each other in the news and promised to return to the games.
Klein had other problems late last year: he was suspended in the off-season after MLS found breaches in a deal to sign Argentina winger Cristian Pavón. The sanctions also limit the moves Galaxy can make in the international transfer market this summer. This means that rebuilding the galaxy will be a tall order. Even with her fans back on board, the return to fame may take a while.