CARSON, Calif. – The LA Galaxy filled their vacated general manager position by hiring club great Pete Vagenas to the role.
The 38-year-old former Galaxy captain replaces Bruce Arena who departed the club last week to take the head coaching position with the U.S. National Team. Vagenas will serve as the club’s general manager and retain his position as the team’s Vice President of Soccer Operations.
In his new position, Vagenas will manage the soccer activities for LA Galaxy, LA Galaxy II, and the club’s academy, as well as the player acquisition, scouting, and management of the organization’s coaching staffs.
After Arena, who held both the Galaxy’s head coaching and general manager positions, departed, the choice was a simple one.
“Pete Vagenas has been a key piece of this transition team. Pete has built our academy program into one of the best in the nation. For the past year and a half, Pete has also worked closely with Bruce,” club president Chris Klein said. “Pete has been part of this club since its early years and embodies everything the Galaxy stands for. … Pete will have all the resources he needs to be successful in this new role.”
A two-time MLS Cup champion with Los Angeles, Vagenas served as the club’s Academy Director from 2013 to 2016, when he took over as the V.P. of Soccer Operations. During the past three years, Vagenas has been instrumental in the creation of the club’s Blended Learning Program and the foundation of the first Girls Academy squad fully funded by a Major League Soccer side.
The 38-year-old will need to be proactive in his new role with the Galaxy needing to fill the head coaching vacancy left by Arena. With Klein expecting to name a new head coach before the end of the year, the club president says Vagenas will play a significant role in choosing the club’s next manager.
“I felt this was the right first choice we had to make,” Klein said. “Pete will be involved in the hiring of our new coach. It allows us to go out together and search for the next, best manager for the LA Galaxy.”
The new position within the club is a natural fit for a Galaxy lifer like Vagenas, who spent nine of his 13 years in Major League Soccer with the Galaxy. As the club moves into a new era, having a General Manager with ties to the club’s storied history is of vital importance for Klein.
“Working with him over the past three years, not only does he have a deep affection for the LA Galaxy and knows what we’re about, but he has a knowledge of what we’ve been building,” Klein said. “That’s the foundation of our academy, through the launch of Galaxy II, certainly with the success we’ve had with the first team. I’m confident in the value he brings to the club and understanding us and understanding the league rules and how we can best build a team to be successful.”
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog atwww.LAGalaxy.com/Insiderand contact him atLAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com
