CARSON, Calif. – Peter Vagenas has spent more than a decade growing the LA Galaxy in Southern California, and now the Galaxy legend will see his role expanded as the Vice President of Soccer Operations for the club.
The Pasadena native was appointed to the position on Wednesday after nearly three years as the director of the club’s academy. The new position will see the 13-year MLS veteran work closely with the technical staff for both the Galaxy first team and LA Galaxy II while also keeping a close eye on the growth of the club’s academy.
“I’ve grown up in this club, and I’ve become a man in this club. I’ve gone through the highs of highs, and I’ve suffered through the lows of lows. At the end of the day, I’m committed to being who we say we are, and that’s a leader of soccer in this country,” Vagenas told LAGalaxy.com. “Whatever it is that we do, the one thing that can be assured is that we don’t stand still. We continue to develop and look for ways to improve ourselves. In this position, I’ll have the chance to push the envelope, and that’s something that I’m eager to do.”
During his time as the Galaxy Academy Director, Vagenas prided himself in helping the program become the most innovative in the country. Under Vagenas’ leadership, the Academy continued to be a pipeline for both the first team and Galaxy II as 11 Academy alumni have signed deals between the two sides.
Vagenas’ principle achievement occurred in 2015 when he presided over the founding of the LA Galaxy Academy Blended Learning Environment, a high school program that allowed Galaxy Academy players the opportunity to immerse themselves in a professional environment while attending classes at StubHub Center.
“Teams throughout MLS are becoming clubs. As the league grows, we’ve gone from a first team mentality to a club mentality,” Vagenas said. “We have kids in our clubs from 10 years all the way up to Robbie Keane; we’ve got to be collective and unified in our progress.”
Although Vagenas will see his role in the day-to-day Academy operations diminish, Vagenas is relishing his new challenge.
“There’s a learning curve with everything. I have the privilege and honor of direct insight into the man who does this better than anyone else in Bruce Arena. For me, it’s an important step in my learning to immerse myself in what is going on,” Vagenas said. “Right now, I’ve had to take a step back in terms of the day-to-day operations of the academy as involve myself with other things. For me, the crux of this is unifying this and assuring that we’re collective in our approach.”
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog at www.LAGalaxy.com/Insider and contact him at LAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com
