With three matches remaining in the 2020 regular season the LA Galaxy announced that they have relieved Guillermo Barros Schelotto of his head coaching duties, effective immediately.
MLS veteran Dominic Kinnear will serve as the LA Galaxy interim head coach for the remainder of the 2020 season. Assistant coaches Gustavo Barros Schelotto and Ariel Pereyra, goalkeeper coach Juan Jose Romero and performance coach Javier Valdecantos were also let go by the club.
The LA Galaxy have endured a rocky 2020 and they are currently 5W-11L-3D during the MLS regular season and in last place in the Western Conference. Their 0.95 points per game (18 points in 19 matches) leaves them well behind the final playoff spot in the West, occupied by the Colorado Rapids with a 1.27 points per game (19 points in 15 matches).
“Based on results, we have decided to go in a different direction,” LA Galaxy General Manager Dennis te Kloese said in a club statement. “The LA Galaxy is a club that is built on winning on the field and being representative of the championship mentality and pedigree that you expect in Los Angeles. As a club, we have a collective responsibility and we all must share the blame for the club’s current standing. I take responsibility for the poor results and believe that we can find the right way forward for this team and our club.”
The Galaxy are coming off one of their heaviest losses of the season, a 5-2 defeat at the hands of the Portland Timbers. After the match, Schelotto presided over an abbreviated press conference. Te Kloese also chose not to discuss Schelotto's future at the club during a halftime interview with ESPN.
Just over a week ago, reports in Europe had former Galaxy star Robbie Keane taking over as head coach, just as the organization came under fire from supporters for their lackluster campaign.
The five-time MLS Cup champions have been plagued by defensive issues all season, allowing the third-most goals during the regular season (41 goals). They have also struggled mightily in attack since the departure of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and their offensive woes are highlighted by the fact that new star signing Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez has just one goal all season.
Schelotto was formally named as Galaxy head coach on January 2, 2019, moving to MLS from Argentine powerhouse Boca Juniors. He led the Galaxy to the postseason in his first year, finishing in 5th place in the West. The Galaxy were knocked out that season by rivals LAFC during the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs.
This year Schelotto saw his team starting winless in their first five matches, then rip off a four-game winning streak, before proceeding to lose six of their next seven matches. His final record with the club was 21W-26L-6D.
The LA Galaxy host Real Salt Lake on Sunday, Nov. 1 at 10:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Three days later they welcome Western Conference leading Seattle Sounders (Nov. 4 at 11 p.m. ET on UniMas) and they close on Decision Day presented by AT&T against the Vancouver Whitecaps on Sunday, Nov. 8 (6:30 p.m. ET on TSN, ESPN+).
The Galaxy have had a total of nine permanent head coaches in their 25-season history and only four since 2010: Bruce Arena (2008-2016), Curt Onalfo (2017), Sigi Schmid (2017-2018) and Guillermo Barros Schelotto (2019-2020).
Kinnear compiled a 3W-2L-1D record when he took over the Galaxy on an interim basis in 2018 following the resignation of the late Sigi Schmid.
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