Sigi Schmid (pictured) was named head coach of the LA Galaxy on July 28, 2017. (Photo: Mexsport)
LOS ANGELES -- A day after Bruce Arena guided the United States to the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup title with a 2-1 win over Jamaica in the final, his successor was fired as coach of the LA Galaxy.
Curt Onalfo, who replaced Arena after the latter returned to the U.S. helm in November 2016, was dismissed by the Major League Soccer club Thursday.
Sigi Schmid, who directed the Galaxy and the Columbus Crew to MLS championships, was named Onalfo's replacement. Schmid is the all-time winningest MLS coach with 254 wins in regular- and post-season games.
“After a great deal of evaluation and careful consideration, we believe that Sigi Schmid is the best person to coach our team for the remainder of this season and into the future,” said LA Galaxy president Chris Klein. “Sigi is one of the most experienced coaches in the history of soccer in the United States and he is an extremely successful manager within Major League Soccer."
The Galaxy is languishing in ninth place in the Western Conference at 6W-4D-10L. During Arena's Galaxy tenure, the club earned three MLS titles.
In an unrelated transaction, Bob Bradley was named the first head coach of Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC), an MLS expansion team that will begin play in 2018. The former U.S. manage, who most recently coached Swansea City (English Premier League), served as Arena's assistant coach at D.C. United in 1996-97. He also guided the Chicago Fire, a 1998 expansion team, to the MLS Cup crown.
Bradley led the Americans to a berth in the 2010 FIFA World Cup and to top honors in the 2007 Gold Cup. He also coached Egypt (2011-13), Norway’s Stabaek (2014) and Le Havre AC in the French Second Division (2015).
