CARSON, Calif. – There’s a new -- yet familiar -- face serving as the new head athletic trainer for the LA Galaxy.
A Galaxy original, Ivan Pierra returns to the Galaxy after six-and-a-half years with the U.S. National Team where he served as the head trainer for two World Cups under two U.S. head coaches.
Pierra replaces Armando Rivas, who held the head trainer position since 2008 when Pierra joined the U.S. setup after more than 10 years with the club. Rivas leaves the Galaxy to join the NBA’s Chicago Bulls as an assistant trainer.
“It was really hard to leave U.S. Soccer for sure because they took care of me. I mean World Cups are great and exciting times, but the U.S. job is a grind and the older that I get, the harder it gets. This job fits my age and helps me maintain something that I like to do.
“It’s exciting to come back to the Galaxy, which is a place that has always had my heart. U.S. Soccer will always be there, I could always go on a trip if they need me. There’s no love loss, it was all mutual.”
Said Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena, “Ivan is an outstanding trainer and a Galaxy original. We're thrilled to have him back because he’s one of the most respected trainers in his field and I think that he'll fit in great in our team and organization as he directs the sports medicine side of things.
“Armando did an outstanding job for us and now he has a new challenge in his career so we wish him the best.”
Galaxy forward Landon Donovan agrees that the similarities between Rivas and Pierra will only help the club during their transition.
“We're happy to have him back. He did a great job with the national team and we're happy for him,” said Donovan. “He’s learned a lot over the last couple of years and while it’s sad to see Armando go, they're very much cut from the same cloth and they do things in the same way. It'll be a seamless transition.”
And Pierra agrees.
“It’s a situation that professionally, I don’t think that anything is lost,” said Pierra. “I've met a lot of the guys over the years, so me coming in, wasn't a huge difference because everyone knew who I was. This is a well-oiled machine and a family. It’s great.”
