CARSON, Calif. – Curt Onalfo is ready to hit the ground running.
The 47-year-old was announced as the Galaxy’s eighth head coach in club history on Tuesday, succeeding his former boss Bruce Arena.
A member of the club’s original squad in 1996, Onalfo was previously the head coach of the organization’s USL affiliate LA Galaxy II and has head coaching experience with the Kansas City Wizards and D.C. United. Although Onalfo brings plenty of experience, he’s not looking backward, but to a new future with the Galaxy.
“I look at those prior experiences as platforms for me to get better," Onalfo said on Tuesday. "I’m a self-reflective guy; I’m always trying to get better, and I’m always trying to evolve. I’m here for a reason. I’m not a person who looks back a lot. I’m always in the now and looking forward.”
Onalfo joins the Galaxy’s first team after a successful three-year stint with Galaxy II that saw him earn a 41-20-25 record. During Onalfo’s time with Los Dos, the USL affiliate reached the postseason each year and advanced to the USL Final in 2015. Onalfo’s tenure isn’t purely defined by wins and losses, however, but also the fact that four players (Dave Romney, Daniel Steres, Ari Lassiter, and Clement Diop) were promoted to deals with the first team.
The hiring of Onalfo marks the conclusion of an exhaustive head coaching search for club president Chris Klein and new general manager Pete Vagenas. Although both men stated that they were “humbled” by the level of interest that they received for the position, the Galaxy’s brass always came back to Onalfo, who also earned the seal of approval from Arena.
“When we made the decision to do this and have a search and not just hire our reserve team coach, we wanted to exhaust all our options, and we did that,” Klein said on Tuesday. “For Pete and I after speaking with Dan [Beckerman] and Phil [Anschutz], we kept coming back to Curt. He was the obvious and the best choice. I couldn’t be more excited.”
The 47-year-old will now take over a Galaxy squad that recently suffered a second consecutive early postseason exit, but boasts a talented core of players like Giovani dos Santos, Gyasi Zardes and Jelle Van Damme. For the Galaxy’s new boss, the hard work begins now, and he couldn’t be more ready and excited for the challenge.
“I have so much to prove. My motivation is that I don’t think there is a person more motivated [than me],” Onalfo said. “I know what it is like to have things taken from you. I know what it means to be coach of this team, and I’m taking this opportunity, and I’m running with it.”
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog at LAGalaxy.com/insider and contact him at LAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com.
