CARSON, Calif. (Thursday, September 19, 2013) – The LA Galaxy announced today that the club has reached a multi-year contract extension with club President Chris Klein. Now in his seventh year with the club, Klein originally joined the Galaxy in June 2007 as a player, eventually retiring after the 2010 MLS season. He served as the Senior Director of the Galaxy Academy in 2011 before being promoted to the role of Vice President ahead of the start of the 2012 campaign. In January 2013, Klein was promoted to club President, a title and role that he will continue to hold.
“We are pleased to have a long-term agreement in place with Chris, who in a short period of time he has developed into one of the most respected executives in Major League Soccer,” said Dan Beckerman, President and CEO of AEG. “In addition to his tremendous soccer acumen and knowledge of the game, Chris has quickly acquired an extensive knowledge of our business, and is fast becoming one of the more well-rounded leaders in our sport.”
In his current role, Klein works on both the technical side of the club’s operations, alongside general manager and head coach Bruce Arena, technical director Jovan Kirovski and Academy director Peter Vagenas, as well as on the business side where he continues to work closely with AEG Sports Chief Operating Officer Kelly Cheeseman while overseeing the business operations of the club. He played an instrumental role in last month’s re-signing of Galaxy Designated Players Landon Donovan and Omar Gonzalez.
“I’m pleased to continue my role as President of the LA Galaxy and to lead the premier team in MLS and North America,” said Galaxy President Chris Klein. “The support from Mr. Anschutz, Dan Beckerman and Bruce Arena has been a key component, not only in our success as a club, but also for me individually. We look forward to continuing to grow this club not only in Los Angeles but across North America and world-wide.”
An MLS Cup winner with Kansas City in 2000, Klein spent 12 years as a player in MLS, playing for Kansas City and Real Salt Lake before being traded to the Galaxy in June 2007. The 37-year-old St. Louis native played the final three-and-a-half years of his career with the Galaxy, appearing in more than 100 games in all competitions, scoring five goals and adding 15 assists while helping the club win the Western Conference Championship in 2009 and the Supporters’ Shield in 2010. Klein retired from MLS having played in 333 regular season games, the fifth most in MLS history at the time. A graduate of Indiana University, he also made 22 appearances with the U.S. National Team, scoring five times and helping the U.S. qualify for the FIFA World Cup in 2002 and 2006.
The Galaxy will be back in action at home on Saturday, Sept. 21 at 7:30 p.m. when they host Seattle Sounders FC at StubHub Center. That match, which is presented by MetroPCS, can be seen live nationally on the NBC Sports Network. Tickets for this game, which start at just $20 are on sale now by calling 877-3GALAXY (342-5299) or visiting www.lagalaxy.com/tickets.
