LOS ANGELES – LA Galaxy general manager Dennis te Kloese says that he and the rest of the technical staff are already hard at work to reinforce the team’s roster ahead of the 2020 campaign.
The Galaxy advanced to the postseason for the first time in three years under the reign of te Kloese and head coach Guillermo Barros Schelotto, finishing the season in fourth place in the Western Conference.
Although returning to the playoffs accomplished an objective for the team’s new technical staff, the Galaxy’s general manager stressed that his staff would be on the lookout for players to bolster the roster in the coming months.
“We started from the beginning of the year with a more formal scouting effort and trying to map out our needs based on options, based on contracts, and the level of what we’re looking for,” te Kloese told reporters earlier this week. “I think in the coming weeks, there will be a lot of traveling and a lot of looking at players and a lot of assessing of what we should be reinforcing and what we shouldn’t do."
As for what types of players that will be acquired, the Dutchman remains open-minded.
Under the leadership of te Kloese and Schelotto, the Galaxy filled their ranks with several players from Latin America, but the general manager pushed back on any suggestions labeling the Galaxy a "Latin" club. Instead, emphasizing his desire to give opportunities to local players.
“I think we need to assess players by their quality rather than whether they’re Latin or European. What we do need is that we only have a certain number of foreign slots, we need to actively reinforce the American player. There’s a big need for players of more quality not only in MLS but at the national team level. I think we should reinforce together with U.S. Soccer, and I think it will benefit U.S. Soccer in general.
“I do think that at the beginning of the year, we discussed that the local community should be given opportunities. I think with Efra, and with Julian, you saw that little by little, but those are things that take time. Now to pin us down as more of a Latin team? I don’t see that. We should assess every player that the Galaxy should take. This is a very diverse city, and we’re more geared to that point of the philosophy.”
