Are the San Jose Earthquakes closing in on their next general manager?
According to a report by ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle, citing multiple sources, Mexican Football Federation youth director Dennis te Kloese has surfaced as one of the finalists for the position.
A former player in his native Netherlands, te Kloese has MLS ties, serving as the director of soccer for Chivas USA from 2005 to 2008 after a two-year spell as the scouting director of Mexican club CD Guadalajara.
He then worked as the UANL Tigres’ academy director from 2008 to 2011, before taking his position with the Mexican Football Federation — with a short stint in between as the president of both Chivas USA and CD Guadalajara.
During te Kloese’s reign, the Mexican U-23 team won the gold medal at the 2012 Olympics.
The Quakes, who haven’t been to the MLS Cup playoffs since 2012, have been looking for a new GM since parting ways in late August with John Doyle — one of the league’s longest-serving executives. Technical director Chris Leitch was named interim general manager at the time, while head coach Dominic Kinnear and the rest of the coaching staff stayed in their roles.
According to Carlisle, Leith is also one of the finalists for the job, along with ex-Sunderland sporting director Lee Congerton.
