Dennis te Kloese has agreed to become LA Galaxy general manager, a source confirmed to MLSsoccer.com on Thursday.
Kevin Baxter of the LA Times was first to report the news. MLSsoccer.com first reported that the Galaxy were interested in the Dutchman in early November. MLSsoccer.com followed up last week with another report that LA and te Kloese were close to finalizing a deal and that interim head coach Dominic Kinnear had emerged as a serious candidate for the club’s full-time managing job.
According to the source, te Kloese has already begun working with the Galaxy. A formal announcement is expected to follow next week.
Te Kloese has been director of Mexico’s national teams since August 2017, when he was promoted from his previous position as director of Mexico’s youth national teams. He oversees all administrative aspects of all men’s and women’s senior and youth national teams in his current role.
A native of the Netherlands, te Kloese moved to Mexico in 2003 when he was named scouting director of Chivas de Guadalajara. He worked in MLS from 2005-2008, serving as director of soccer for Chivas USA. He returned to Mexico in 2008 to work as Tigres academy director, moved to the Mexican federation in 2011, then spent most of 2013 as sporting president of Chivas before returning to the FMF in February 2014.
Highly regarded for his work in youth development on both the club and international level, te Kloese recruited several American-born players to Mexican academies and helped bring former US youth international and Monterrey midfielder Jonathan Gonzalez into the fold with Mexico’s senior team. He was reportedly one of five finalists for the Earthquakes’ GM job following the 2016 season, when Kinnear was still head coach of the Bay Area club.
