I know, I would trade Costa for Kevin Cabral in a heartbeat. That's certainly a low bar. On the other hand he has scored the same number of goals as Dejan in about half the minutes and the same number as Chich and Riqui combined.
I was trying to figure out a way to quantify what a disaster Costa has been. If we took the total he is paid and divide it by the number of minutes played, my guess (and I have not run the numbers - too lazy) is that he has cost more per minute than any previous DP. Just as a business decision, this is up there with New Coke and Bud Light quality business judgements.
Yep. Our FO not recognizing that Costa was garbage is indeed right up there with Bud Light not recognizing that almost their entire customer base is the same.
KLIEN IS GONE!!!!https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/la-galaxy-part-ways-with-club-president-chris-klein Vanney and Kirovski must survive the season to save their necks.
Make it happen Kuntz Karim Benzema has received a huge, big proposal from Saudi club — Real Madrid have been informed by Benzema’s camp that he’s seriously considering that and he will decide soon. 🚨⚪️🇸🇦 #BenzemaReal have Karim’s new deal documents ready since last year but nothing signed yet. pic.twitter.com/Rri4JJ8YYS— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 30, 2023
I was feeling sad about this because it closed the door on big Benz ever coming here, but then the Klein news dropped, and boy, did I need it.
One down.... Does anyone understand what Kirovski's duties are? I see his title is technical director. I am not sure I understand what that means. What exactly is a "technical director: and how does that fit into the hierarchy of management of a soccer team?
No one knows WTF he does, and I doubt if it's anything we would miss. I suppose theoretically he is supposed to integrate the style of the senior and youth teams, train coaches, promote consistency, blah, blah. But I'm just guessing.
I tend to see the technical director as the European equivalent of a GM more or less; the person who oversees the recruitment of players, coaching staff, academy appointees etc. and ensures they fit the long term strategies and playing philosophies of the team. Usually they are (necessarily) above the coach and second only to a President/CEO. I've argued before that replacing Kirovski might be even more important than firing Klein (hopefully whoever they bring in will do this straight away) as we have been aimless for years, with no consistent long-term direction for the academy and first team. Kirovski reports to Greg, who is the Sporting Director, another name for the same thing as I understand it, so I assume Greg is the one really fulfilling that role today.
Buyout Costa and make this happen somehow LA. Get Garber on the phone to make up some kind of rule that will allow us to make it happen in the summer after all From the time he started in 2013 in the role I was always under the impression that Jovan as Technical Director was basically acting as a Coach/GM for the Galaxy 2 squad and a mini-GM for the A-Team. The coach will asks for a certain type of player to be added to the roster and then Kirovski would go compile a list of players based on availability from different teams around the MLS and other leagues. Jovan then starts the talks with the GM's and Agents of those players to acquire them for LA. Klien then okays the contracts of the players being considered. When Bruce was here he himself acted as GM approving the players while Jovan was just being a point guy for him. If Bruce was denied a guy he actually wanted, it was mostly because Klien and AEG wouldn't cut the check for one reason or another to get that player. When Bruce left, they put Pete Vagenas in the GM spot for a year before he got let go for signing the highest paid most unproductive DPs in the league. Jovan became the go to GM during that time until Dennis Te Kloese showed up to take over that spot from 2018 to 2021. Once Vanney came in to coach, Jovan basically became acting GM again. I remember Vanney calling out the team for not having anything standardized and stable in place as other teams around the league had when it came to the process of acquiring new players for the A-Team. This makes me think that Kirovski wasn't really doing anything significant as a GM as Klose and Bruce were basically allowed to just do their own thing under Klien. This also makes me honestly wonder now with Vanney as acting GM how much this will improve the team going forward. I mean,...For example how much credit should go to Vanney for Riqui Puig, Brugman and Calegari and how much of it was on Jovan. As a Mini-GM both during and post Bruce Arena, how much blame can we give Kirovski for guys like Costa, The Dos Santos brothers and Kevin Cabral? I am inclined to give him as much blame as I do the coaches at this point.
On Costa, we can buy him out at anytime before the close of the second window. There's not a lot of motivation to do so, though, in terms of opening up another DP slot unless we're trading for someone internally or signing an out of contract player after the window closes. I guess if he's a real distraction internally or becomes a public relations nightmare and we have no chance of playing him again anyway we can buy him out now, but absent those factors there's not a lot of benefit yet unless we need a roster spot (and there are cheaper ways to get one). If AEG is trying to save some money, they could invoke a morals clause if the contract has one, but he could just pay the back child support, plus interest, and argue that it was a mistake or a disputed claim. It's probably not worth the legal fees to invoke the morals clause given how little of his contract is remaining. As for Kirovski, here is a description of his role when he was hired. I don't think he does anything with the Academy anymore, if he ever did. He was probably the primary guy who laid the groundwork for the relationship that brought over Beckham. I wouldn't be surprised if he did the same with Keane, Gerrard, the Dos Santos brothers and maybe Puig. He may have once been useful, but he probably has had way too free of a reign to do what he wanted in recent years. CARSON, Calif. (Thursday, January 10, 2013) – The LA Galaxy announced today that Jovan Kirovski has been appointed the club’s Technical Director. Kirovski, who retired following the 2011 season and served as an assistant coach for the Galaxy during the 2012 campaign, is the first Technical Director in the club’s history. Under the direction of Galaxy General Manager and Head Coach Bruce Arena, Kirovski, who spent the first 12 years of his professional career playing in Europe, will scout and evaluate players locally and abroad in his new role for the club while also helping to establish relationships with clubs around the world. Additionally, the 36-year-old will implement a core curriculum throughout the Galaxy Academy while evaluating the Academy’s coaches and players and helping to recruit the top local talent to join the club.
I think Kirovski was given most of the credit for convincing Zlatan to come aboard as well. My impression was always that he seems to be the point person for bringing in new, especially higher profile players, but not necessarily the catalyst in deciding to pursue them in the first place.
Here's a pretty good interview with Kirovski by Grant Wahl from just a few years. Gives pretty good insight into Kiroski's role (albeit in his own words). The LA Galaxy Technical Director, the First U.S. Player to Win the Men's UEFA Champions League, On How He Became Perhaps the Best-Connected American in European Soccer He's a guy with a lot of personal connections in Europe which (in his description) has been influential in helping the Galaxy land big names. The flipside of that is he's besties with French agent Jerome Meary, through whom we've brought in a lot of turkeys; some have even accused Kirovski of getting kickbacks based on those bad deals. Obviously if there's any malfeasance he should be gone, but he might not be terrible to have around in a more limited role under Kuntz.
I doubt that Jovan had anything meaningful to do with either Beckham's or Keane's signings. Jovan left the Galaxy in 2005 when they traded him to Denver. He didn't return to the Galaxy until 2009. Meanwhile Beckham signed with the Galaxy on a free transfer in early 2007. He stayed with Real Madrid until the end of their 2007 season and joined the Galaxy in July of 2007 in the summer MLS transfer window. He was still an active Galaxy Player when the Galaxy signed Robbie in 2011. He joined the Galaxy coaching staff in 2012 and became the technical director in 2013.
It's interesting to note that the last time the Galaxy won MLS Cup in 2014 there were 19 clubs in the league. Since then the league has grown to 29 clubs with club 30 waiting in the wings. Of the ten new clubs since 2014, three of them have gone on to win MLS Cup. It makes you wondering if the issue is that the Galaxy can't keep up with the new more aggressive clubs which are joining MLS. Vanney has stated when he took the Galaxy job, they had no scouting or analytics in place. This meanings the Galaxy one of original clubs has fallen behind the new kids on the block. This can only be blamed on the former president of the club, who is now gone and the technical director, prior to Vanney joining the organization. Which in turn means their is still one more from upper management which needs to go, Jovan Kirovski. Please remember when Vanney stepped into the Toronto FC, if was a very similar situation as the Galaxy are right now. And we know how that turned out with Toronto FC winning MLS Cup and the Canadian championship. I am a believer, that till this season when the Galaxy were exposed as cheaters that Vanney has finally had the opportunity to build the organization to keep up with the new clubs joining MLS. Therefore give him the time he needs, which realistically isn't going to start till after the sanctions are behind the club. Next season there will be two open DP spots and systems in place for scouting and analytics. Then we will truly see a Greg Vanney built club.
How do you explain away: two season devotion to Cabral, underutilization of Dejan, ongoing inability to stop soft counterattack goals, failed last offseason player recruitment, inability/refusal to adjust tactics to personnel, refusal to stick with 3-5-x formation even though it works, incoherent vague babbling sideline interviews, tin ear who calls legitimate fan complaints noise? These are all self-inflicted wounds that had nothing to do with FO incompetence. I just don't see how a serious evaluation of his Galaxy tenure can sweep these blunders/weaknesses under the rug.
You are correct. I was thinking of the earlier period with Beckham, since Kirovski had a relationship with him at Manchester United Academy and was buddies with him at the Galaxy, but it’s actually Zlatan where he had a role in the recruitment as technical director. According to this story, he also brought over the Dos Santos brothers and Alessandrini https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/inside-story-behind-la-galaxys-12244822.amp
I can explain it. Vanney wasn’t that good of a coach for Toronto. Toronto won because of great players - credit to Tim Leiweke player acquisitions (bringing in Bradley and Giovinco).