Galaxy hire Dennis te Kloese to be new General Manager

In an effort to get back to the top, the Los Angeles Galaxy added an important new face to their front office, as the club announced that it has hired Dennis te Kloese as the team's General Manager. Te Kloese, who joins after serving as the director of national teams for the Mexican Football Federation, will oversee all aspects of LA Galaxy soccer operations, including first-team, LA Galaxy II and LA Galaxy Academy decisions.

“I am grateful and excited for the opportunity to join the LA Galaxy and look forward to strengthening all soccer operations within this club,” said te Kloese. “The LA Galaxy and its supporters expect to compete for championships year-in and year-out. I am fully committed to putting together a team capable of competing at the highest level. That work begins immediately and will encompass a wide range of responsibilities, from developing competitive edges in our scouting, recruiting and player development to establishing our youth initiatives and further establishing our Academy.”

In his General Manager role, te Kloese will be responsible for any player acquisition and scouting, managing the coaching staff, technical staff, and youth development programs, in addition to operating the soccer operations budget and team salary cap. He will oversee Technical Director Jovan Kirovski and Director of Player Personnel Kurt Schmid.

Te Kloese, who is fluent in English, Spanish, German, and Dutch, has worked for the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) since 2011, where he oversaw men’s and women’s youth and senior-level programs. Prior to his time as director, Te Kloese served as the director of FMF youth national teams, where he was influential in helping lead the program to notable accomplishments during his time there, including capturing the 2012 Summer Olympics Gold Medal for the men’s soccer, defeating Brazil in the final.

“Dennis has in-depth experience and proven success on an MLS level, a youth level and an international level,” said LA Galaxy President Chris Klein. “We are confident in his abilities to improve our club’s soccer operations in all facets. We welcome his leadership and are excited to have him begin as General Manager. We will provide him with comprehensive resources to be successful.”

Born in Netherlands, te Kloese played as a defender in the Netherlands for various clubs during his time as a professional, including Ajax in Amsterdam.  He originally began working in Mexico in 2003 as Chivas de Guadalajara’s scouting director.

In 2005, he worked in Major League Soccer for Chivas USA, which marked a period that saw the club make four-straight postseason appearances, the only playoff berths in their history. During his time in MLS, te Kloese was responsible for acquiring future U.S. Men’s National Team players Brad Guzan, Sacha Kljestan and Jorge Villafaña.

In 2008, the Dutchman returned to Mexico as the Academy Director of Tigres in Liga MX. He joined FMF in 2011 to oversee the national team’s youth teams, including when the men’s team won the 2012 Olympic Gold Medal behind a squad that featured Jesús Corona, Carlos Salcido, Héctor Herrera, Marco Fabián, Oribe Peralta, Javier Aquino, Raúl Jimenez, Diego Reyes and Giovani dos Santos.

By Staff of TheDailySportsHerald.com and news services