Remember way back in March when we told you that Alexi Lalas was in the hot seat and that if things did not change drastically for the LA Galaxy his head would roll? Well it appears that the real powers behind the Galaxy namely, the men who orchestrated the Beckham deal namely, Phil Anshutz and Tim Leweke are not happy according to Steve Goff.

Photo by ISIphotos.com

You knew things were bad in Los Angeles Galaxy land after Sunday's loss to San Jose. Now, we have some insight into just how bad things have been.

SI.

Just how bad is it in the LA Galaxy organization right now? Bad enough that some heads could roll after yesterday's surprising loss on the road to expansion side San Jose. Yesterday, SI.com's Jonah Freedman uncovered some very interesting things going on with the Galaxy, AEG president and CEO Tim Lieweke visited the Galaxy locker room [.

Ruud Gullit stepped down as coach of Los Angeles Galaxy after they found themselves in the fourth place in the MLS Western Conference despite Beckham.
Alexi Lalas, the man responsible for luring David Beckham to the Major League Soccer (MLS) club became one of the heads that rolled in the sweeping changes that Timothy J.

MLS has a new trophy for the MLS Cup winners. The latest redesign is the new 24 inch, 43 lb. Philip F. Anschutz Trophy, named after the LA Galaxy owner. But it's kind of telling that the articles on the new trophy feel a need to point out that LA Galaxy owner Anschutz [...]

Wizards technical director, Peter Vermes will remain with the Wizards. Bob Luder is reporting that Vermes had been offered the job of GM with the LA Galaxy, following the firing of Alexi Lalas. Vermes turned the position down. Honestly I can't blame him for it. The situation in LA is a circus and almost a no win situation for the man that takes the GM position.

Previously in the past couple of weeks we at MLSR have been trying to connect the dots between rumors that Alexi Lalas would get the sack, to Donovan's new found interest in going to Europe, Pete Vagenas possibly wanting to go to China, to the recent news that Galaxy manager, Ruud Gullit put his house up for sale.

NEWS: Honestly, tell me you didn't see this coming with a straight face. Do it. I dare you. AEG warned the Galaxy last week, and now the heads are rolling. Both Ruud Gullit and Alexi Lalas have been relieved of...

Bernardo Fallas over at the Chron yesterday made note of the fact that Dynamo's self-imposed April 1 deadline for a stadium passed without notice and without comment. But you know as a longtime Houstonian who has seen deal after deal done in this city, other than the announcement of the deal itself, I think this is the best possible news.

For weeks, it seemed the writing was on the wall for either Ruud Gullit or Alexi Lalas. The Galaxy's terrible results dictated that someone would have to pay the price.
It seems both have as both Gulllit and Lalas are gone.
Gullit resigned for personal reasons while Lalas and AEG have also parted ways.

Now that it is The Day After, I have a few thoughts on what just happened.

Alexi Lalas' firing was at least a year too late and was a laughably inept hire in the first place. Lalas was good at many things, like being a salesman extraordinaire, doing color commentary, creating funny ESPN Sportscenter promotional spots, even defending for the US MNT.

Soccer by Ives is reporting that Bruce Arena gets his official introduction today as Galaxy coach today at 11:00. And he's bringing Dave Sarachan with him as his assistant.

What does this mean for Cobi? I have no clue, aside from Ives' assertion that "Cobi Jones is expected to remain on the Galaxy coaching staff.

Well, it seems a few things have happened in the last few days. Guess I should catch up a bit. The big news, for LA fans, is that Fish will be returning. LA fans are split by this move. They either love or hate it. I'm in the camp that believes no [...]

The biggest concern for Houston this off-season has been the lack of forwards in the squad, but it looks like that is about to change.
The team is expected to soon announce the signing of Franco Caraccio from the Argentine Primera División's Arsenal de Sarandi. Caraccio appears to be just the type of player Houston coach Dominic Kinnear loves to work with as he has talent but it needs to be developed.

Something I think all fans in Major League Soccer would like to see happen. Chivas USA move out of the Home Depot Center and into their own stadium. Apparently the talks are starting up and this club may soon see themselves not having to pay rent anymore to the Galaxy and AEG. The city of Santa [...]

Updates at bottom.

So the hammer comes down.

The Los Angeles Times, in a story by Grahame Jones, reports that AEG has axed BOTH Alexi Lalas and Ruud Gullit in a meeting held today.

Jones reports,

In a pair of sweeping changes brought about by a Major League Soccer season in meltdown, the Los Angeles Galaxy today removed Alexi Lalas as team president and general manager and Ruud Gullit as coach.

Cobi Jones faced the media for the first time Tuesday as the Galaxy's interim coach.

Jones said kinder things about predecessor Ruud Gullit than some of the players I talked to Tuesday. And he was saying all the right things as far as former GM Alexi Lalas was concerned, too:

"It's a loss of someone that was very dedicated to this club and this organization, not only the Galaxy but AEG.

Glenn Davis' blog has a fascinating interview (read it here) with incoming Dynamo minority owner Oscar De La Hoya. I haven't wanted to post much on De La Hoya and Gabriel Brener's impending acquisition as the reports leave me somewhat confused about the business power structure, and the interview sheds no further light on this.

Graham Jones of the LA Times with the story that comes as no surprise to anyone.
LA Galaxy owners AEG fired both team president/general manager Alexi Lalas and head coach Ruud Gullit today.
The dead give away came when Gullit put his house up for sale last week, then claimed his "wife just didn't really like the place".

At the risk of sounding like a disgruntled former employee - which i'm sure i am - i feel compelled to share a story about my only previous contact with the Chicago Fire's new team president, Dave Greeley.
First, however, please read this well written post by Steve Pastorino, my partner in crime at the Chicago Fire from 1997 through 2004.

Photos by ISIphotos.com

In a stunning, though not completely surprising turn of events at the Los Angeles Galaxy, both Ruud Gullit head coach and team president Alexi Lalas are looking for new jobs.

Alexi Lalas was let go yesterday and it reminded me of an email exchange we had when he was first named general manager of the San Jose Earthquakes in 2004.
i offered him some unsolicited advice about running an MLS team, because the front office side of MLS was new to him and we both were under the AEG umbrella.

There might not yet be a deal to build a soccer stadium for the two-time MLS Champions, but at least the city of Houston and the Dynamo have decided on a location.
The city has agreed to purchase six-blocks of land near downtown that could become home to a Dynamo stadium. However, the two sides still need to workout a great number of details before an actual stadium deal is reached.

The city of Houston is giving itself an extra week to consider the proposal to purchase land for a Dynamo soccer stadium.
The City Council will look at the $15.5 million land deal on Wednesday but is expected to delay any decision to next week. If the city goes ahead with the purchase, they will acquire 5 blocks just outside of downtown currently owned by former Councilman Louis Macey.

The Chronicle's story about the city of Houston starting their purchase of five blocks just east of downtown (not really "five downtown blocks" is it since it's east of US-59?) is really, really good news for anyone who's interested in getting this stadium built. Simply put, without the city owning that land, there's no way the stadium deal gets done in such a great location, so deal with Dynamo in place or not, this is an incredibly positive development.

Take a good look at that picture, because right there is the three-headed coalition that is going to make Dynamo Park a reality sooner rather than later. Dominic Kinnear has put together the team on the field to produce two titles. Mayor Bill White has coalesced the city's various forces leading to yesterday's purchase of the land for ParadiseTexas.

Well it seems my dream of having Tossaints Ricketts in a Toronto FC uniform is looking less likely as it seams that he is on trial at Swedish first division club Hammerby FC. It also appears that young Mr Tyler Hemming is there as well, so all the rumors of Tyler being dropped from TFC because of his lack of talent, may want to look at an underlying factor that most MLS teams are having.

LA Galaxy owners Anschutz Entertainment Group must read this blog. Less than a week after my post about why the Galaxy need to fire Alexi Lalas. Today Tim Leiweke, president and CEO of AEG announced that  Ruud Gullit has resigned as coach of the Los Angeles Galaxy for personal reasons, and president/general manager Alexi Lalas [.

This is going to be a semi-regular feature on this blog, taking pics of the proposed site of Dynamo's new playpen in the shadow of downtown Houston. I start off with a map of the site, with marking that will be explained further down in this post. In the pictures, I was standing on the corner of Dowling and Capitol streets looking to the west.

The MLS Champion Houston Dynamo have new owners, sort of. Boxer Oscar De La Hoya and business associate Gabriel Brener are set to purchase 50% of the club while current owners AEG will continue to control the other half.
AEG has placed the value of the Dynamo at more then $40 million, meaning this is at least a $20m investment by the two.

That empty field right there, the proposed site of Dynamo Park in the shadow if downtown, is still on the table, regardless of what you may have read this week about letters and meetings, intimidating and otherwise. (No need to have me run down all the events of yesterday. Read about them here, here and here.

You may have missed this because it came out in Saturday's paper. But that's why we're here for. A TSU regent has cautioned the school about dealing with the Dynamo and its main co-owner, AEG. "They're sharks," school regent Javier...

Oh a 4-0 loss on the road for the league's best offense is always a red flag to owners or anyone who writes the checks. Now those people who write the checks are speaking out. The Soccer Insider Steve Goff says that Galaxy owners Phil Anshutz and Tim Leweke are not happy. "Rumblings out of L.A. [...]

Sam, commenting in this post, reprints portions of an SI.com article from Jonah Freedman, which goes in-depth on some of the goings-on in the wake of the recent miserable performance of the Los Angeles Galaxy on the field. I figured this kind of this deserves its own posting.

Here's how the article starts:

The soap opera that is the Los Angeles Galaxy just gets weirder and weirder.

Good morning from the 10th floor of the San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina, which sports a lovely view of the bay and where the wife is attending a convention. Me? I'm here to slum by the pool for a couple of days.

Before I do, here's today's column.

Were these normal times for the Galaxy I would be writing an Olympics preview for a column instead.

Galaxy owners take charge, Gullit and Lalas out, buzzwords are 'fresh start', 'responsibility' and 'playoffs'. Cobi Jones takes over as interim coach. Tim Leiweke, president and CEO of AEG (Galaxy owners): "We are stepping up and doing what we need to do to straighten this thing out. There are two good people that for different reasons aren't part [.

Galaxy Coach Ruud Gullit, a distant and cold figure to players and media alike, is gone.

GM Alexi Lalas, witty and personable, but ultimately self-defeating, overly manipulative and simply too clever for his own good has followed him.

"I think very highly of Alexi", AEG President Tim Leiweke told the LA Times.

It's insane that Peter Wilt isn't back in MLS yet, more than three years after AEG dumped him as GM of the Chicago Fire (the Chicago Red Stars are lucky to have him, but, let's be honest, this is like Scavullo working at the Sears Portrait Studio*). If you're one of those armchair GMs who think you [.

He was supposed to change MLS and soccer in America forever. David Beckham's signing in January 2007 with the LA Galaxy was supposed to elevate his new club and by extension its league to heights never experienced before. Eighteen months later all parties (except AEG, the Galaxy's owners who have made a killing off the Beckham name) must ponder whether it was really worthwhile.

We're finally online.
Chivas USA
Zack Thornton
Carey Talley
Bobby Burling,
Shavar Thomas
Francisco Mendoza
Keith Savage
Jesse Marsch
Paulo Nagamura
Daniel Paladini
Justin Braun
Atiba Harris
Galaxy
Steve Cronin
Chris Klein
Sean Franklin
Ante jazic
Greg Vanney
David Beckham
Alvaro Pires
Peter Vagenas
Ely Allen
Edson Buddle
Landon Donovan
Sorry I have no details about game atmosphere - we've been scrambling to get wireless here in the pressbox.