Oranje in 1982 standing from left to right: Dick Schoenaker (Ajax), Ben Wijnstekers (Feyenoord), Michel van de Korput (Torino), Ruud Gullit (Feyenoord), Hans van Breukelen (FC Utrecht), Frank Rijkaard (Ajax). Sitting: Gerald Vanenburg (Ajax), Peter Boeve (Ajax), Edo Ophof (Ajax), Wim Kieft (Ajax), Willy van de Kerkhof (PSV). Click to continue reading...

"I think people at the top have demeaned this competition"


It is rare that we get a snarky comment out of Colorado. But luckily we now have one courtesy of one English manager, Gary Smith. One part snark, one part disgust, one part conspiracy theory. Apparently he is none to happy his Rapids didn't get to play at Qwest Field and has wrapped himself in the flag of the US Open Cup to defend his comments. Click to continue reading...

If you are looking for one sentence that will continuously be written all summer, it will most likely be this:

(RED BULLS PLAYER A) has been loaned out to USL-2 side (TEAM NAME HERE) for a one game loan.

With the dissolution of the reserve league (Ruud Gullit must be rolling on the floor with laughter), teams have found themselves in quite a conundrum; how do you keep your bench players playing and growing?

Click to continue reading...

In case you hadn't guessed, NSFW language! At one time, Chelsea striker Didier Drogba was supposedly releasing a rap album under the alias Drogbacite. OTP doesn't think this ever saw the light of day but if it did, it probably wasn't as good as this hip-hop remix of his swearing rant at a camera on Wednesday [. Click to continue reading...

After Ruud Gullit and Frank Rijkaard, Marco van Basten is the third AC Milan crack failing as an Eredivisie coach. Like his Milan buddies, Van Basten will go down in history as the coach who got lost in the Dutch league. His two illustrious predecessors stumbled at Sparta and Feyenoord Click to continue reading...

If the media are to believed, AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti is the one of the most sought after managers in world football with Real Madrid and Chelsea among the sides linked with the Italian boss for the 2009-10 season.

However, this writer struggles to see why Ancelotti's stock is so high at a time when his own job at Milan must be considered seriously under threat.

Click to continue reading...

Is it really that hard to do?

While I was sleeping our faithful reader George linked us to some personnel changes. Brandon MacDonald and Mike Randolf have been waived. Ruud Gullit was high on MacDonald last year, and Randolf has been an on again off again starter in the back four. I guess we have to cut our roster somewhere, and these guys don't fit into Bruce Arena's plans.

Click to continue reading...

Ruud Gullit, ex-internacional holandés (elegido dos veces como el mejor jugador del mundo) y ex-entrenador del LA Galaxy de la MLS, afirmó hace no mucho tiempo a la agencia Reuters que el fútbol en Estados Unidos nunca lograría ganarse un lugar entre los deportes más populares...

"Creo que existe una conspiración en contra del fútbol en Estados Unidos y que por lo tanto, David Beckham y su llegada a la MLS no tendrán el efecto esperado. Click to continue reading...

The Man, The Legend, Ruud Gullit
Today we are taking a short break from the MLS season wrap-up (we'll return to that on Wednesday) to talk with former Galaxy boss Ruud Gullit. I caught up with Ruud while visiting a clog manufacturing plant in Holland. While walking amongst the rows of ladies in white hats making wooden clogs we discussed his life, football, and surprisingly to anyone who doesn't know the real Ruud, science. Click to continue reading...

Wait, wait. Stop me if you've heard this one before. Ruud Gullit said something stupid . . . Oh, all right. I know it's a bit like fishing with hand grenades, but anyway . . . So I'm watching a stream of Liverpool-Chelsea (Sky Sports, I think?), and I left it on after the match on the off chance that I would get to see Jamie Carragher attempting to speak English (I did, and it was just as Click to continue reading...

Wow, our favorite Dutchman is back in the news. And just as we feared he is making even more outlandish statements about MLS the more he is asked about it. He just goes on and on and on....Like the Energizer bunny crossed with Oliver Stone with an unfortunate haircut. Anyway...

An excerpt rom Sky Sports:

Problems Stateside

Sunday evening promises a trip to sample the MLS as LA Galaxy - minus Beckham who is on England duty - play host to Chicago Fire.

Click to continue reading...

Stuff to read while you sue God..... A look at Bernd Stange's non-footballing job history. (Sniffing The Touchline) The WAG "circus" may be over, but those clowns will always be in our hearts. (The Spoiler) Aberdeen's in the house, and it's not written by Derek Rae. (Aberdeen Offside) Bologna too, but that one might be Derek under a nom [. Click to continue reading...

The MLS Files Ex-LA Galaxy coach Ruud Gullit has revealed that the evil geniuses behind Major League Soccer are deliberately keeping a lid on soccerball to avoid damaging true American sports. Comments made to Reuters about a Major League Soccer conspiracy have had some onlookers questioning the state of the former Dutch international's mental health. Click to continue reading...

Just a quick note to point you to a couple of good reads since early this morning we presented you with Ruud "MKULTRA" Gullit's claims that US Soccer was holding the sport down so as not to make other sports in the USA look bad.

Gullit Makes No Sense - LA Times

New motivation . Click to continue reading...

Ruud Gullit must have brought some of California's finest back to the other side of the pond as he has gone all conspiratorial on us...

This comes to us courtesy of Reuters:

CARSON, California, Oct 13 (Reuters) - David Beckham faces a near-impossible task to try to elevate soccer to unprecedented heights in the United States, says former Los Angeles Galaxy coach Ruud Gullit.

Click to continue reading...

It seems one of the things that may have prompted MLS to consider major changes to the schedule might have been the words of ex-LA Galaxy boss, Ruud Gullit. In this interview with Britain's Daily Mail he give MLS some constructive criticism that many readers here likely agree with.

Here is an excerpt:

Courtesy of our friends at Tribal Football:

Former LA Galaxy coach Ruud Gullit says there's a lot that needs to change in MLS.

Click to continue reading...

Turns out Bruce Arena's first Galaxy team looks a lot like Ruud Gullit's last team - not that he's got many options of course.

David Beckham is on his way to China for the Olympics closing ceremonies, Landon Donovan is recovering from last night's Guatemalan hackfest, um, game, Carlos Ruiz is now a Toronto player, eh, and new signing Eddie Lewis has the evening off too, recovering from the nasty blow to the head he took, no doubt.

Click to continue reading...

Another MLS coach faced the firing squad on Wednesday afternoon as the announcement was made that the Colorado Rapids have decided to part ways with head coach Fernando Clavijo immediately. Assistant coach Gary Smith has been tapped to fill the position on an interim basis for the remainder of the 2008 season. Click to continue reading...

Fernando Clavijo, the head coach of the Colorado Rapids, has resigned with immediate effect from his position. Like the death of a sick loved one, the news comes as a shock but not exactly unexpected. Rumors had been flying for some time, especially after the recent meltdown at the Los Angeles Galaxy when Ruud Gullit and Alexei Lalas said goodbye. Click to continue reading...

Photo by ISIphotos.com

The Los Angeles Galaxy will introduce Bruce Arena as the team's new head coach at a press conference scheduled for 2pm ET today.

Arena and assistant coach Dave Sarachan will take over for former Galaxy head coach Ruud Gullit, who resigned a week ago, and their first game at the Galaxy helm will be Saturday against the Chicago Fire.

Click to continue reading...

Very quick notes while on the run in Beijing:

- The EPL team we've picked to follow, Everton, kicks off the season at 10 a.m. ET Saturday against Blackburn, conveniently on Fox Soccer Channel. Take a look.

- Could the LA Galaxy be doing any more to telegraph the expected hiring of Bruce Arena?

Click to continue reading...

Back before the season began, WV Hooligan put out Fernando Clavijo, Sigi Schmid and Juan Carlos Osario as his top 3 for being in the coaching hot seat in the MLS. Sigi Schmid doesn't appear to be close with the Crew, along with head coaching rookie Dennis Hamlett's Chicago Fire, still in contention with New England for the Supporters Shield. Click to continue reading...

Yesterday the news had come down that Ruud Gullit and Alexi Lalas were on their way out of the LA Galaxy, but I didn't have the energy to write a post on it (Monday is my extended work day). After reading around it's just the latest chapter in MLS' premier soap opera. I'm not at all surprised that something like this happened at the Galaxy, especially after a very unsexy seven-match winless streak in a season where significant progress had to be shown. Click to continue reading...

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.

Click to continue reading...

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.

Click to continue reading...

So Alexi and Ruud get the screen-door-hitting-asses treatment in Galaxy-land to a resounding chorus of "Finally" and "What took you so long?" in the futblogosphere. Cue the ambiguity . . . Tickle Lalas' Abomination sure has been fun to watch as they tripped and stumbled their way to somewhere below mediocracy. Click to continue reading...

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.

Click to continue reading...

I had set out to write some of my column on the Chivas USA-Galaxy match and how the luster was off from this game. Then, I scrapped it and decided to write an all-Olympics column. I filed it, and then the Galaxy story about Ruud Gullit and Alexi Lalas broke.

We're still going with the Olympics stuff for tomorrow but when I follow up on the Galaxy and the Super Clasico later in the week, it will be with today's news in mind. Click to continue reading...

There was a bloodbath in Los Angeles today as Galaxy GM Alexi Lalas got the boot and coach Ruud Gullit packed up his balls and went home. The official story is that he resigned. There's a chance it may actually be true. LA fans aren't hugely surprised by the Lalas news. He [...] Click to continue reading...

CARSON, Calif. -- Ruud Gullit, the head coach of the Los Angeles Galaxy Major League Soccer (MLS) club, will leave the team for personal reasons it was announced Monday.

It was also announced that Galaxy President and General Manager Alexi Lalas has been relieved of his duties effective immediately.

Click to continue reading...

Amazing when you miss when you're locked up in meetings all day but manager Ruud Gullit has resigned as manager of MLS's Los Angeles Galaxy. The club, who have gone seven matches without a win, also parted with president Alexi... Click to continue reading...

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... Click to continue reading...

What a mess huh? Most of you know my position about Alexi Lalas. Solid player in his prime, terrible in suit in the front office. I've been that way from the beginning with Lalas and to a lesser degree with Ruud Gullit. Today as we all know both have left the Galaxy either on their own accord [...] Click to continue reading...

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.

Click to continue reading...

Coach Ruud Gullit has resigned for alleged "personal reasons;" GM Alexi Lalas is out the door as well:

AEG head honcho Tim Leiweke: "There are two good people that for different reasons aren't part of this organization today, and that's a shame. The fact is, the players have to look deep inside themselves and understand they have to be responsible for some of this.

Click to continue reading...