Yallop Out in LA

The first step in the off season moves for the LA Galaxy has been taken; Frank Yallop is out as Head Coach. It looks as if he resigned from his position because the San Jose Earthquakes bought out his contract from the Galaxy, which makes Yallop the new Head Coach in San Jose.

This doesn't shock anyone. Yallop has had one foot out the door since the middle of the season and when San Jose was announced as the next expansion club, Yallop was an obvious choice for the top job in San Jose. Now the big question will be is who the Galaxy get to replace him. With David Beckham and Landon Donvovan being the central players in the club, the need for a high profile manager is definitely in the cards. Expect to hear Lalas refer to his club as the "Crown Jewel" of MLS at least once, maybe twice whenever the announcement is made.

For my money, I wouldn't be shocked if Klinsmann is named the new head coach. If that happens, expect a very different Landon Donovan for both the league, and the USMNT, that is if Donovan isn't shipped off to New York or San Jose.

San Jose Earthquakes Return

Yup, Don Garber announced it, yadda yadda.

This is a better move for the league than any other city. Like I said, they already have the original built in fanbase setup and ready to buy tickets. I also liked the idea of having the club float their home matches around the Bay/Silicon Valley area the first year. I am not sure exactly how that would work for the front office or the season ticket holders, but having the club move around it's target area gives more chances for more potential supporters to see noth only the club, but the other clubs in the league.

So we hit 14 clubs next season. Hopefully we have 14 clubs for 2008 as well as 2009 and wait until the 2010 season for the 15th & 16th clubs. I also hope that unless RBNY has started to draw more that 17,000 fans to a home match on average for a season, that NYC be kept off the expansion list.

MLS Developments: Expansion & Coaching

If everything that is being reported is to be true, than MLS will add the San Jose Earthquakes back to the Western Conference next season, upping the league to 14 clubs. I like this because the fan base is already built up and with the new DPA rule in place, Lew Wolff has the perfect opportunity to bring in a Designated player into the club at the ground floor. It will also be a good thing to have a regional rival for Salt Lake.

So with San Jose rumored to be rising from the ashes, take that report and then go read this article and consider how these two might actually be intertwined.

With San Jose returning to the league, they are going to have to find a new coach for the Earthquakes. In my opinion, if these two reports are not false, I honestly am expecting to see Frank Yallop either get fired from the LA Galaxy or leave on his own and end up becoming the San Jose Earthquakes head coach once again. As the LA Galaxy would now be in the market for a new head coach, who better to guide Beckham through the rigors of the MLS season that his former coach Capello himself?

Think of it for a moment. Capello has international name recognition that will allow the Galaxy to further itself overseas as it extends its brand. Beckham and Capello repaired their relationship before Becks left Real Madrid, so if Beckham wanted him to be his coach, I am sure that Lalas and AEG would be more than happy to do everything that they could to bring him over to California.

Most of this is based on speculation about San Jose. Considering Don Garber should be announcing the expansion sometime later today during his State of the League address in Denver, we should know more as the day goes on.

That said, with Beckham playing for the LA Galaxy makes having Capello the head coach a very high possibility. Then again, I also know of a pretty successful European coach who lives in LA and is currently without a coaching job...maybe Klinsmann would be interested in coaching Golden Balls and Landycakes?