Galaxy GM Dennis te Kloese leaving for Netherlands club
The Galaxy have lost another general manager, their fourth in six years, after Dennis te Kloese left to return to the Netherlands as CEO at Feyenoord of the Dutch Eredivisie.
The Galaxy reportedly picked up the option on Te Kloese’s contract hours before it was set to expire this fall, but Te Kloese elected not to stay, adding to an exodus that has seen the club use five managers and three general managers since Bruce Arena’s departure in 2016. The Galaxy made the playoffs just once in that span while extending to seven the club-record streak for seasons without an appearance in the MLS Cup final.
“I am truly grateful and feel very proud to have served the Galaxy for the last three years,” Te Kloese said in a statement released by the team. “I will take with me some great memories and I have experienced some unforgettable moments over the last years.”
With Te Kloese’s departure, coach Greg Vanney, who was the manager and technical director with his previous club in Toronto, is expected to handle player personnel decisions just as MLS is about to enter the busiest part of its offseason. Teams have until Tuesday to exercise contract options on players, then the league’s trade period begins Dec. 12, followed by end-of-year waivers, the expansion draft and free agency. The European transfer windows begin opening Jan. 1.
More than half of Te Kloese’s tenure with the Galaxy came during the pandemic, which hampered recruiting and signings while forcing the team to play many games with no fans or severely limited attendance. Despite that he helped remake the roster twice, first under Argentine coach Guillermo Barros Schelotto, and then last season under new coach Greg Vanney.
Te Kloese was instrumental in helping the team sign Javier “Chicharito” Hernández, whom he has known since the player’s youth days at Chivas, and Argentina World Cup player Cristian Pavón. He also orchestrated the complicated departure of designated player Gio dos Santos, clearing the way for the return of Zlatan Ibrahimovic for a second season.
He also signed defender Giancarlo González, who proved to be a multimillion-dollar mistake.
Te Kloese, 47, was born in the Netherlands and played for four teams as a defender before knee injuries forced him to retire at 25.
He’s worked in North America since 2003, serving in a variety of roles with Chivas and Chivas USA, with Tigres of Liga MX and with the Mexican federation before returning to MLS with the Galaxy in the winter of 2018.
