Former LA Galaxy captain Peter Vagenas has been named the club’s vice president of soccer operations, it was announced Wednesday.
Vagenas, who has been the Galaxy’s Academy director since 2013, will now work in an expanded role to oversee soccer operations of the academy, USL side LA Galaxy II and the first team in conjunction with head coach and general manager Bruce Arena. Vagenas played for LA in nine of his 13 years in Major League Soccer and was a part of the Galaxy’s 2002 and 2005 MLS Cup championships.
“Peter’s dedication has been an instrumental part of the development and success of our Academy,” Galaxy president Chris Klein said in a team statement. “He is one of our club’s most storied and successful players and has been committed to the growth of the LA Galaxy on and off the field for over a decade. This move continues to align our soccer operations from Academy through our first team. We are thrilled to have Peter take an expanded role within our club.”
Vagenas was an integral part of building the Galaxy's academy into one of the most successful in North America with 15 products signed to professional contracts across the Galaxy and Galaxy II. In 2015, the former Galaxy midfielder oversaw the development of the LA Galaxy Academy Blended Learning Program, which provides a full high-school education at StubHub Center for student athletes immersed in the same professional environment as the club's senior and reserve teams.
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As a player, Vagenas started in 164 of the 183 regular season games in which he appeared for the Galaxy, scoring 14 goals and adding 25 assists during his career in LA. He also scored two goals and notched two assists in 19 postseason games, reaching the MLS Cup Playoffs eight times in his 13 years as a player, including in each of his first six seasons as a pro.
He also played for the Seattle Sounders FC, Vancouver Whitecaps and Chivas USA and appeared in more than 250 combined regular season and postseason games while winning two MLS Cup titles (2002, 2005), four Lamar Hunt US Open Cup titles (2001, 2005 with LA; 2009, 2010 with Seattle) in addition to the 2002 Supporters’ Shield and 2000 CONCACAF Champions Cup with LA.
