Former Dutch international and coach of clubs such as Chelsea FC and Newcastle United, Ruud Gullit was officially introduced as the LA Galaxy's new head coach Friday morning at the Home Depot Center.
As a television pundit, Gullit coined the phrase "sexy football", and that is what AEG and Galaxy president and general manager Alexi Lalas are hoping to bring to the club after two straight seasons of missing the MLS Cup Playoffs. Gullit replaces Frank Yallop, who left the Galaxy to take over the expansion San Jose Earthquakes at the start of the week.
Lalas might have tipped his hand a bit as to the hiring of Gullit earlier in the week when he used the term sexy to describe the qualities he was looking for in a coach.
"I think (sexy football) is football that you like to see and you enjoy yourself," said Gullit. "I think it's an expression that you can use in all kinds of things. Hopefully we can play as good as possible, but there are going to be moments when you can't."
The 45-year-old Gullit's pedigree can't be questioned. As a player, he accomplished nearly everything a professional can achieve. He won the European Championship with Holland, two European Cups with A.C. Milan, and was voted the world's best player.
His coaching career, though, has been somewhat less illustrious. His last coaching position was with Dutch club Feyenoord in the 2004-05 season. Since then he has been working as a commentator for Sky Sports.
"I think for me it's an interesting move in my career. I know that there is huge potential in America and huge talent. I think soccer is a growing sport," said Gullit, reminding himself out loud to say soccer instead of football. "I'm really proud to be in the beginning of that process. Therefore for me it was an easier decision to take this job.
"I talked yesterday with Tim (Leiweke) about the vision of the club and I totally agree with him that a club like LA Galaxy is a club that is used to winning things," Gullit continued. "We will do everything in our power to win. It's a huge challenge, but also a privilege."
One of the major challenges facing Gullit is the structure of Major League Soccer -- the salary cap will be the biggest adjustment he will face. Gullit conceded that he does not know very much about the league and the restraints, but he knows that it's not like Europe where a coach can just go out and buy a player.
In order to help him make that adjustment quicker, Gullit and the Galaxy named Cobi Jones as an assistant coach. Gullit will rely on Jones' knowledge of MLS and U.S. soccer to help him identify players to bring into the squad.
Jones, who retired at the end of this season, is taking a new step in his career as well and made it known he was excited to do so.
"I'm happy to be here as an assistant coach and to be able to say that I can actually work with Ruud Gullit," said Jones. "I'm happy to be part of this organization and continue to work with Tim and Alexi in the next natural step in my career. Obviously it will be a little bit of a change for me, but it's something that I look forward to."
In addition, former MLS player Paul Bravo will continue as the club's director of soccer, overseeing the scouting, development and administrative functions of the team.
"We have signed a world-class coach and leader for this franchise, a soccer man who understands how the game is played and managed at the highest level." said Leiweke. "Ruud will immediately put a system in place that will blend his instinct and knowledge of the game with the assets and talent that are part of the Galaxy franchise. We have asked him to do what is required to build a model MLS franchise and a club that expects to win every time we take the pitch, regardless of the competition."
Greg Daurio is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
