At least one more Major League Soccer team will soon name its head coach.
The Los Angeles Galaxy has announced a press conference for Nov. 29 at which former U.S. Olympic head coach Lothar Osiander will be named head coach, although neither Osiander nor Galaxy officials would confirm the deal.
“No, I don’t know anything,” said Osiander, who worked the past season under a handshake agreement with the A-League Atlanta Ruckus and thus has no contractual ties. “Everything I know, I read in the newspapers.”
Osiander, who lives in Northern California, coached the U.S. teams at the 1988 and 1992 Olympic Games, and also served as U.S. national team coach from 1986 to 1988.
A Galaxy spokesman refused to confirm or deny Osiander’s selection, but two sources within the league confirmed that Osiander had been offered and accepted the job.
Osiander’s principal competition for the job was former Mexican national team coach Miguel Mejia Baron. Columbus and Dallas are both expected to announce their coaches shortly.
Another former U.S. Olympic coach, Timo Liekoski, is the primary candidate to accept the head coaching job in Columbus. Liekoski was fired as Olympic coach in late September.
The leading candidate for the Dallas job is believed to be David Dir, who led the Colorado Foxes to APSL titles in 1992 and 1993 before joining MLS as director of player development.
New England Revolution general manager Brian O’Donovan has returned from a recruiting trip to Europe. He has scratched Ireland manager Jack Charlton from his list of coaching prospects.
During the MLS press conference in New York Nov. 21 at which Doug Logan was announced as league commissioner, league officials stated all MLS head coaching jobs will be filled by Dec. 15.
by Soccer America senior editor Ridge Mahoney