The L.A. Galaxy board is so far being closed-mouth about the future of Coach Frank Yallop — which could be taken as a sign that the former San Jose coach is headed for the exit once the Galaxy returns from its David Beckham show-pony tour. That said, Billy Witz of the Carson Daily Breeze points out that management has a real decision to make here (although ominously, Galaxy GM Alexi Lalas declined to comment for the story). There’s no question that Yallop and the Galaxy had a terrible first three-quarters of the season, but the team improved considerably, finishing the last eight games 5-1-2.
Nevertheless, “I’ve heard nothing from anybody,” Yallop told the Daily Breeze on Wednesday. “In the next week or so, we’ll talk about planning for next year, so I’ll get a better idea of what [Lalas] is feeling. If people think I’m a bad coach and have coached this team badly, they can say that … but I feel that not all the results were down to coaching.”
However, as one player, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, Yallop made it clear in a recent team meeting that “he wasn’t comfortable” all the time as Galaxy coach. “This season, there was a lot of pressure with David getting minutes,” the player said. “It was tough on him. If he plays him, he gets a lot of [flak]. If he doesn’t, everyone is asking why he didn’t play him.” Yallop did say that he promised not to be so timid if given the chance next season.