Chris Klein Out: LA Galaxy fire team president whose tenure drew months-long fan boycott
CARSON, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 03: Los Angeles Galaxy president Chris Klein speaks at a ceremony to unveil a statue of former Los Angeles Galaxy player Landon Donovan ahead of a game between the Los Angeles Galaxy and the Los Angeles FC at Dignity Heal
LOS ANGELES - The LA Galaxy "parted ways" Tuesday with embattled team president Chris Klein, whose tenure was marred by complaints about the Major League Soccer franchise's underwhelming performance, even prompting some of the club's most ardent supporters to boycott its home matches.
"As a club we have not achieved our goals or met the standard that we have established for the LA Galaxy," Dan Beckerman, president/CEO of AEG, said in a statement. "We believe it is in the best interest of the club to make a change and begin a comprehensive process to seek new leadership that will return the club to the level that our fans and partners expect. We are thankful to Chris for his years of dedication and commitment to the LA Galaxy as both a player and an executive."
Klein became team president in 2013. The team is currently in the cellar of the MLS Western Conference, scoring only 10 goals in its 14 matches thus far and earning just two wins against three draws and nine losses.
"I'd like to thank Phil Anschutz and Dan Beckerman for the opportunity to serve as president for the LA Galaxy for the past 11 years," Klein said in a statement released by the team. "My family and I love this club and I'm grateful to have spent 16 years with this organization as a player and an executive. Thank you to our supporters, partners, players, coaches, and staff for all of the passion, dedication and hard work."
Many fans were upset when the team opted to keep Klein as president heading into the current season, prompting threats of a protest, which came to pass as the team limped out of the gate. Ardent club supporters stopped attending home games.
In April, desperate to bring an end to the boycott and get fans back to Dignity Health Sports Park, Klein sent a letter to fans vowing to step down from his post if the Galaxy failed to make the playoffs. The gambit had little impact at first, but the Angel City Brigade support group announced in early May that it would again attend games -- though it called on its members not to purchase any merchandise, food or alcoholic beverages at the stadium. The group also said its members would stand in silence for the first 10 minutes of every half of each match.
Other support groups, however, have continued to avoid home games.