George Signs With Galaxy, Happy to Be Back on U.S. Soil
Four months in Germany was enough for former UCLA All-American Seth George, who signed Thursday with the Los Angeles Galaxy and will be in uniform for Saturday’s home game against the Chicago Fire.
George, the Galaxy’s second-round pick in this year’s Major League Soccer draft, signed for the league minimum of $25,000, which is less than a third of what he was making for 1860 Munich in the German Bundesliga this year.
But money couldn’t buy George happiness. Barely playing for 1860 Munich’s amateur team, George left for his home in Mission Viejo a month ago, two weeks before the season ended and with a year left on his contract.
“I was going nowhere,” said George, who led Santa Margarita High to a Southern Section title in 1993. “I said, ‘This is not what I came over here to do.’ I wanted to be in a situation where I was rising up.”
The situation off the field wasn’t much better for George, who struggled with the language, the slow pace of the lifestyle and the distance from home.
“I was making good money,” he said. “But I’d rather be on welfare in the United States than making good money over there.”
George thought he was living a dream when he stepped off the plane in Germany in early January. He signed a two-year contract with an option for a third year for more money than any of his high school and college teammates were making in the MLS. Initially, he practiced with the 1860 Munich professional team.
And the practices were grueling.
“Everyone was extremely focused and intense,” he said. “They drilled fundamentals over and over. The players were all so technically sound.”
George’s game was maturing at a fast pace. But just before the season began, he was sent down to the developmental team, where he rotted on the bench. He played in only two games, and that was mop-up time.
“I had no clue what happened,” George said.
Meanwhile, the car that 1860 Munich promised him was six weeks late in arriving. It was snowing nearly every day and the hot-water heater in his apartment was broken. When George’s parents came to visit, they stayed in a hotel with hot water and he joined them.
Soon after that--in mid May--George told club officials he was leaving.
“They weren’t happy,” George said. “They invested a lot of money in me. But they let me out of my contract.”
Had another MLS team drafted him, George said he might have been willing to stick it out with 1860 Munich a while longer.
“It was a great experience for me,” George said. “It was like four months of soccer camp. The people were great. I even started learning the language. But I was homesick.”
George, who now joins high school and college teammate Matt Reis, has been practicing with the Galaxy for four days, but he is not expected to play much right away.
“He’s in good shape, but I don’t think he’s fit to play 90 minutes,” said Galaxy Coach Sigi Schmid, who coached George at UCLA for four years. “Financially, it wasn’t the greatest deal for him here. But I think he wanted to play somewhere where he can get some time.”
And George, the final four MVP as a junior for the NCAA champion Bruins and fifth all-time leading goal scorer in UCLA history with 48, is planning on getting some time.
“My intentions are to start as soon as possible,” he said. “But I came off the bench my first two years with Sigi to score some goals, so I can do that too. I don’t expect to be the star.”
There are already enough of those already on the Galaxy, said George, who was awe-struck during his first practice.
“I was so nervous, playing with guys like Cobi [Jones] and Carlos Hermosillo,” he said. “These guys were my idols growing up. I’m so stoked to be on the same team as them.”
George’s scoring punch at forward could be a big boost to the Galaxy, who have been struggling to score. But Schmid isn’t counting on George, just yet.
“He’s shown he can score goals on the collegiate level, but he still hasn’t scored an MLS goal in his life,” Schmid said.
But George, who has been working out with fitness guru Pat Merrill in Orange County, said he has more confidence in his ability than ever.
“Pat has brought another dimension to my game--quickness,” he said. “I can’t wait to get out there. I feel like I’ve been cooped up in a cage for four months.
“There’s no doubt in my mind I’ll be able to score goals. I don’t mean to sound cocky. But that’s what I do. I’m not a great defender. I’m a decent passer and I’m a goal scorer.”
