Retired German Star Will Advise Galaxy
Retired German soccer star Jurgen Klinsmann was named a technical advisor for the Galaxy on Thursday.
He will work with the team’s coaching staff and players, explore international competition opportunities and help build relationships between the Galaxy and international teams, General Manager Doug Hamilton said.
“He will give us insight in how major clubs around the world are operated, on and off the field,” Hamilton said. “He brings to the Galaxy a wealth of knowledge that, respectfully, far exceeds anybody else in Major League Soccer.”
Klinsmann retired after the 1998 World Cup and moved to Southern California.
“I’m really excited to get deeper into that partnership with the coaching staff and team management,” Klinsmann said.
U.S. Announces Roster
The 22-man U.S. national team that will play the Netherlands in Amsterdam next week in a friendly will be equally represented by players from Europe and MLS, and close to full strength, according to Coach Bruce Arena.
The European-based players included on the roster are: forwards Brian McBride, Clint Mathis and Conor Casey; midfielders Claudio Reyna, Eddie Lewis and John O’Brien; defenders Gregg Berhalter, Carlos Bocanegra and Steve Cherundolo; and goalkeepers Tim Howard and Kasey Keller.
“This is one of the few chances that we have every year to see our foreign-based players in action, and we have an excellent opportunity against Holland,” Arena said.
The rest of the roster is composed of MLS players: forwards Landon Donovan and Josh Wolff; midfielders Chris Armas, DaMarcus Beasley, Bobby Convey, Chris Klein and Kerry Zavagnin; defenders Cory Gibbs, Frankie Hejduk and Eddie Pope; and goalkeeper Jonny Walker (MetroStars).
European Cups
Fabrizio Miccoli converted the decisive penalty kick moments after Inter Milan’s Christian Vieri failed on his, to push Juventus into the final of the Italian Cup. Juventus will play Lazio in the two-leg final on March 17 and May 12.
In Spain, Real Zaragoza advanced to the Copa del Rey final after holding Alaves to a 0-0 tie. Real Zaragoza will play Spanish league leader Real Madrid in the May 17 final.
Quick Passes
Midfielder Freddy Garcia of Guatemala is headed back to his native country after the Columbus Crew and MLS agreed to trade his rights to Municipal.... A congenital heart defect was believed to be the cause of the death of Benfica player Miklos Feher, the Portuguese newspaper Jornal de Noticias reported. Feher, 24, of Hungary collapsed and died during a Portuguese league game last month.
