Will Kuntz named General Manager and Chief Soccer Officier of LA Galaxy while Greg Vanney resumes his role as Head coach
CARSON, Calif. — Will Kuntz has continued climbing the ladder at the LA Galaxy. He now sits atop the pyramid as the club’s General Manager and the Chief Soccer Officer. He will report directly to AEG President Dan Beckerman.
Kuntz was initially brought into the club in April of 2023 as senior vice president of player personnel during the suspension of then president of the LA Galaxy, Chris Klein. His quick climb through the ranks of the Galaxy should be no surprise, as stints with the New York Yankees (Contributed in part to their 2009 World Series win), Major League Soccer, and Los Angeles Football Club (2022 MLS Cup, 2019, 2022 Supporters’ Shield) have prepared him for this role.
“There is no opportunity in Major League Soccer more exciting to me than the chance to help lead this club to reclaim its place as the top club in the league,” said Kuntz in the club’s official press release on Tuesday. “I want to thank Greg Vanney for being my strongest advocate in bringing me into the Club last winter, and I am thrilled with how our partnership has developed since I came on board. I look forward to collaborating with Greg towards achieving our shared vision and building on the foundation that has been created over the past several years. AEG’s commitment to providing this organization with everything necessary to be successful has been evident over the years, and I’ve seen it firsthand during my time with the club.”
Kuntz, who spent at least part of his recent days before the announcement traveling to meet with AEG and LA Galaxy owner Phillip Anschutz, seems ready for the promotion. Even if that now puts him above his previous boss, Vanney.
But in calling Vanney his biggest advocate, Kuntz has also set the stage for the collaboration that has been taking place since he joined. And how he relies on the entire team has input into the the technical decision of the club.
“How we operate on a daily basis, it’s been collaborative,” Kuntz said to The Athletic. “It’s not like there are my players or Greg’s players. It’s our players, everyone is agreed upon, we all talk about what we need, we talk about what we are looking for in terms of profile, budget. It’s a collective, collaborative decision and that is greater than just Greg and myself, it includes the technical staff, assistant coaches, sport science, high performance … our scouts, our soccer operations staff. Everyone has got a seat at the table. It will continue to be a collaborative process just like it has been in the eight months I’ve been here.”
However, there seems to be an eye toward smarter spending under Kuntz. He has mentioned in many interviews and podcasts that he does tend to look at younger or in-their-prime players as the drivers for success in MLS. This tends to buck the long-standing trend for the Galaxy of signing big-name players who certainly put butts in seats but do so without the “availability” of their younger counterparts.
“Will has extensive experience in MLS and a proven track record in the league,” said AEG President Dan Beckerman. “We have full confidence in his capacity to elevate our club’s soccer operations and help to build a championship-caliber team. In his short time with the Galaxy, Will has already demonstrated his abilities and proven that he deserves this leadership opportunity.”
Kuntz takes over a Galaxy front office that has largely been remade by Vanney in recent years and after the club has failed to make the playoffs in all but two of their last seven seasons. He also takes over the longest title drought in franchise history (3,285 days since they last hoisted the MLS Cup).