Galaxy appoint Onalfo, acquire Jones as rebuild gets underway in L.A.

On the same day Curt Onalfo was named the club’s new head coach, the Los Angeles Galaxy announced it had acquired the rights for United States men’s national team midfielder Jermaine Jones.

Jones joins the Galaxy from the Colorado Rapids, having been exchanged for a 2017 first-round MLS SuperDraft pick. The hard-tackling midfielder played a key role in helping Colorado knock the Galaxy out of the postseason last month, and he could provide the authority and experience in the center of the park the Galaxy has lacked since Nigel de Jong was unceremoniously ushered from the club back in August.

Jones will likely lend a similar edge and command in possession to the Galaxy midfield, but he also carries similar disciplinary liabilities as his Dutch predecessor. The 35-year-old is no longer as sturdy as he once was and has become increasingly injury-prone over his 47 appearances in Major League Soccer.

Despite whatever baggage he may bring, Jones has been successful in MLS. In his first season in the league, he helped lead the New England Revolution to the 2014 MLS Cup (which the Revs lost to the Galaxy). This season, he came back from injury to help Colorado reach the Western Conference final.

Jones doesn’t seem to be in line for one of the Galaxy’s two open Designated Player slots. For the price of a draft pick, the experienced veteran who’s enjoyed stints at Bayer Leverkusen, Schalke, Blackburn and Besiktas could be a risk worth taking as L.A. looks to turn the page after early postseason exits the last two years.

After failing to reach the MLS Cup final for the third time in the past four seasons, the decorated Southern California outfit looks to be in the early stages of what’s shaping up to be a fairly significant rebuild. Earlier this week, the Galaxy announced it would not be renewing contract options on a score of veteran players, including Leonardo, Alan Gordon, Jeff Larentowicz and Mike Magee.

Designated players Steven Gerrard and Robbie Keane announced their respective departures from the Galaxy last month. Landon Donovan, who briefly remerged from retirement to try and help L.A. reach this year’s final, will also not be returning.

The appointment of Onalfo represents another shift for the club. He’ll be stepping into the shoes of longtime Galaxy manager Bruce Arena, who is about to embark on his second stint as USMNT manager following the dismissal of Jurgen Klinsmann.

Onalfo has significant history with the Galaxy, having played 13 games for the club back in 1996 and helping it win the 2011 and 2012 MLS Cups as a member of Arena’s coaching staff. He also spent the last three seasons coaching the L.A. Galaxy II, leading the USL outfit to consecutive playoff berths in 2014, 2015, and 2016.

“I am extremely excited and honored to become head coach of the L.A. Galaxy,” Onalfo said in a statement. “From my time as a player and coach here, I know that this is the preeminent soccer club in the United States and I look forward to leading this team going forward.”

Fans hoping for a splashy hire might be disappointed with the hiring of Onalfo, but he looks to have the right kind of pedigree to succeed as a manager for a top MLS club like L.A.

The 47-year-old Onalfo, who won MLS Cup as a player with D.C. United in 1999, will be tasked with revamping L.A. into a side that will once again challenge for titles each season, as the Donovan/Keane/David Beckham-led Galaxy regularly did not long ago. Luckily for Onalfo, the club has retained the services of star attacker Giovani Dos Santos and MLS Defender of the Year runner-up Jelle van Damme.

Dos Santos has been L.A.’s best player going forward and is certain to be the centerpiece around which Onalfo builds his attack next season. Van Damme, a 33-year-old Belgian acquired from Standard Liege, was one of the Galaxy’s leading lights in 2016 and will anchor a formidable backline that will also likely include some combination of Robbie Rogers, Ashley Cole, A.J. DeLaGarza and Daniel Steres.

With Gerrard gone, Jones is likely in line for a starting spot in the center of the park. And with Keane’s departure, USMNT striker Gyasi Zardes figures to be paired in attack with Dos Santos up top.

With the pieces just starting to fall into place, the most intriguing question now is what will the Galaxy do with the two open DP spots vacated by Keane and Gerrard.

As you’d expect, L.A. has been linked with some big names, including the likes of Manchester United duo Wayne Rooney and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. But so far, nothing concrete has emerged and the club has sent mixed signals about whether or not it’s going to continue to splash the cash on big name European players who are slightly past their prime.

With club ownership reportedly looking for ways to move closer to profitability, L.A. could shift away from the recruitment of career tail-enders like Gerrard, who, let’s face it, never really caught fire in a Galaxy jersey.

Onalfo, for his part, insists the club “will continue to be aggressive in signing world-class talent.” But apart from Jones, the Galaxy’s only other offseason acquisition so far has been 23-year-old midfielder Miguel Aguilar from D.C. United.

But with the January transfer window just a few weeks off, we can likely expect to see more big moves from the Galaxy in the coming weeks and months leading up to the kickoff of the 2017 MLS season in March.