Football superstar David Beckham got a new club manager Monday as former US national team coach Bruce Arena was appointed as coach and general manager of the struggling Los Angeles Galaxy, dpa reported.
Arena's appointment came less than a week after former Dutch football giant Ruud Gullit resigned from the club for personal reasons as the Galaxy slumped to a seven-game winless streak under his guidance.
Arena, 57, was introduce at a news conference after guiding the team through practice for the first time and will make his debut as Galaxy coach Thursday night against the Chicago Fire - when Beckham and forward Landon Donovan will be missing because of their national team duties.
"Bruce is the best coach for the Galaxy and certainly one of the best coaches in the history of the league," said Tim Leiweke, president of AEG, the team owner. "We have always felt that the Galaxy should aspire to be the club that sets the pace and tone in Major League Soccer. I believe Bruce sees it the same way and will put us back in that position."
Arena said there was "a lot of work ahead of us" to get the team to fulfill its potential. "My ultimate goal is to win championships and build a club that all of our fans will be proud of," he said.