Los Angeles Galaxy

Sigi Schmid, Major League Soccer's all-time leader in managerial wins, died Tuesday at the age of 65. 

The family confirmed his death, per Kevin Baxter of the Los Angeles Times, who noted the cause has not been disclosed. At the time of his passing, Schmid was awaiting a heart transplant at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.   

Major League Soccer is devastated by the news of the passing of Sigi Schmid. Sigi will go down as one of the leading figures in the history of our league. https://t.co/xki3MDQ5Ka

— Don Garber (@thesoccerdon) December 27, 2018

Schmid enjoyed a fantastic coaching career with a host of teams, including the UCLA Bruins, the United States Men's Soccer under-20 team, Seattle Sounders FC, the Los Angeles Galaxy and the Columbus Crew. He won three national titles at UCLA and two MLS Cups with L.A. and Columbus. 

Condolences poured in after news of Schmid's death broke. Ex-Galaxy beat writer Fred J. Robledo noted Schmid's gregarious and extroverted nature:

Hearing that Sigi Schmid has died hurts. When I covered the Galaxy, had so much respect for him. He was an incredible guy who loved to tell stories and always asked how you were doing. RIP Sigi https://t.co/5FR3yoApQu

— Fred J. Robledo 👨🏻‍💻 (@SGVNSports) December 26, 2018

New England Revolution play-by-play announcer Brad Feldman offered strong praise of Schmid's character regardless of his team's outcome:

RIP Sigi Schmid. Always gracious and dignified - win, lose or draw - he was a credit to the sport in this country and to MLS. A true winner. https://t.co/vwr774JCaS

— Brad Feldman (@BradFeldman_) December 26, 2018

Per Baxter, former USMNT manager Jurgen Klinsmann also provided his thoughts on a man who seemed universally loved:

"He was an amazing family person, and his love for soccer was endless. He was like an encyclopedia. He formed soccer in this country like no one else over the last 30 years, at UCLA, in the college world, or by building the success and foundation of the Galaxy, the Columbus Crew and the Seattle Sounders. His brain was always going 200 mph.

"He was such a giver. Sigi leaves us far too early. People like him are very rare in this world: straightforward, giver, passionate, endlessly dedicated to his mission and to his family."

Schmid, Bruce Arena and Steve Sampson are the only three coaches who have won both an MLS Cup and an NCAA title.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic confirmed on Monday he will play for the Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer in 2019.

The veteran forward posted the following clip on Twitter:

MLZ Im not done with you yet pic.twitter.com/1F68siOV16

— Zlatan Ibrahimović (@Ibra_official) December 17, 2018

Ibrahimovic moved to Los Angeles from Manchester United in 2018 and made a massive impact for the Galaxy, netting 22 goals and registering six assists in his 27 appearances in MLS.

Since the end of the campaign, there has been incessant speculation about a transfer, with former club AC Milan linked with a swoop for the 37-year-old. However, Milan sporting director Leonardo recently ruled out a move for Ibrahimovic, per Liam Grace of Sky Sports.

Per BBC Sport, Milan were recently warned by UEFA they must tighten their finances by 2021 to fall in line with financial fair play regulations. If they don't, they face being banned from European competition.

Italian football journalist Tancredi Palmeri thinks that warning played a big part in Milan ending their pursuit of their former forward:

Not a coincidence at all that Ibrahimovic confirmed he is staying at Galaxy only after that Uefa sentence on Milan came...

— Tancredi Palmeri (@tancredipalmeri) December 17, 2018

News that Ibrahimovic will be sticking around for a while yet will please Los Angeles supporters, as the enigmatic striker took the league by storm last term.

Despite his advancing years, it's clear the Swede has plenty to offer. As a focal point in attack, he is still effective, as he boasts the physicality to hold off opposition defenders and the technical ability to bring others into play.

Ibrahimovic also continues to showcase an appetite for the big occasion. On his debut for the team last season, he helped the Galaxy complete a remarkable turnaround against Los Angeles FC, scoring twice—including a stoppage-time winner—to help his side recover from three goals down to win 4-3.

His first goal that day was eventually crowned the Goal of the Year:

Was it ever in doubt?!

The 2018 @ATT Goal of the Year belongs to @Ibra_official. 💥 pic.twitter.com/84QMLnihRb

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) November 13, 2018

OptaPaolo summed up how efficient Ibrahimovic was in front of goal in his first year in the United States:

97 - Since his debut in MLS (31 March 2018), Zlatan #Ibrahimovic has scored one goal every 97 minutes in the competition: a record among players with more than three goals in the same period. Star.

— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) November 3, 2018

Ibrahimovic may well be in the twilight of his incredible career, although it's clear he's still passionate and ambitious. His decision to stay at the StubHub Center immediately enhances the Galaxy's chances of MLS Cup success for 2019.

Despite the brilliance of Ibrahimovic last term, the team were unable to make the playoffs, finishing in seventh spot in the Western Conference at the end of the regular season. Much more will be expected of them on the back of this news.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is reportedly in line to agree a new contract to remain with L.A. Galaxy in Major League Soccer.

The Swedish icon had been linked with a return to European football, but it appears the striker will remain in California.

ESPN's Jeff Carlisle tweeted the former Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain superstar will be given a new deal by the MLS side, becoming a designated player.

                 

This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available.

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Los Angeles Galaxy have kept star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic on their retained list for the 2019 Major League Soccer season amid rumours linking him with a transfer to AC Milan. 

Ibrahimovic has just finished his first campaign in North American football and has been linked with a possible departure in the offseason, per Football Italia, but it was confirmed the Swede remains under contract for next season.

The 2019 MLS season doesn't begin until March next year, and Milan wouldn't be able to officially complete a move for their former forward until January 1, when Europe's winter transfer window opens.

Defenders Michael Ciani and Ashley Cole were among those not retained by the Galaxy and will be released.

The club can still choose to sell Ibrahimovic, whose contract at the StubHub Center isn't due to expire until December 2019. He previously spent two years at Milan—the first of which was on loan—and scored 56 times in 85 appearances.

The veteran forward's debut season in MLS was a major individual success. He scored 22 times in 27 league appearances as the team finished one point short of advancing into the Western Conference play-offs.

European interest has followed once more, although the 37-year-old wouldn't reveal much to TMZ Sports in October:

Ibrahimovic was more recently asked by Vanity Fair (h/t MLS Soccer) if he would rejoin the Rossoneri six years after departing but was noncommittal: "I won't say 'no,' and I won't say 'yes.'"

The Italian giants are in need of reinforcements to star striker Gonzalo Higuain, who is their top scorer in Serie A with five goals this term. However, manager Gennaro Gattuso is short on alternatives, and 20-year-old Patrick Cutrone is not yet the finished article.

Gattuso spoke to Sky Sport Italia (h/t AS) and addressed the Ibrahimovic rumours after Saturday's 1-1 draw at Lazio: "We'll see, but I think right now we need to concentrate on what we've got and what we need to do. There's no point thinking about it now. I just have to get my team playing as best we can."

Ibrahimovic sparkled in MLS, but the striker could still be capable in one of Europe's big divisions. Having left Manchester United to move stateside, he recently joked the Premier League wasn't as difficult to master as some might suggest, via BBC Sport:

"The Premier League made me feel like Benjamin Button."

Zlatan Ibrahimovic was on form when @5liveSport caught up with him in LA.

Full interview on the Football Daily podcast on @BBCSounds https://t.co/NxS0o8jiRI pic.twitter.com/mpCYfLIZxC

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) November 22, 2018

Leonardo was director of football at Paris Saint-Germain when the frontman moved to France, and the pair could reunite at the San Siro.

However, the Galaxy seemingly intend to fight for their forward's future in Los Angeles in the hope he'll serve a second season on the west coast.

LA Galaxy forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic has narrowly beaten Wayne Rooney of DC United to the MLS Newcomer of the Year award. 

Steven Goff of the Washington Post shared the final results, showing the Swede got 36 percent of the vote, with Rooney coming in at 32 percent. He also broke the numbers down:

Ibra edged Rooney on players’ ballots, Rooney won the clubs’ votes, Ibra won media voting easily

— Steven Goff (@SoccerInsider) November 12, 2018

The Galaxy confirmed the news via their official website. 

The 37-year-old Ibrahimovic scored a remarkable 22 MLS goals in just 27 appearances, almost guiding his team to the play-offs. He finished the season as the competition's second-leading scorer behind Atlanta United's Josef Martinez, who played in 36 matches.

Rooney only featured in 21 contests but still managed to score 12 goals while adding six assists.

Both former Manchester United men had some incredible moments in their debut campaigns:

Zlatan Ibrahimović was named MLS Newcomer of the Year over Wayne Rooney.

It got us thinking ... Whose moment of magic was best? pic.twitter.com/8BkQXVcPPu

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) November 12, 2018

They also made the league's best XI:

Now that’s a squad.

Zlatan and Rooney both named to #BestXI in their debut MLS season. pic.twitter.com/vh3rqfA352

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) November 12, 2018

Rooney and DC United did make it to the postseason, but Columbus Crew beat them in the first round. The 33-year-old can look back on an incredible season, however, as the transformed a struggling side into play-off contenders.

The Guardian's Beau Dure wondered whether his great play will lead to new opportunities in Europe. Ibrahimovic has already been linked at length with a return to the Continent, and Tuttosport (h/t Football Italia) have reported a move to AC Milan is close.

He hasn't shied away from fueling the speculation:

The MLS play-offs will continue with the Conference Finals, with the first legs scheduled for November 25. Atlanta host New York Red Bulls while Sporting Kansas City visit Portland Timbers.

Los Angeles Galaxy forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic has said there are European clubs interested in signing him, although he is fully committed to his current side.

Ibrahimovic joined the Galaxy earlier in the year and impressed in Major League Soccer. With his team's season now finished until March 2019, it's been rumoured that the Swede may make a move back to Europe on a short-term loan.

However, the 37-year-old said that while there is interest in signing him, he is fully committed to the Galaxy, per Alex Richards of Daily Mirror.

"There is interest, there's no secret. There is interest from Europe, but my priority is the Galaxy. I'm here and I'm happy to be here. 

"Interest … There will always be interest. This is normal. When I was injured one year, then yes, but now when I'm back, alive, it is not a surprise.

"If I belong to the Galaxy, I'm a Galaxy player, I don't go abroad. If I belong to one club, I stay with one club and focus on that club and give all my attention to that club."

As noted by the Associated Press (h/t ESPN FC), the striker also said "I have some wishes and demands which [are] simple things."

Per Richards, the likes of Manchester United and AC Milan have recently been linked with a possible swoop for the Swede.

While he's now in the twilight years of his career, Ibrahimovic has built a reputation as one of the best forwards of his generation. The striker's list of former clubs includes Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain.

United were his most recent club in Europe, and after a brilliant debut season at Old Trafford, Ibrahimovic was re-signed by the Premier League outfit before being let go by the Red Devils.

Speaking recently, Ibrahimovic said he didn't think much of English football's top flight despite its reputation as one of the most competitive in the world:

Imagine. pic.twitter.com/3Y8EL8Vunw

— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 5, 2018

Sam Lee of Goal had his say on those comments from the veteran striker:

Brb just died of irony https://t.co/rgtnjp9flo

— Sam Lee (@SamLee) November 5, 2018

While the Galaxy's hopes of MLS Cup success were ended by Houston Dynamo recently, overall Ibrahimovic's first year in the United States should be deemed a success.

The forward relished being the main man for the Los Angeles outfit, with his physicality, technique and predatory instincts too good for the majority of defences in the league. In his 27 appearances in MLS in 2018, he netted 22 times and notched six assists.

Per OptaPaolo, no player has been quite so prolific in the league over the same amount of time:

97 - Since his debut in MLS (31 March 2018), Zlatan #Ibrahimovic has scored one goal every 97 minutes in the competition: a record among players with more than three goals in the same period. Star.

— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) November 3, 2018

While a serious injury suffered by Ibrahimovic towards the end of his first season at United seemed to hinder him, the forward would be confident of returning to Europe and being a success.

In the past, big names like David Beckham, Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane have joined European clubs on loan during the MLS off-season. Ibrahimovic, given his quality and experience, will surely get offers, although he appears focused on success with the Galaxy in 2019.

Los Angeles Galaxy star Zlatan Ibrahimovic appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show to surprise the members of the Wild Boar soccer team who were trapped in a cave in Thailand earlier this year. 

"These kids, I thought I was brave, but these kids, this team is more braver than me and they show the collective teamwork and patience and belief in (each) other," Ibrahimovic said of the players (h/t Today's Scott Stump). "This is probably the best team in the world."

The Thai team was also recognized as special guests of Los Angeles FC ahead of their 4-2 win over the Houston Dynamo on Friday.

Members of the Wild Boar Thai youth soccer team, who were trapped in a flooded cave for more than two weeks earlier this year, were honored by @LAFC at tonight's game. pic.twitter.com/AkmbDTFdZZ

— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) October 13, 2018

Twelve members of the Wild Boar team and the coach were rescued from the northern Thailand cave in July by Thai Navy SEALs. They had spent more than two weeks in the cave after heavy rainfall in the area trapped them inside.

Former United States team midfielder Jermaine Jones has announced his retirement from football after 18 seasons.

The 36-year-old, who played for Los Angeles Galaxy last season, announced his decision on social media:

After 18 years I say good bye. I have a clear vision, after I had a couple of months to concentrate on what comes next!!! THANKS to all my teammates, coaches… https://t.co/ivUoOgh1D6

— Jermaine Jones (@Jermainejunior) September 7, 2018

Jones began his career in Germany with Eintracht Frankfurt and also enjoyed spells at Bayer Leverkusen and Schalke.

He returned to Major League Soccer after the 2014 FIFA World Cup to play for New England Revolution and Colorado Rapids before joining the Galaxy in 2017.

Jones began his international career with Germany. He managed three appearances for Die Mannschaft in warm-up games ahead of the UEFA 2008 European Championship.

However, he was allowed to switch allegiances to the United States, as the matches were not deemed to be competitive games.

The midfielder made his United States debut in a 2-2 friendly draw against Poland in October 2010 at Soldier Field in Chicago.

He went on to win 69 caps for the U.S. and scored four goals. The most eye-catching was his fine equaliser against Portugal in a 2-2 draw at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

Jones curled a shot past goalkeeper Beto from outside the box to level for the U.S. after Nani had put Portugal ahead on five minutes.

The midfielder was one of America's best players at the tournament as the team qualified behind Germany in Group G. They were knocked out in the round of 16 by Belgium after extra time.

He was an important player for his country and also played in three CONCACAF Gold Cups and one Copa America.

After leaving Germany, Jones enjoyed brief spells with Blackburn Rovers and Turkish side Besiktas before spending the rest of his career in Major League Soccer.

Jones is the second U.S. star to announce his retirement recently. Clint Dempsey confirmed he was hanging up his boots at the end of August.

 

The delightful absurdity of Zlatan Ibrahimovic is best captured in the memory of a game from the fall of 2012. Zlatan's Sweden team was playing against England in a friendly. After he scored once early in the match, England took a 2-1 lead into the 76th minute. From there, it was all Zlatan, and no one else. He scored in the 77th to tie the game, and then again in the 84th to give Sweden the lead.

This alone would be enough to cement the day as one of the greatest of Zlatan's career. But with stoppage time draining away, he saw another opportunity to add some flair to the occasion. England goalkeeper Joe Hart darted out of his area and cleared the ball about 30 yards out with a clumsy header. Zlatan casually tracked the ball with his eyes and, from distance, executed a perfect bicycle kick to guide the ball on a long path to the corner of the net before a rapidly retreating Hart could get to it.

This defines the ability and presence of Zlatan: He sees a huge moment and dares to stretch it out beyond what might seem reasonable. Yes, he is massive—towering over most defenders at 6'5". But he is also brash to the point of being comical, like how he refers to himself in the third person, almost like a cartoon villain.

Zlatan embodies what is both loathed and loved in an athlete: someone who knows they're good and is unafraid to attempt the impossible in the name of repeatedly showing the world how good they are. Greatness is best served when an audience continually makes a player earn the right to call themselves great. Zlatan has given himself over to the excitable imagination of the sports fan, and in exchange, he has provided a constellation of sparkling moments, ones that seamlessly blend Zlatan the player with Zlatan the human being, like when he scored a goal in 2015 and stripped off his shirt to unveil a removable tattoo which included the names of 50 people suffering from famine around the world, or when he went to the Swedish Patent and Registration office in 2003 to trademark his own name.

It is fitting that Zlatan is having his swan song in Los Angeles, in MLS with the L.A. Galaxy. His career will likely end here—he turns 37 in October—but his new home seems suited to accommodate the legend he's built for himself. Los Angeles is a city with a deep enough mythology to hold an icon of Zlatan's stature.

He hasn't always looked comfortable in MLS, but perhaps here is all that matters: In his first game with L.A., Zlatan trotted on the pitch in the 70th minute with his team down 3-1 to LAFC. By the 76th minute, the Galaxy were down 3-2, when Zlatan took a bouncing ball from about 35 yards out and rocketed a curving missile past the goalkeeper. In the waning moments of stoppage time with the game tied at 3, Zlatan saw a cross coming into the box, raised his tall frame above three defenders and headed the ball into the net, giving the Galaxy their winning goal.

Greatness is many things, but part of it is the ability to look at the time you have left and imagine what magic you can create—magic that, possibly, could slow that time down for anyone watching. To look for new ways to make yourself immortal, every time out. Zlatan has done that at every level imaginable. How I'll miss him when he's no longer sprinting free after goals, shirt off, arms extended, carried by the waves of adoration.

     

Hanif Abdurraqib, a contributor to B/R Mag, is a poet from Columbus, Ohio. His essays and criticism have been published in The FADER, Pitchfork, the New Yorker and the New York Times. He is the author of They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us and a forthcoming biography of A Tribe Called Quest. He last wrote for Bleacher Report about Mo Salah. Follow him on Twitter: @NifMuhammad.  

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Freed from their shackles and no longer held back by past failures. For England and Sweden, this fascinating World Cup journey has been a long time coming.

It is two years since Zlatan Ibrahimovic announced his retirement from international football and nine months since Gareth Southgate dropped Wayne Rooney and signalled his intention to move into a new era.

Now, as the two nations compete in Samara, Russia, on Saturday for a place in the semi-finals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the two superstars are little more than a distant memory—marooned thousands of miles away in America's MLS.

And without the constant questions over Rooney and Ibrahimovic, new life appears to have been breathed into each camp.

#eng⁠ ⁠ - #swe. No more Rooney vs Zlatan. No more #ThreeLions⁠⁠ vs the Lion 🦁. #worldcup⁠ ⁠

— Kristof Terreur (@kristofterreur) July 3, 2018

"The team do play a lot better now than they did two years ago", journalist Noa Bachner of newspaper Expressen told Bleacher Report. "But whether or not that is because of Zlatan not being there is becoming the most tiresome question we know in Sweden, I think."

The Swedish people may be bored of the outside world wondering how they have managed to move on from greatest player they have ever produced. But it seems to have worked well for them.

He quit the national team after Euro 2016, and while there was some talk over a potential return for this tournament, any hope was put to bed when the selectors announced in April that a comeback would not be happening.

Since he has not been involved, Sweden have been showing great progress. They finished ahead of the Netherlands in their qualifying group, and they then beat Italy in a play-off to reach Russia. They are now two wins away from a place in the World Cup final, and the closest Ibrahimovic has been to this tournament was a brief visit as a special guest. Right now, he is back in America playing for LA Galaxy.

Ahead of the tournament Expressen ran a poll to ask readers whether they thought the team would be better off with or without Ibrahimovic.

Results showed that 33 per cent said better, 30 per cent thought worse, 31 per cent voted no different and the remainder could not decide.

Given that Sweden are enjoying their best run since 1954, it's probably fair to say they are doing just fine without him. 

Swedish football expert Gunnar Persson has been writing about the game for almost 40 years and he told B/R: "The team spirit has been rebuilt, and that is something that the Swedish side always was famous for. Everybody involved seems happier, and the manager Janne Andersson is what you might call 'a real football man' with lots of common sense. There is no anxiety among the players, just the will to perform well."

Persson is one of the journalists who has not been missing Ibra.

"He became too big, too important," he said. "The team had no tactics, just the intimidating presence of Zlatan. Every attack had to go through him. I, personally, dreaded when he was discontent with his supporting cast and started coming back to collect the ball. At that point there was no one else up front, so he basically had to do it all by himself. You can't act like that, not on any serious level of play."

England's story with Rooney has not been too dissimilar.

The country's greatest goalscorer of all time, his long road to the wilderness began before the last World Cup.

Roy Hodgson was under pressure to leave him out of the side following a spell of poor form at Manchester United but ended up squeezing him into the starting lineup on the left wing. There was a similar situation at Euro 2016. This time Hodgson had seemed more willing to leave him out of the side, but Rooney began England's opening match against Russia as a central midfielder.

It was Southgate who brought about the end of Rooney's international career, making a statement as he axed the captain for a game against Slovenia after becoming manager last year.

"I definitely didn't expect the manager to drop Wayne" said Three Lions defender Danny Rose ahead of this tournament.

"As soon as we all saw that we knew the gaffer was not somebody to be messed around with because he's dropped arguably one of the best England players ever and the top goalscorer as well. We've all had to move on from that."

Insiders from Hodgson's England days insist that Rooney was a good influence on the rest of the squad.

"He was great whenever there was a meet-up," a source told B/R. "He doesn't have much of an ego, and, actually, he was a great help for the younger players within the group. The storylines around him and constant questioning over whether he deserved to be in the side seemed to be a bigger issue for those outside of the team than in it."

Hodgson admitted as much all along, and in one interview back in 2014 he told me: "It's a bit sad that some people are so Wayne Rooney obsessed."

Yet now, with him out of the picture and plying his trade at D.C United, perhaps there is a new lease of life about the squad. All the talk across England is that this could be their time to win the trophy for the first time since 1966.

Had this dream last night that England won a penalty shootout. Seemed so real.

— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) July 4, 2018

The memes around football coming home from the Three Lions song have added a depth of fun to England's campaign, but there is also a genuine growing belief that this team could be on the verge of something special.

A younger squad, many without the nightmares of past tournaments gone wrong, are showing a bond and togetherness that seems to be making up for a lack of elite talent. Harry Kane is the outstanding member, the only man truly worthy of being considered as a superstar of any sort, and boss Southgate has installed belief.

"All the bad memories that most of us have in terms of England in major tournaments just don't seem to bother this group of players," said Daily Mail's England correspondent Sami Mokbel. "Their approach has been great, so relaxed and media-friendly. Everyone seems happy, and their togetherness has shone through both on the pitch and back at their training base.

"It also helps that we don't seem to have a scapegoat. We don't seem to be looking to blame one person. Maybe Wayne Rooney was the last player attached to that golden era that failed to live up to the hype, and now that he is not part of things, there is a new beginning."

While England fans continue with their belief that football's coming home, the Swedes have their own ambition and dream. They too recognise that a path like this one leading to the World Cup final is rare.

"We don't really have the mythical, almost spiritual, narrative of the trophy 'returning to it's homeland,' but we do look at the fixtures coming up in the same way, and see the opposition as realistically beatable—even though we don't consider ourselves favourites," explained Expressen writer Bachner.

"However, with England and Croatia/Russia separating us from a final, there is a sober understanding that they are not better teams than the ones we've overcome to get here—such as France, Holland, Italy, Germany, Mexico and Switzerland.

"I'm in Russia, so I haven't seen the reactions of people in the streets in Stockholm or Gothenburg or wherever, but the general sense is that there is an escalating World Cup fever happening. The team has won the hearts and minds of the Swedish people with their performances over the past two years. I think that was won long before they got to Russia but is even more true now."

Argentina are counting the cost of relying on their superstar Lionel Messi at this World Cup. Sweden and England are showing how there can be a bright future without the all-time greats.