LA Galaxy name Will Kuntz general manager

The LA Galaxy have appointed Will Kuntz as their general manager, the club announced Tuesday, creating a shift in roles for the five-time MLS Cup champions.

Greg Vanney will return to his primary role as head coach and will continue to guide the technical vision of the club, including coaching methodology, while managing the first team staff and the sports performance department. Kuntz and Vanney will collaborate on all major soccer operations decisions for LA.

Now, Kuntz will be responsible for soccer operations from the first team through the academy, including scouting, player acquisitions, salary cap and budgets. He initially joined the Galaxy as senior VP of player personnel in April 2023 after leaving El Tráfico rival LAFC.

“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. “I want to thank Greg Vanney for being my strongest advocate in bringing me into the club last spring, 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 will report directly into AEG president/CEO Dan Beckerman, was previously responsible for multiple aspects of the club’s soccer operations, including salary cap management, club development, immigration process, executing player and personnel contracts, and technical administration.

In Kuntz’s six years at LAFC, he served as senior VP of soccer operations and assistant GM. He’s also worked at MLS headquarters as the director of player relations, helping clubs with salary budget management and the development of strategic league initiatives

“I have enjoyed working with Will since he arrived and he is the right guy to lead the soccer operations,” said Vanney. “I look forward to the continued collaboration with Will and the rest of our technical group as we work towards our shared vision of building a team that consistently competes for championships.”

LA are coming off a 13th-place spot in the Western Conference standings, finishing eight points off the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs pace. Alongside Riqui Puig, they have two open Designated Player spots after Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez and Douglas Costa both exited the club.