Ruud Gullit Los Angeles Galaxy What is Gullit's connection to LA Galaxy? On 8 November 2007, Gullit became head coach for the LA Galaxy, signing a three-year contract. Was he a successful coach? From the start, Gullit's time with Galaxy was troublesome. Not well-versed in the intricacies and specifics of the MLS such as salary cap and draft rules,
What else happened during his time with the Galaxy?
What else happened during Ruud Gullit's time with the Galaxy besides not being well versed in MLS specifics?
On 8 November 2007, Gullit became head coach for the LA Galaxy, signing a three-year contract. His US$2 million per year salary was the highest ever given to a Major League Soccer (MLS) head coach. Gullit arrived as replacement for Frank Yallop who was let go after Galaxy failed to make the 2007 MLS playoffs despite having a record signing David Beckham on the roster.  From the start, Gullit's time with Galaxy was troublesome. Not well-versed in the intricacies and specifics of the MLS such as salary cap and draft rules, the Dutchman never adapted well to the North American league. The ill-fated January 2008 acquisition of left back Celestine Babayaro (who was brought in on Gullit's personal wishes before getting dismissed quickly and unceremoniously without even getting a chance to play any competitive matches due to extreme lack of commitment in pre-season) set the tone for the league campaign that was about to start. After getting blown out 0-4 in the season opener, Gullit clashed with midfielder Peter Vagenas, who criticized him for completely neglecting set play practice during training.  As the season progressed, Gullit would clash with just about every player, notably Landon Donovan and Abel Xavier, the latter who criticized the Dutchman's managerial style claiming he did not have respect for most of the players. Eventually, it also came out that Gullit's very appointment came in controversial fashion as Galaxy general manager at the time, Alexi Lalas, got bypassed in the process, with the decision coming straight from David Beckham's personal handlers: his management company 19 Entertainment and his personal manager Terry Byrne.  On 11 August 2008, Gullit resigned as coach from the Galaxy, citing personal reasons. This came following a seven-game winless streak. General manager Lalas was fired on the same occasion. CANNOTANSWER
The ill-fated January 2008 acquisition of left back Celestine Babayaro (who was brought in on Gullit's personal wishes before getting dismissed quickly
Ruud Gullit (; born Rudi Dil; 1 September 1962) is a Dutch footballer and subsequent manager who played professionally in the 1980s and 1990s as a defender, attacking midfielder, midfielder or forward. He captained the Netherlands national team that was victorious at UEFA Euro 1988 and was also a member of the squad for the 1990 FIFA World Cup and Euro 1992.

At club level, in 1987 he moved from PSV to AC Milan for a world record transfer fee. Nicknamed "the black Tulip", he was part of a notable Dutch trio at Milan which included Marco van Basten and Frank Rijkaard. Gullit won three Serie A titles and two European Cups with Milan. In 1995, he signed for Chelsea and a year later was appointed the club's player-manager. In his debut season, he led Chelsea to FA Cup success, the club's first major title for 26 years, and in so doing became the first overseas manager to win the FA Cup.

Gullit won the Ballon d'Or in 1987 and was named the World Soccer Player of the Year in 1987 and 1989. Normally an attacking midfielder, he was a versatile player, playing in numerous positions during his career. In 2004, he was named one of the Top 125 greatest living footballers as part of FIFA's 100th anniversary celebration.

Early life 

Gullit was born as Rudi Dil in Amsterdam to George Gullit, a Surinamese who arrived in the Netherlands with Herman Rijkaard (father of Frank Rijkaard), and Dutch mistress Ria Dil from the Jordaan district of Amsterdam. The Gullit family lived in one split level room on the top floor of a small apartment building. Gullit's father worked as an economics teacher at a local school, his mother as a custodian at the Rijksmuseum.

Gullit developed his football skills in the confines of the Rozendwarsstraat, and street football was instrumental in his formative years. Gullit's first team were the Meerboys, where he joined as a junior in 1970. At the age of ten, however, Gullit moved from the Jordaan to Amsterdam Old West where he played street football alongside Frank Rijkaard. Gullit joined the DWS club after his move, and came to the attention of the Dutch youth team, where he played alongside future full international teammates, Erwin Koeman, Ronald Koeman and Wim Kieft.

It was during his time at DWS that Gullit first took to using his father's surname, rather than his registered surname (from his mother), as he thought Gullit sounded more like a football player. However he retained his mother's surname, officially, and continues to sign all contracts as Ruud Dil.

Club career

HFC Haarlem 
In 1978, Gullit signed professionally for HFC Haarlem under coach and former West Bromwich Albion player Barry Hughes. Gullit made 91 league appearances for Haarlem, scoring 32 goals. He made his debut for the club at just 16 years old, becoming at the time the youngest player in the history of the Eredivisie. In his first year at Haarlem, the club finished bottom of the Eredivisie, but bounced back the following season winning the Eerste Divisie. Gullit was named as the best player in the Eerste Divisie that season. In the 1981–82 season, Gullit was in fine form as Haarlem finished fourth and qualified for Europe for the only time in their history. In that same season, Gullit scored the goal he would later consider his finest: "Playing against Utrecht I went past four defenders and then the goalkeeper, and scored. It was an unforgettable goal for me." Hughes was so impressed with the young Gullit that he described him as the "Dutch Duncan Edwards".

Feyenoord 

The young Gullit was considered as a signing by English sides Arsenal and Ipswich Town, but managers Terry Neill and Bobby Robson turned him down. Neill later told that he considered £30,000 too much for "this wild kid". Gullit therefore moved to Feyenoord in 1982, where he made 85 league appearances, scoring 31 goals. At Feyenoord, Gullit found himself playing alongside Dutch legend Johan Cruyff, while the assistant manager was Wim van Hanegem, and they were to leave a lasting impression.

Gullit's first season saw Feyenoord miss out on major honours, but the following year they completed the league and cup double. Gullit was named Dutch Footballer of the Year in recognition of his contribution to Feyenoord's success. At Feyenoord, Gullit occupied an increasingly advanced role in midfield, having played predominantly as a sweeper at Haarlem. While at Feyenoord, Gullit became the focus of a race row as manager Thijs Libregts was alleged to have referred to Gullit as "blackie" and criticised him for being lazy, though Libregts defended himself by claiming that it was merely a nickname. While playing for Feyenoord at St Mirren in September 1983, he was racially abused and spat on by supporters of the Scottish club. Gullit called it "the saddest night of my life".

PSV 
In 1985, Gullit moved to PSV for 1.2 million Dutch guilders and wound up scoring 46 goals in 68 league appearances for the team. Gullit was again named Footballer of the Year in 1986 as he helped PSV capture the Eredivisie crown, a feat they repeated the following year. It was at PSV that Gullit really began to establish himself as a world class footballer and his distinctive, dreadlocked appearance made certain that he would catch the eye of Europe's biggest clubs. Gullit was also singled out for criticism by large numbers of Feyenoord supporters, who branded him a "wolf" and accused him of moving to Eindhoven for money.

AC Milan 

Gullit signed for AC Milan in 1987, paying the then world record transfer fee of 18 million guilders as a replacement for Ray Wilkins. Milan's club leader Silvio Berlusconi had ambition to revive the fortunes of the Italian club which had stagnated after its glory days in the 1960s. Among Gullit's teammates at that club were compatriot Marco van Basten, who came at the same time. A year later they'd be joined by another compatriot and old friend Frank Rijkaard. The club also had then young Italian rising stars Paolo Maldini and Franco Baresi. Gullit's exploits with first PSV and then Milan helped him win the Ballon d'Or award in 1987 which he dedicated to Nelson Mandela.

When he arrived at Milan, Gullit initially struggled to fit in as he spoke no Italian and was unused to living in a foreign country. Gullit's first season at Milan, however, saw the club win the Scudetto for the first time in nine years, under coach Arrigo Sacchi. He was initially used on the right of an attacking trio alongside Van Basten and Pietro Virdis, but after an injury to Van Basten it was changed to a front two. The following season Milan built on their domestic success by adding the European Cup to their list of honours. Their scintillating 5–0 demolition of Real Madrid in the semi-final second leg came at a cost, as Gullit suffered an injury and required surgery to be fit in time for the final. That performance was followed by a 4–0 victory over Steaua București in the 1989 final, with Gullit scoring two crucial goals. The following year, Milan retained the trophy as they defeated Benfica in the 1990 final. However, serious injuries sustained to the ligaments of his right knee limited Gullit's playing time and he managed just two domestic games in the 1989–90 season before appearing in the cup final.

In 1990–91, Milan's pursuit of a third consecutive European Cup was cut short by Marseille at the quarter-final stage. Having drawn the first leg at the San Siro, Milan trailed to a Chris Waddle goal with little time remaining when the floodlights went out. After a short delay the lighting was restored, but Milan had returned to their dressing room and refused to return to complete the game. UEFA awarded Marseille a 3–0 victory and expelled Milan from all European competitions for the following season.

While Milan continued their domestic dominance by winning Serie A in both 1991–92 (a season in which they went undefeated) and 1992–93, Gullit's position became an increasingly peripheral one under new coach Fabio Capello. This was demonstrated by his omission from the 1993 Champions League final, as under the UEFA rules clubs were only allowed to field three foreigners.

Torino was interested in signing him, with chairman  claiming that an agreement with Milan was likely. But Gullit was instead loaned to Sampdoria.

Sampdoria 

In 1993, Gullit moved to Sampdoria and led them to victory in the Coppa Italia in the 1993–94 season. He also scored the winner in a 3–2 victory over Milan. Gullit was briefly re-signed by Milan in 1994, but quickly returned to Sampdoria before the culmination of the 1994–95 season. During his time, he served under manager Sven-Göran Eriksson and the two had a strong understanding and mutual respect. In his brief time at Sampdoria, he scored 15 goals.

Chelsea 
In July 1995, Gullit signed for Chelsea on a free transfer. Initially played as sweeper by manager Glenn Hoddle with limited success, Gullit was moved to his more familiar role in midfield, where he scored six goals. The signing of Gullit, alongside the likes of Mark Hughes and Dan Petrescu, propelled Chelsea to the semi-final of the FA Cup but their league form was disappointing.

Gullit had some difficulties adapting to the style of play at Chelsea: "I would take a difficult ball, control it, make space and play a good ball in front of the right back, except that he didn't want that pass. Eventually Glenn said to me, 'Ruud, it would be better if you do these things in midfield.'" His adjustment, however, was rapid and he ended the season by being named runner-up to Eric Cantona as Footballer of the Year.

Gullit has since often stated in interviews that it was in London he enjoyed his career the most and felt happiest: "Every time I played for Chelsea, I thought, 'Nice game, beautiful stadium, great crowd, I'm playing well.' It was the only time I really had fun." In moving to Chelsea, Gullit played an important part in the "foreign revolution" as numerous high-profile international stars, such as Italian Gianfranco Zola and Dutchman Dennis Bergkamp, joined Chelsea and Arsenal respectively, which helped to increase its worldwide profile.

International career 

In 1981, on his 19th birthday, Gullit made his international debut as a substitute for the Netherlands national team against Switzerland, a game the Dutch lost 2–1. During his early international career, the team failed to qualify for both the 1982 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 1984 - missing out on the latter tournament on goals scored as Spain, needing an 11-goal victory to qualify, trounced minnows Malta 12–1 in their final qualifying game.

There was further frustration in 1985 when the Dutch missed out on qualification for the World Cup at the hands of neighbours Belgium in a play-off. Having lost 1–0 in Belgium, the Netherlands appeared to be set for qualification in Rotterdam as they led 2–0 until a late Georges Grün goal put Belgium through on away goals.

Gullit, however, was one of the key players for the Netherlands as he helped his country win Euro 1988 under coach Rinus Michels. Having lost their opening game of the tournament to the Soviet Union, the Netherlands beat England and the Republic of Ireland to reach the semi-finals. After defeating West Germany 2–1 in Hamburg, the Netherlands faced the Soviet Union again in the final. Gullit opened the scoring with a header and Marco van Basten scored a volley from a narrow angle to cap a 2–0 win. Gullit was thus the first Dutch captain to hold aloft international silverware.

The Dutch travelled to the 1990 World Cup as one of the favourites, but the team failed to perform as expected. There was also internal trouble related to selection of the national team coach (players consulted had voted for Johan Cruijff, but the Dutch FA and especially its leader Rinus Michels snubbed them and chose Leo Beenhakker). Gullit's knee injuries also hampered his play, but his dribble and shot against Ireland helped the Netherlands qualify for the second round. There they met West Germany, in a game marred by an altercation between Frank Rijkaard and Rudi Völler. The Germans gained revenge for their defeat at Euro 1988 by beating the Netherlands 2–1 and going on to win the tournament.

1992 saw the Netherlands again among the favourites for silverware in Sweden at Euro 1992. Gullit appeared in strong form against Scotland in their opening game of the tournament as he supplied Dennis Bergkamp with a goal. But after drawing with Russia and beating Germany, the Netherlands suffered a shock exit on penalties to Denmark, who ended up winning the championship's Henri Delaunay Trophy.

In 1993, Gullit and Netherlands manager Dick Advocaat began what was to be a long-running dispute which ultimately ended Gullit's international career. Advocaat's decision to play Gullit on the right side of midfield in a game against England at Wembley, rather than his usual central position, upset Gullit and this was exacerbated by his substitution for Marc Overmars. Gullit refused to play for the national team following this but later changed his mind and agreed to return, facing Scotland in May 1994. Shortly before the 1994 World Cup, Gullit walked out of the pre-tournament training camp and would never play international football again. In December 2013, while appearing on Dutch television program Studio Voetbal, Gullit and Advocaat stated they were both at fault in the matter and regretted it.

Style of play 

A complete and versatile player, Gullit epitomised the ethos of Total Football as he was naturally adept in several positions, and was capable of aiding his team defensively as well as offensively due to his work-rate, ball-winning abilities, and tactical intelligence in addition to his skill and physical qualities. Normally deployed as an attacking midfielder or as a second striker, he was capable of playing anywhere in midfield or along the front-line, on either wing or even in the centre, and could also play as a sweeper. Regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, his foremost attribute was his athleticism, as he used his strength and speed, combined with his technique, to great effect; he was also strong in the air, as he was tall, powerful, and an excellent jumper. Yet, unusually for a man of his stature, Gullit was an elegant player, who also possessed outstanding natural balance, poise, technical ability, and dribbling skills, which gave a graceful style to his game. Gullit also was noted for his intelligence, creativity, vision, and spatial abilities, qualities that helped him score goals early in his career and enabled him to play in a deeper role as a playmaker late in his days, where he was known for creating chances for teammates. Gullit thus combined physical presence with flair, mental acuity, formidable technique and natural touch, to become an iconic figure in world football. He was also an accurate free kick taker. Beyond his qualities as a footballer, Gullit also stood for his leadership and tenacity. Despite his talent, however, he struggled with injuries throughout his career, which later affected his fitness.

Gullit's brilliance prompted George Best to comment in 1990, "Ruud Gullit is a great player by any standards. He has all the skills. He's not afraid to do things with the ball. And he looks as if he's enjoying every second of it. By my reckoning that's what makes him an even better player than Maradona. Both have the key quality you will find in all the best players: balance. You just can't knock them off the ball. It was the same with Pelé, Beckenbauer and Cruyff."

Managerial career

Chelsea 

In the summer of 1996, when Glenn Hoddle left Chelsea to become manager of the England national team, Gullit was appointed as a player-manager becoming the first Dutch manager in the Premier League. Gullit made a promising start to his managerial career when in the first season as a player-manager he guided Chelsea to an FA Cup triumph in 1997, the club's first major trophy in 26 years. In doing so he became the first manager from outside the British Isles and the first black manager to win a major British football trophy. The club also finished at a creditable sixth place in the Premiership.

The following season, with Chelsea in second place in the Premiership and proceeding to the quarter-finals in two cup competitions, he was sacked, allegedly for a disagreement with the club's board over compensation, though Gullit himself disputed this. He was replaced by Gianluca Vialli, a man he had helped to bring to the club, and who went on to guide them to UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and Football League Cup glory over the remainder of the season. Gullit's last appearance as a player came in the first leg of that season's League Cup semi-final against Arsenal, but Gullit was sacked before the second leg. After Gullit's controversial sacking by Chelsea, chairman Ken Bates said of Gullit, "I didn't like his arrogance – in fact I never liked him."

Newcastle United 

In August 1998, Gullit was named manager of Newcastle United two games into the new league season and reached the 1999 FA Cup Final in his first year. Fans remained supportive despite a poor run of results, although a well-publicised contretemps with the team's top scorer Alan Shearer and captain Robert Lee did not put him in a favourable light. Gullit even refused to assign Lee a squad number, giving Lee's number 7 to new signing Kieron Dyer. In a match between Newcastle and local rivals Sunderland following the latter's return to the Premiership, Gullit left the usual starting strikers Shearer and Duncan Ferguson on the bench. Newcastle lost 2–1, and Gullit resigned three days later, five games into the 1999–2000 season.

Feyenoord 

Before the start of the 2004–05 season, Gullit took charge of Feyenoord, quitting at the end of that season without winning any trophies, being replaced by Erwin Koeman. Feyenoord had finished a disappointing fourth in the Eredivisie, behind Ajax, PSV and AZ.

Los Angeles Galaxy 

On 8 November 2007, Gullit became head coach for the LA Galaxy, signing a three-year contract. His US$2 million per year salary was the highest ever given to a Major League Soccer (MLS) head coach. Gullit arrived as replacement for Frank Yallop who was let go after Galaxy failed to make the 2007 MLS playoffs despite having record signing David Beckham on the roster.

From the start, Gullit's time with Galaxy was troublesome. Not well-versed in the intricacies and specifics of the MLS such as salary cap and draft rules, the Dutchman never adapted well to the North American league. The ill-fated acquisition in January 2008 of left back Celestine Babayaro, who was signed on Gullit's personal wishes before being dismissed without playing a competitive match, set the tone for the league campaign. Afterlosing 0–4 in the season opener, Gullit clashed with midfielder Peter Vagenas, who criticized him for completely neglecting set play practice during training.

As the season progressed, Gullit clashed with several players, notably Landon Donovan and Abel Xavier, the latter who criticized Gullit's managerial style and claimed he did not have respect for most of the players. It was later reported that Gullit's appointment had been made in controversial fashion as Galaxy general manager, Alexi Lalas, had been bypassed in the process, with the decision being led by David Beckham's advisers: his management company 19 Entertainment and his personal manager Terry Byrne.

On 11 August 2008, Gullit resigned as coach of the Galaxy, citing personal reasons. This came following a seven-game winless streak. General manager Lalas was fired at the same time.

Terek Grozny 

On 18 January 2011, Russian Premier League side Terek Grozny announced that Gullit has agreed to sign a year-and-a-half contract and become the head coach for the Chechen side. Upon signing, Gullit told Sovetsky Sport, "I'd like to believe that I can bring joy into the lives of the Chechen people through football... Of course, I won't deny that I'm getting lots of money from Terek." Gullit was let go by the club on 14 June 2011.

Media career 

In 1988, Gullit scored a No. 3 hit with the anti-apartheid song "South Africa" in the Dutch Top 40 together with the reggae band Revelation Time. Previously, he had a modest hit in 1984 with the song "Not the Dancing Kind". Gullit also notably joined his band in front of 3000 people at concerts in Italy, in the year he made a move to AC Milan.

After his spell at Newcastle, Gullit spent several years working as a football commentator, having previously coined the term "sexy football" during his spell as a BBC pundit for Euro 1996 while still playing professionally for Chelsea. Gullit used the term to describe teams, such as Portugal at that tournament, who played attractive football with an emphasis on the defense-penetrating pass-and-move game.

By 2006, Gullit had a talk show on Dutch TV, where he has interviewed, amongst others, Nelson Mandela. When Gullit was named winner of the Ballon d'Or in 1987, he dedicated the award to the then imprisoned Nelson Mandela. Gullit has since said in interviews that he met Mandela after he was released, and that Mandela had said to him, "Ruud, I have lots of friends now. When I was on the inside, you were one of the few."

In 2007, Gullit recalled, "Four months ago I visited Robben Island and met three guys who were cell-mates of Nelson Mandela. They remembered me dedicating my award in 1987 to Mandela and they said they couldn't believe what I had done, and were sure the football authorities would withdraw the award. That's what apartheid did to them, it made them believe injustice was a normal part of life."

Gullit also appeared as a pundit for ITV during the 2006 World Cup and works as an analyst for Champions League games on Sky Sports and Al Jazeera Sports. During the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Gullit worked as a studio analyst alongside former players Jürgen Klinsmann and Steve McManaman for ESPN. He subsequently worked as an analyst for Al Jazeera Sports during Euro 2012 alongside Glenn Hoddle and Terry Venables, among others.

In 2013, Gullit and many other former footballers were brought into EA Sports's FIFA 14 as "Legends" cards in FIFA Ultimate Team; his card is one of the highest rated in the game.

In 2014, Gullit joined BBC's Match of the Day as a studio pundit and first appeared during the 2014–15 season.

Gullit embarked on the Heineken Champions League Trophy Tour in 2016 where he visited Vietnam with Carles Puyol. During the stop in Vietnam he met lifelong fan Max Caubo; who lived there at the time.

Personal life 

Gullit is a Feyenoord supporter. His son Maxim Gullit plays for Cambuur.

Career statistics

Club

International 

Scores and results list the Netherlands' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Gullit goal.

Managerial statistics 

All competitive league games (league and domestic cup) and international matches (including friendlies) are included.

Honours

Player 

HFC Haarlem

 Eerste Divisie: 1980–81

Feyenoord

 Eredivisie: 1983–84
 KNVB Cup: 1983–84

PSV

 Eredivisie: 1985–86, 1986–87

AC Milan

 Serie A: 1987–88, 1991–92, 1992–93
 Supercoppa Italiana: 1992, 1994
 European Cup: 1988–89, 1989–90
 UEFA Super Cup: 1990
 Intercontinental Cup: 1990

Sampdoria

 Coppa Italia: 1993–94

Netherlands

 UEFA European Championship: 1988

Individual

 Dutch Footballer of the Year: 1984, 1986
 Dutch Golden Shoe: 1986
 Dutch Sportsman of the Year: 1987
 Ballon d'Or: 1987; Runner-up 1988
 World Soccer Magazine World Footballer of the Year: 1987, 1989
 UNICEF European Footballer of the Season: 1987–88
 Onze de Onze: 1987, 1988, 1989
 Onze d'Argent: 1988, 1989
 UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 1988, 1992
 FIFA XI: 1991
 Premier League PFA Team of the Year: 1995–96
 Chelsea Player of the Year: 1996
 FIFA 100
 UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll: #13
 Golden Foot: 2011, as football legend
 AC Milan Hall of Fame
 The Best of The Best – Player of the Century: Top 50
 World Soccer: The 100 Greatest Footballers of All Time
 FAI International Football Awards – International Personality: 2008
 IFFHS Legends
 Italian Football Hall of Fame: 2017

Manager 

Chelsea

 FA Cup: 1996–97

Bibliography 

 Ruud Gullit: My Autobiography (1998) with Harry Harris
 Kijken naar voetbal (2016); English translations: How to Watch Football (2016), How to Watch Soccer (2017)

References

Further reading

External links 

  
 
 Gullit's emotional South African journey – fifa.com/worldcup/ – FIFA, 2007
 
 European Champions Cup/UEFA Champions League Winning Squads

1962 births
Living people
Dutch people of Surinamese descent
Footballers from Amsterdam
Dutch footballers
Association football midfielders
Association football forwards
Association football utility players
AFC DWS players
HFC Haarlem players
Feyenoord players
PSV Eindhoven players
A.C. Milan players
U.C. Sampdoria players
Chelsea F.C. players
Eerste Divisie players
Eredivisie players
Serie A players
Premier League players
Netherlands under-21 international footballers
Netherlands international footballers
UEFA Euro 1988 players
1990 FIFA World Cup players
UEFA Euro 1992 players
UEFA European Championship-winning captains
UEFA European Championship-winning players
Ballon d'Or winners
World Soccer Magazine World Player of the Year winners
FIFA 100
Dutch expatriate footballers
Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Italy
Dutch expatriate sportspeople in England
Expatriate footballers in Italy
Expatriate footballers in England
Association football player-managers
Dutch football managers
Chelsea F.C. managers
Newcastle United F.C. managers
Feyenoord managers
LA Galaxy coaches
FC Akhmat Grozny managers
Premier League managers
Eredivisie managers
Major League Soccer coaches
Russian Premier League managers
Dutch expatriate football managers
Dutch expatriate sportspeople in the United States
Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Russia
Expatriate football managers in England
Expatriate soccer managers in the United States
Expatriate football managers in Russia
Dutch association football commentators
Dutch male singers
Knights of the Order of Orange-Nassau

it:Roberto Goveani
The California Clásico is the name given to the soccer rivalry between the LA Galaxy and the San Jose Earthquakes. This Major League Soccer rivalry reached its zenith from 2001 to 2005, during which time the Earthquakes and the Galaxy combined to win four MLS Cup titles. The term "Clasico" is commonly used to refer to other rivalries in Spanish-speaking countries, most prominently, the Spanish Clásico between Barcelona and Real Madrid, or the Argentine Superclásico between Boca Juniors and River Plate.

Los Angeles and San Jose is considered to be one of the most historical rivalries in American soccer. The British daily newspaper The Guardian rates "the California Clasico is perhaps the most historic and intense rivalry the league has." Todd Dunivant, the retired U.S. national team and MLS player, when asked about the rivalry stated "I think it's the best rivalry in MLS, I think it's got the most history, it's got the most meaningful big games".

The rivalry originated from the historical Northern California vs. Southern California sporting and cultural rivalries, as well as from the relative proximity of the cities, which are about  apart, which allows rival fans to attend each other's games.

History

1996–2005

Unified as one single state, Northern California and Southern California share a notorious rivalry. Historically, rivalries have manifested prominently in the state's professional sports including MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL. For some fans, it is traditional to hate teams from Northern or Southern California. 

Both clubs were charter members of Major League Soccer in its inaugural season, with the San Jose Clash hosting the very first MLS game, shortly before their first home Clásico against the Los Angeles Galaxy in a match that drew 31,728 fans to Spartan Stadium, setting the record for attendance at a sporting event in the city of San Jose. The Clash became the Earthquakes on October 27, 1999, in readiness for the 2000 season. In 2001, both teams reached the MLS Cup 2001, with San Jose posting a 2–1 overtime victory on goals by Landon Donovan and Dwayne DeRosario. While next season, Carlos Ruiz led Los Angeles to its first MLS Cup title over the New England Revolution after San Jose was previously upset in the playoffs by the Columbus Crew. While there have been several players to play for both teams beforehand, the rivalry intensified after the Anschutz Entertainment Group (owner of the Los Angeles Galaxy) took sole ownership of the San Jose Earthquakes in December 2002.

The two teams squared off again in the first round of the 2003 MLS Cup playoffs in what would become an epic series. Los Angeles won the first game at home 2–0 in the two-game aggregate-goal series. In the second game in San Jose, the Galaxy scored two early goals to widen its aggregate lead to four goals, only to have San Jose score five unanswered goals to win the series 5–4. Many neutral MLS pundits at the time viewed that game as the best in league history. After eliminating the Galaxy, San Jose went on to defeat the Kansas City Wizards en route to winning its second MLS Cup title (over the Chicago Fire) in three years.

After a rumored buyout of the Quakes by Mexican soccer side Club América in January 2004, Earthquakes general manager Johnny Moore resigned prior to the 2004 season and was replaced by former U.S. and Galaxy defender Alexi Lalas. Under Lalas, 2004 ended up being a down year for the Quakes as it barely made the playoffs on the final day of the regular season. Both San Jose and Los Angeles were eliminated from the playoffs by Kansas City. Afterward, when Earthquakes star player Landon Donovan briefly returned to German club Bayer 04 Leverkusen after his loan agreement with San Jose expired, Lalas traded away his return rights, after which Donovan returned to play for the Galaxy. Many Earthquake fans felt betrayed and welcomed Donovan with a hostile reception when Galaxy would play at Spartan Stadium, he would be often referred to as the "American Luís Figo" as to when Figo made a hugely controversial move from Barcelona to bitter rivals Real Madrid. Several San Jose fans altered their Donovan jerseys name on the back to read "Donowho". They also brought signs with explicit messages like "Landon Judas Donovan", "PrimaDonovan Traitor" and "Donovan Is Traitor Scum."

Following the departure of Lalas to become the general manager of the MetroStars early in 2005, San Jose returned to form and captured the MLS Supporters' Shield, awarded to the league's best team during the regular season.  The two clubs met again in the playoffs, with Los Angeles finally winning a playoff series against San Jose thanks largely to the play of Donovan on its way to defeating New England in MLS Cup 2005.

On hiatus
The Earthquakes took a two-year hiatus from the league in 2006 and 2007 due to stadium and ownership issues. During that period, the Quakes' players and head coach were relocated to Houston, where they won two additional MLS Cup titles as the Houston Dynamo. Meanwhile, shortly after Lalas' brief stint with the MetroStars, he moved on to become the general manager of the Galaxy, who failed to make the playoffs during both years of San Jose's hiatus from the league.

2008–present

The San Jose Earthquakes franchise was revived by Lewis Wolff and Earthquakes Soccer, LLC, restarting the rivalry in 2008. Ignominiously, both the Quakes and Galaxy tied for the worst record that season. The Quakes lost the series and thus received the dubious distinction.

On June 25, 2011, Josh Saunders came in for injured goalie Donovan Ricketts. Saunders received a red card for what appeared to be an intentional elbow to the face of Steven Lenhart. Galaxy had no more substitute goalies and were forced to use forward Mike Magee as a last resort. Magee kept a shutout as the game ended 0-0.

The rivalry further intensified in 2012 when the Galaxy hosted the Earthquakes at The Home Depot Center with Galaxy taking the lead 2–0 but with 15 minutes left the Earthquakes came back and won the game 3–2. In late June, the Earthquakes played the Galaxy in front of 50,391 spectators at Stanford Stadium marking an attendance record for the Earthquakes franchise. Once again the Galaxy took the lead 3–2 at half time but the Earthquakes managed to score two goals to defeat the Galaxy 4–3, David Beckham was involved in scuffles during and after the match, he was awarded a one-match ban by the MLS Disciplinary Committee. The match itself was credited as one of the best MLS games in history. Galaxy's Omar Gonzalez expressed that the Earthquakes were "embarrassing", "obnoxious" and "a bunch of jokes" after a 2-2 draw.

The two teams met again in the Western Conference Semi-finals. San Jose defeated Los Angeles 1–0 in the first leg but the Galaxy came back and defeated the Earthquakes 3–1 at Buck Shaw Stadium, (3–2 on aggregate). It was the Earthquakes only loss at Buck Shaw all season.

In June 2013, the Clasico returned to Stanford Stadium and in stunning comeback fashion, the Earthquakes defeated the Galaxy with two goals by Shea Salinas and Alan Gordon in stoppage time (92',93') to win the game 3–2. San Jose became the first MLS team ever to win a game in extra time with 10 men after Víctor Bernárdez was red carded in the 77' minute.

For the first time, the California Clasico was hosted in Fresno, California, as part of the inaugural Central California Cup on February 15, 2014. The preseason exhibition match marked the first time two MLS franchises played each other in the city of Fresno.

In June 2015, the Earthquakes hosted the Galaxy at Stanford in front of 50,422 spectators. The June 2016 match set a new attendance record of 50,816.

The first Clasico of 2017 took place during preseason, at Cashman Field in Las Vegas on February 11, and San Jose won after Olmes García, acquired by San Jose in the Waiver Draft but released later on during preseason, scored in the 89th minute. The Earthquakes lost the first regular season Clasico of 2017 at home by a score of 4-2. During this match, new Earthquake Danny Hoesen scored his first goal for the club, Giovani dos Santos scored a penalty after a foul in the box by Kofi Sarkodie, and Víctor Bernárdez scored an own goal to give Los Angeles the 3-2 lead just before halftime. The two teams met again a month later at Stanford on July 1 in front of a crowd of 50,617. Jelle van Damme opened the scoring for LA in the 11th minute off of a corner kick set piece, and LA remained in the lead until the 75th minute, when San Jose goalkeeper David Bingham earned an assist on Chris Wondolowski's equalizer. Shea Salinas scored the winner in the third minute of stoppage time, bringing his total of stoppage time Clasico winners up to two, and he received a yellow card for taking off his shirt in celebration as a tribute to former teammate and fellow stoppage time hero Alan Gordon. The third official Clasico was fought just a week later on July 10, when San Jose and Los Angeles met again at Avaya Stadium, this time in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup. LA captain van Damme once again opened the scoring off of a corner kick, and once again San Jose came back to win, this time 3-2, on a Chris Wondolowski brace assisted entirely by Tommy Thompson and Hoesen's winner scored on a counter launched by Jahmir Hyka, with LA's second tally coming after an own goal that deflected off the back of San Jose keeper Andrew Tarbell. San Jose advanced to the semifinals of the tournament for the first time since 2004 and only the second time in franchise history. This match also saw Wondolowski tie Ronald Cerritos for the team's top goalscorer in the Open Cup.

Supporter groups
Although historically there have been rivalries between Northern California and Southern California supporters, a bitter rivalry exists between the San Jose Ultras and the Angel City Brigade, who support Los Angeles. Supporters from both teams taunt each other with elaborate tifo displays and chants due to the passion and hate there is. Heightened security is used to ensure no violence between the opposing groups. Social networking sites such as Facebook have also been used to jeer rival fans ensuring the rivalry continues outside of soccer.

Due to the relative proximity of the cities, which are about  apart, charter buses and shuttle vans are used to allow rival fans to attend each other's games.

Incidents
On October 21, 2012 during a regular season game at Buck Shaw Stadium, several LA Galaxy fans were arrested after violent altercations erupted in the stands and smoke bombs were set off during half time. In fear of causing a riot, Santa Clara and Sunnyvale police officers, some dressed in riot uniforms, arrived and cleared the Galaxy supporters section during the game.

Crossing the divide

Player transfers
While the transfer of Landon Donovan from San Jose to Los Angeles caused an uproar amongst the fans, the rivalry between the two teams has not prevented players from switching teams.

 Curt Onalfo – with Galaxy: 1996; with San Jose: 1997
 David Kramer – with Galaxy: 1996–1997; with San Jose: 1997–1999
 Harut Karapetyan – with Galaxy: 1996–1998; with San Jose: 1998, 2000
 Dan Calichman – with Galaxy: 1996–1998; with San Jose: 2000
 Eddie Lewis – with San Jose: 1996–1999; with Galaxy: 2008–2010
 Lawrence Lozzano – with San Jose: 1997–1998; with Galaxy: 1998–1999
 Gabe Eastman – with Galaxy: 1999; with San Jose: 2000
 Adam Frye – with San Jose: 1999; with Galaxy: 2000–2002
 Zak Ibsen – with Galaxy: 1999–2000; with San Jose: 2001–2002
 Joe Cannon – with San Jose: 1999–2002, 2008–2010; with Galaxy: 2007
 Simon Elliott – with Galaxy: 1999–2003; with San Jose: 2009
 Danny Califf – with Galaxy: 2000–2004; with San Jose: 2005
 Ian Russell – with San Jose: 2000–2005; with Galaxy: 2007
 Brian Ching – with Galaxy: 2001; with San Jose: 2003–2005
 Brian Mullan – with Galaxy: 2001–2002; with San Jose: 2003–2005
 Craig Waibel – with Galaxy: 2001–2002; with San Jose: 2003–2005
 Landon Donovan – with San Jose: 2001–2004; with Galaxy: 2005–2014, 2016
 Gavin Glinton – with Galaxy: 2002–2003, 2006–2007; with San Jose: 2008
 Alejandro Moreno – with Galaxy: 2002–2004; with San Jose: 2005
 Todd Dunivant – with San Jose: 2003–2004; with Galaxy: 2005–2006, 2009–2015
 Chris Aloisi – with Galaxy: 2004; with San Jose: 2005
 Jovan Kirovski – with Galaxy: 2004–2005, 2009–2011; with San Jose: 2008
 Ned Grabavoy – with Galaxy: 2004–2006; with San Jose: 2008
 Alan Gordon – with Galaxy: 2004–2010, 2014–2016; with San Jose: 2011–2014
 Kelly Gray – with San Jose: 2005, 2008–2009; with Galaxy: 2007
 Cornell Glen – with Galaxy: 2006; with San Jose: 2009–2010
 Ty Harden – with Galaxy: 2007; with San Jose: 2013–2015
 Brandon McDonald – with Galaxy: 2008; with San Jose: 2009–2011
 Dan Gargan – with San Jose: 2013; with Galaxy: 2014–2015
 David Bingham – with San Jose: 2011–2017; with Galaxy: 2018–2020

Staff

 Lothar Osiander – managed Galaxy 1996–1997; managed San Jose 1999–2000
 Frank Yallop – managed San Jose 2001–2003, 2008–2013; managed Galaxy 2006–2007
 Dominic Kinnear – coached San Jose 2001–2003, managed San Jose 2004–2005, 2014–2017; coached Galaxy 2017–present, interim manager at Galaxy 2018

Record

Games
Including penalty kick wins from 1996 to 1999 seasons

Trophies

Results

MLS regular season

MLS Cup playoffs

U.S. Open Cup

Winners
Each season, a cup is awarded to the team that won the most points in the California Clasico during the regular season. Between 1996 and 1999, matches ending in draws were culminated in a penalty shootout with the winner of the shootout gaining one point while the losing team left with no points. This system was abolished starting with the 2000 season; a draw awarded each team 1 point.

Popular culture
On October 13, 2013, the California Clasico was highlighted on the TV series, MLS Insider, explaining the history of the rivalry from the different perspectives of players such as Chris Wondolowski and Landon Donovan.

See also
Northern California – Southern California rivalry
Dodgers–Giants rivalry
49ers–Rams rivalry
Kings–Sharks rivalry

Notes

References

External links
 The 2005 California Clasico semifinal playoff series

LA Galaxy
San Jose Earthquakes
Major League Soccer rivalries
Soccer in California
1996 establishments in California NGC 4036 is the New General Catalogue identifier for a lenticular galaxy  in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Major. In the Carnegie Atlas of Galaxies, it is described as being "characterized by an irregular
pattern of dust lanes threaded through the disc in an 'embryonic' spiral pattern indicating a mixed S0/Sa form." It is located near the Big Dipper, a little to the north of the mid-way point between the stars Alpha Ursae Majoris and Delta Ursae Majoris. With a visual magnitude of 10.7, it can be dimly viewed using a  aperture telescope.

The visual dimensions of this galaxy are  arc minutes, with the major axis having a position angle of 85°. The galaxy is being viewed nearly edge-on, with an inclination of 18° to the line of sight from the Earth. It is moving away from us with a  radial velocity of . The estimated visual luminosity of the galaxy is  L⊙, or 42 billion times the brightness of the Sun. Photographs show a tightly wound spiral pattern in the galactic disk, with three dust lanes—the southern side of the galaxy appears dimmer due to the dust configuration. The mass of the free gas and dust in the galaxy is about  M⊙ and  M⊙, respectively, with around  M⊙ of the gas being in an ionized state.

This is a type of active galaxy known as a LINER, which means that it shows emission lines of ionized gas in the region of its nucleus. Chemically, the stars at the center of the nucleus have a higher metallicity than in the neighboring regions. It appears that there is a tilted disk of stars orbiting the nucleus within a radius of . The galactic bulge itself appears triaxial with the ionized gas concentrated near the center of this bulge region. Images of the galaxy with the Hubble Space Telescope show a wispy disk of dust on all sides of the nucleus, with what appears to be the tendrilous remains of an ionization cone leading away 4 arc seconds to the northeast. Such features are common in Seyfert galaxies.

On July 23, 2007, Type Ia supernova SN 2007gi was discovered by Koichi Itagaki near the central bulge of this galaxy. It reached peak magnitude around August 14, then steadily declined in brightness thereafter. Materials identified in the spectrum included silicon, calcium, and sulfur moving outward at velocities of around 15,500 km/s. This is a 50% higher velocity than what is normally observed with supernovae of this type.

NGC 4036 is a member of the LGG 266 galaxy group, along with NGC 4041, IC 758, UGC 7009, and UGC 7019. It is located just 17 arc minutes from NGC 4041, and the two form a pair with a projected separation of around .

Gallery

References

External links 
 

Lenticular galaxies
Ursa Major (constellation)
4036
7005
037930