LA Galaxy continue overhaul by signing Jelle van Damme
LA Galaxy found a potential replacement for departed center back Omar Gonzalez by completing the signing of former Belgium defender Jelle van Damme on Tuesday.
Van Damme joins the Galaxy after spending the past five years with Standard Liège. The 32-year-old accumulated more than 200 appearances for Standard and served as the club captain before opting to move to MLS.
It took a few weeks to sort out the details, but the Galaxy eventually sealed the move by using Targeted Allocation Money. Van Damme is scheduled to join the Galaxy once he receives his International Transfer Certificate and his P-1 work visa.
"Jelle is an experienced, talented defender who will strengthen our back line," LA Galaxy head coach and general manager Bruce Arena said in a statement. “He joins our team with a wealth of experience playing at the highest levels of competition in the world. We look forward to adding him to our roster.”
The former Belgium defender is primarily known in the United States for his involvement in an on-the-field incident with ex-U.S. defender Oguchi Onyewu.
Onyewu sued van Damme in 2009 after van Damme reportedly called Onyewu a "dirty monkey" during the first leg of a Belgian league playoff tie. Onyewu subsequently withdrew the complaint after the two players met and van Damme apologized.
Galaxy officials investigated the incident and Arena spoke with both Onyewu and van Damme about the incident before moving forward with the signing, according to a club spokesperson.
MLS -- as a single-entity league -- holds all player contracts and approves all signings. League officials investigated the issue and spoke with Onyewu about the incident before signing off on the deal, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.
Arena and the Galaxy require an experienced option in the heart of defense after the sale of United States defender Gonzalez to Pachuca during the close season.
Van Damme -- a left-footed defender with some facility in possession and plenty of experience -- suits the Galaxy well in that department. His arrival paves the way for A.J. DeLaGarza, Leonardo and Dave Romney to compete for the other berth in the heart of defense.
Van Damme is the first of three high-profile targets to sign for the Galaxy. Former A.S. Roma defender Ashley Cole and AC Milan midfielder Nigel De Jong are both heavily linked with a move to the Galaxy as the five-time MLS champions attempt to reinforce their squad ahead of the upcoming campaign.
