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It turns out the Dodgers weren’t the only ones making noise in Los Angeles in an effort to turn the page on recent failures. And while Joe Torre’s colossal introductory press conference ruled the national news for a couple of days, the hiring of Ruud Gullit by the L.A. Galaxy hit with a similar impact in the international stage.

As shocked as I was with the announcement, with it two things became clear: Jurgen Klinsmann wants nothing to do with MLS at this point, and the Galaxy front office will keep pushing toward the globalization of the team.

But will Gullit provide a solution for the team’s poor performances over the last two seasons? Not likely…at least in the near future.

Ruud Gullit’s name is recognized worldwide for what he did as a player. He was named World Soccer Magazine Player of the Year in 1987 and 1989 while playing for Italy’s AC Milan. The incredible AC Milan coached by Arrigo Sacchi. The best team I have seen in my life. Any football fan should be able to recognize that team, winner of the 1989 and 1990 European Cup (now known as the Champions League and widely considered the most important club competition in the football world). Gullit was a midfielder on that team that also featured his countrymen Frank Rijkaard (now head coach for FC Barcelona) as defensive midfielder and Marco Van Basten (now head coach of Holland ’s National Team) as the striker.

Gullit also played for Haarlem , Feyenoord and PSV in his native Netherlands, as well as Sampdoria in Italy, before finishing his playing career with Chelsea in the English Premier League. In addition to his club success, he also won the 1988 European Cup and played in the 1990 World Cup with the national team.

Although recognized as a creative midfielder, Gullit possessed a natural ability to play several positions, becoming one of the most complete players of all time.

On the coaching front, however, the record has been more mixed. Gullit has had short coaching stints with Chelsea and Newcastle of the EPL, and Feyenoord. He led the Blues (Chelsea) to the F.A. Cup title in 1997. But beyond that triumph, he has not been as very successful, and has spent the last couple of years as a TV analyst in England.

When the L.A. Galaxy position opened -former coach Frank Yallop pulled a Grady Little. resigning before getting booted out the door- the natural candidate was German star and Southern California resident Klinsmann. For quite some time now he has been linked to U.S. Soccer, even turning down an opportunity to coach the U.S. National Team after guiding Germany to the 2006 World Cup semifinals and a third place finish. Nevertheless he was still frequently seen at The Home Depot Center.

The second option would have been Bruce Arena, the man who was in charge of the national team for eight years and last season coached the Red Bulls into the MLS playoffs. Arena resigned shortly after being eliminated in the playoffs this year. Arena had previously coached DC United from 1996-98.

Klinsmann has world-wide recognition and solid international experience, plus he is familiar with the U.S. culture. Arena knows the American player, understands MLS and is well respected in this side of the world.

Either one would have made perfect sense. I doubt money was an issue as the Galaxy will, according to some reports, pay Gullit over ten million dollars in the next three years, an amount that tops what many of the biggest teams in the world pay their coaches. Obviously, the checkbook for the AEG folks didn’t close after shelling out for David Beckham.

So, how did Gullit end up with the job four days after Yallop’s resignation? I can’t understand it. According to his account, he was vacationing in the Dominican Republic when he was contacted by the team. A couple of days later they had reached an agreement.

I find it bizarre.

I don’t think Gullit realizes the challenge in front of him. From what he said in his introductory press conference, he made it clear he knows nothing about the league -he probably has never seen a single MLS game- its players or its culture.

He spoke about how “there is huge potential in the U.S.” and that he will try to teach the game to his players. Truth is, Galaxy players, and MLS players in general, know the game.

Problem is some of them can’t play it.

Jose Mourinho, who coached Chelsea to two English Premier League titles, said it best when the English team played the Galaxy during the summer (in the game that marked Beckham’s debut with the MLS team). “They have Beckham, and Donovan, and a bunch of lads who try to play football.”

The disparity of talent is evident and it can be frustrating for coaches, players, and fans alike.

If you’re not familiar with the league, think of it as the Los Angeles Lakers. They may have the best player in the NBA (Kobe), but can you ask Kwame Brown to make a play? I’m sure he knows he needs to hold the ball and the put it through the rim. He just can’t. And yet he has huge potential.

The Galaxy has deposited its faith in Ruud’s hands. They hope he can take this team to a higher level and to universal prominence. For the first ten years of its existence, the franchise made it to the MLS playoffs. Over the last two seasons, they’ve been left in the cold. They have the most famous player in the league (Becks) and they still have the most talented player in the league (Donovan)- there are talks he might re-unite with Yallop in San Jose next season- but they seem lost in their own little world. Or galaxy, as it were.

MLS has proven to be a tough place for foreign, high-profile coaches. Bora Milutinovic, Carlos Alberto Parreira and Carlos Queiroz, to name a few, have come and gone without major success.

It is a critical time for the MLS as it hopes to gain credibility domestically and abroad. In the David Beckham era the league needs the Galaxy to become an internationally recognizable team. Gullit is a risky pick, and one I feel will need some time to pay dividends.

I’m not sure the Galaxy can afford to wait.

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