The General Manager Position in MLS

During tonight's podcast we will be talking a bit about the constructs of MLS offices. It's easy to question the thinking behind transactions and player dealings. Each person has a specific idea behind the move and their own end game and plan that they wish to execute.  Personnel decision making is an important skill. We can find out more about some of the these skills if we actually know the individuals behind the desk of their respective clubs. This list is far from exhaustive. The effort is to give a single point of reference for front office types in each MLS club. The problem behind this little pilot study is that not all them are singularly responsible for the decision making as there are others: CEOs, CFOs, Presidents and a myriad of others that help influence these decisions.

That said this is a good start to getting an idea as to who is pulling some of the strings when it comes to putting together the 30-man roster and dealing with the salary cap. The list is sorted according to the current (9/4) Supporter Shield standings.

LA Galaxy - Jovan Kirovski, Technical Director
Seattle Sounders - Adrian Hanauer, General Manager
Impact - Nick De Santis, Sporting Director/General Manager
NYRB - Andy Roxburgh, Sporting Director
Sporting KC - Peter Vermes, Team Manager & Technical Director
Philadelphia Union - Rob Vartughian, Coach & Technical Director
Colorado Rapids - Paul Bravo, Technical Director
Timbers - Gavin Wilkinson, General Manager
Whitecaps - Bob Lenarduzzi, General Manager & Team President
New Endgland Revs - Michael Burns, General Manager
Houston Dynamo - Nick Kowba, Director of Soccer Operations
FC Dallas - Fernando Clavijo, Technical Director
Chicago Fire - Javier Leon, President Soccer Operations
San Jose - John Doyle, General Manager of Soccer Operations
Columbus Crew - Brian Bliss, Technical Director
Chivas USA - Juan Francisco Palencia, Technical Director
Toronto - (formerly) Kevin Payne, General Manager & Team President 
DC United - Dave Kasper. General Manager
Personally, the three names that stand out to me are (maybe, unsurprisingly) Adrian HanauerRob Vartughian and Javier Leon (though admittedly there isn't much on him). The three men are the only three to not have played professionally at any level. Something to think about and consider with these hirings.