From the outside

I always like to read columnists' opinions on soccer, well, columnists who can take an objective look at a game or a hiring or a move or whatever without having to drop in a "soccer sucks" reference.

Anyway, I always enjoy reading colleague Jim Alexander whenever he has the chance to chime in on Chivas USA and/or the Galaxy. Same with a former colleague in Steve Dilbeck, who I worked with for about a year and a half at the San Bernardino Sun.

Dilbeck's bread and butter is the big sports - Lakers, Dodgers, etc. - but he's been out at HDC before. I don't know that he's a soccer nut like I am - I'm guessing he's not - but that doesn't mean he can't formulate an opinion and back it up.

Dilbeck doesn't exactly stick a fork in Arena like I did somewhat but he's quite cautious about the hiring. He brought up the good - 2002 World Cup - and the bad - his stint in New York. He also summed up Arena's personality perfectly, as he wrote "He has always been somewhat difficult to like personally. He reeks of attitude, can be caustic. Has that 'I'm the toughest and smartest guy in the room' syndrome going."

That's pretty much Arena in a nutshell. But whether or not we like him is irrelevant. What matters is his coaching ability, and that's certainly in question whatever Tim Leiweke says.

It's good to see an relative outsider to the Galaxy comes away with that impression as well.