Sigi Schmid’s timing of his resignation was quite unusual. (Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)

The LA Galaxy has been eliminated from MLS playoff contention, yet Sigi Schmid has seen some sort of writing on the wall.

The winningest coach in league history stepped down as head coach Monday.

The Galaxy (10-10-8, 38 points) is in eighth place in the Western Conference, two spots and three points out of a playoff berth with six games remaining in the regular season.

Assistant coach Dominic Kinnear was named as the 65-year-old Schmid’s replacement.

“I have coached at various levels of soccer in the United States for over 35 years, where I have dedicated myself to furthering the sport in our country,” Schmid said. “After careful consideration, I have decided to step away from coaching at this time, but would like to remain in the game.

“With six games remaining as the club fights for a playoff spot, I understand the timing of this decision is unfortunate. However, I believe this group can come together and fight for a spot this season under Dom’s guidance. I am grateful to the LA Galaxy for being such a significant part of my life and my career.”

Schmid directed the Galaxy to the 2002 MLS Cup during his first tenure with the club in July 2017. He was fired in August 2004 when the team was in first place in the Western Conference.

“We want to thank Sigi for everything he’s done for the LA Galaxy and for soccer in Southern California,” Galaxy president Chris Klein said. “He has played such an integral part of the success of the LA Galaxy since 1996, including helping bring this club the first of five MLS Cup trophies.

“We respect Sigi’s decision and we will continue to focus on our push for playoffs as we move forward. Dom is one of the finest coaches in the history of this league, and we trust him to lead this group for the remainder of the season. His keen understanding of our team and MLS will serve us well for the last six games of the season. The club will conduct its search for the next LA Galaxy head coach immediately.”

Kinnear, who directed the Houston Dynamo to the 2006 and 2007 MLS championships, was hired as Schmid’s assistant in August 2017. He is third on the MLS all-time win list with 166 victories.

“I want to thank Sigi and the LA Galaxy for bringing me here last season,” Kinnear said. “Our focus now is to win as many games as possible through the end of the season.”

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.